The sun is pouring through the window by the time I woke up the next morning. Tucked beneath the thick blanket beside me, Dillon slept peacefully. I enjoyed the even rise and fall of his chest, an intimate moment that I would tell our child about years from now. It was that moment that I knew that I was still in love with Dillon, and that that love wouldn't be leaving me any time soon. I wanted to tell him how I felt, and I would in time. Before then, I had to figure out what I was going to do with the rest of my life.

"Good morning," he whispered sleepily, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hands. He smiled at me warmly as he managed to sit up. Leaning over, his lips met mine briefly before I pulled away.

"Morning breath," I giggled, wrinkling my nose at the taste.

He laughed. "It's been a long time since I, you know, woke up with someone in my bed."

"Well, I didn't have to stay last night if you didn't want me to."

"No, I wanted you here. It's nice to wake up to you."

"Be careful what you say, Mr. Quartermaine, you just might end up with me forever."

I couldn't believe I just said that. Dillon just looked at me with a wide smile and shook his head. He reached down and grabbed his discarded dark grey t-shirt from the floor beside the bed. "So, we need to tell my family."

"Do we have to?" I grumbled.

"Not today."

"Really?"

He nodded. "But I do want to tell Georgie."

I returned his nod. "She has been great through all this. You're right, she deserves to know. And I won't infringe on your time with her."

Dillon must have got the inflection in my tone. "Lu, you know how I feel…"

"I know, and we don't have to talk about it. In fact, can we not talk about it? I'd just like to go down and have breakfast. I'm famished, and I think the baby is hungry."

"The baby," he whispered, shaking his head. "What does the baby want?"

"The baby wants fresh orange juice, scrambled eggs and wheat toast."

"I think I can take care of that," Alice said from the doorway.

"Oh, Alice!" I exclaimed, totally caught off guard.

"Do you not knock anymore?" Dillon asked.

"Actually, I'm saving your butt, Mr. Dillon," Alice replied haughtily. "Your mother is looking for Miss Lulu, and I told her that I would go upstairs rather than have her come bother her. Had she walked in there and saw that she was missing, she would have come here. After what has happened over the last few days, I figured it was the last thing you wanted."

"Thanks, Alice, you're right, Dillon replied.

"Any time. I will have your breakfast waiting on the table, Miss Lulu," she said with a bright smile.

"Hey, Alice?" I replied. "Can I tell you a secret?"

"I know everything about this family, I think I can safely say I will keep it."

"Well, since you're keeping my secret, I guess I should tell you what I kept."

"You mean…?"

I nodded. "Dillon and I are going to have a baby."

Alice bounced across the room and hugged me and then Dillon. "Congratulations."

"Remember, not a word to the family," Dillon told her.

"I promise," she smiled before heading downstairs to the kitchen. As she walked away, I noticed the extra energy in her step. Our news had brought joy to at least one member of the family. I knew the Quartermaines, especially Edward and Tracey, would be excited about my choice. I just wanted time to get used to it before I told them.

"Well, I should go down first. I'll see you in a few moments," he said absently before dropping a kiss on top of my head. Turning around, he studied me intently. "I just want to tell you thank you for keeping the baby, Lu. I can't wait to be a father."

I just want to do something real with my life.

After he was gone, I sat alone thinking about my choice. Like Dillon, I was beginning to find myself unable to wait to be a parent. Though I would never admit it to anyone, I had dreamt of what our life would be like with a child. I love this child, and its father, entirely too much to have it any other way. Even though I knew he still cared for Georgie, I had to trust that he would eventually come back to me.

Stretching, I crawled out of the bed. I snuck down the hallway and changed quickly. Tossing my pajamas in the wicker hamper, I threw on jeans and a tight-knit sweater. I might as well get good wear out of my clothes while they still fit. Satisfied with my reflection in the mirror, I headed down to meet the Quartermaine clan head on. They were already avidly bickering by the time I reached the dining room.

"Good morning, Lulu," Monica smiled brightly. I had always liked Monica. Other than her constant reminder that the mansion is hers, she was usually the voice of reason in the family. Rarely did she get on my case; instead, she was just content to leave me to my own business.

"Good morning, Monica," I returned. "Good morning, Alan."

Alan nodded a greeting from behind his world news section. He sipped his coffee, throwing the occasional insult his father's way. Edward was arguing with Tracey about the latest ELQ acquisition. Emily wasn't paying attention to anyone, scanning her textbook while chewing on a wedge of grapefruit.

And no matter how many times I bury my head in the sand, I'm still going to come up for air and realize that the real world is there.

"Thanks, Alice," I said as she set the steaming platter in front of me. Taking a long drink of orange juice, I quickly became nauseous. "Excuse me."

"Is she okay?" Tracey asked Dillon pointedly.

"I'm sure she's fine. I'll go check," he remarked.

I hovered over the toilet in the hall bathroom, waiting to see if I'd get to see last night's dinner in reverse. Dillon kneeled behind me, drawing my long blonde hair off my neck. "Thanks."

"It's my job as the father," he murmured. "You feeling okay?" Just as he asked, I began to throw up. "Guess not."

After a few minutes, I was fairly certain that there couldn't be anything left in my stomach. Pushing the lever, I sat back against the cool wall and let myself rest. Dillon stood up and soaked a cool washcloth. Rubbing it over my forehead, he looked at me with concern. "Feel better?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I just had to make room for those eggs."

He laughed. "Come on, your breakfast is getting cold."

"Dillon, wait a second. I need to tell you something."

"What?"

"I want us to be together," I blurted out. He looked at me in shock. "Okay, I said it, and now, I want you to forget it. I had to say it, I had to get it out. But I don't want to put pressure on you. I want you to figure out what you want."

"I already know what I want."

This sudden change of heart wouldn't have anything to do with you wanting your life to count for something, would it?

Author's Note: Sorry for the long hiatus, but sometimes life gets in the way. Hope you enjoyed the update, I promise to try to make them more frequent in the future. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing.