Oh no, I'm back again!

Three months later found Lilly and I seated on the couch, my head and hands resting against her stomach, listening to the movement taking place beneath my ear and feeling the occasional kicks on my cheek or under my palms. One of Lilly's hands was beside my face and I gripped it, bringing it to my lips before I raised my head to meet her eyes, which were tearful as she felt her baby kick. It was alive. There was another living being inside of her and as we stared at each other, with equal smiles of joy plastered across our faces, I thought about how unfortunate Oliver was. He was going to miss out on so much just because he was a spineless coward. Fathering a child wasn't the end of the world. It was just hard work and it took a lot of effort and dedication.

In my opinion, all the work put in wouldn't be in vain because the aftermath was such a beautiful thing. I'd often dreamt about finding the right guy, getting married and then gradually starting a family once the time was right, but really, what girl hasn't thought of that at least once? Lilly may be young, but her mind exceeded her age and I could tell by the way she spoke of her baby, the way she caressed her stomach, that it wasn't just about keeping it alive, it was about being a mother, which meant growing up, and Lilly had proven that she was capable of that.

Since Oliver left, I had to basically take over his role and deal with Lilly's moods, take her out to places she wanted to go, and learn the proper ways to take care of a baby, with daddy giving us a lot of tips along the way. He was going to be there for Lilly as well.

"Picked any names yet?" I asked, sitting upright next to her, one hand still stroking her stomach, which was starting to develop a noticeable bulge and a thin strip of skin could be seen because her shirt was too small.

"I think so. You know my lists were so long last time, but now I think I've decided on the top two," she said proudly.

"You said that last week," I reminded with a chuckle. Lilly slapped my arm.

"Shut up! This time I'm certain that these are the perfect names."

"You said that last week too." Lilly glared at me and I raised my hands, admitting defeat before a war could break out. "Relax would you? Just tell me."

"If it's a boy, Erik. If it's a girl, Selene."

"Erik? That's..." Lilly raised a daring eyebrow, her eyes narrowing dangerously. I knew what that look meant and instantly resigned. "Great! Your baby will be thrilled to be called either one of those!" I assured, but the playful argument I believed would ensue never came. Lilly had recently been very touchy about being teased and I used that to my advantage whenever I got the chance, though I knew something was on her mind because of her lack of a rebuttal.

"I think I like the idea of you being the other parent more," she said lowly and I almost didn't catch it.

"What do you mean?"

"You make a better mother than Oliver would a father. You act so grown up when it comes to this and I'm honestly impressed with how mature you're being, while Oliver has really disappointed me by acting like such a child with the way he's shutting me out and ignoring my calls. I really think you're better than he is, Miles."

"Whether I am or not, he's still the father," I muttered. Oliver wasn't really my favourite topic.

"He has no right to be! Yeah, he helped make it, but if he loved me, he would be here right now in your place! If he loved me, he wouldn't threaten to leave me if I didn't take away the life we created!" Crap, she was getting so angry. I hated these random outbursts she has and they seemed to get worse every time.

"He's just not ready, Lil," I defended, even though I didn't want to. But if not me, then no one would.

"Well, I am!" she shouted, shooting up and storming towards the staircase. I knew she needed some time to cool off, so I waited for her footsteps to fade and I grabbed the remote on the armrest then switched on TV, letting it distract me while I tried not to think murderous thoughts about Oliver. He's really made the biggest mistake of his life, by rejecting Lilly. She needed him and if it wasn't for me, she would probably be having constant breakdowns with no one around to repair her. The things I've done so far for the baby and Lilly, they hardly amount to what could be done if Oliver would just stand by his girlfriend so they could be a family. Sure, the timing was a little bad, resulting in Lilly having to skip the last few months of school to deal with her pregnancy, but she says a little dent in her education wasn't as important as being a mother. She still needed someone to take half the load though, and it wasn't going to be Oliver.

I stood up and retraced Lilly's steps, ascending the stairs, and walking down the hall. I paused at the nursery as I saw a shadow on the wall and I peeked around the door, finding Lilly sitting on the bed, holding her stomach tenderly. I wordlessly joined her and waited until she lifted her head to gaze at me before I spoke.

"I'm ready too," I told her. She said nothing after that and merely watched me, an examination running right to the core. I didn't understand why she had to penetrate me so deeply because she should know everything I ever said to her was nothing but honest. She didn't need to pick apart my soul to find any trace of a lie, even over something she took so seriously. I would never lie to Lilly and she seemed to get that after a few moments of getting in my head and heart through my eyes. How she does that, I'll never know.

"I love you," she said suddenly. I blinked, letting her unwavering tone and hard features soak in before I mimicked her words and embraced her. What happened then was unexplainable. It was like...this weird swelling in my gut that extended to uncharted places, consuming me fully from the inside. Removing Lilly from against me would mean the removal of this new feeling and I didn't want that, so I didn't let go. Lilly allowed me to cling to her, not one complaint, or shift, coming from her even after minutes of me burying my face in her neck. I just needed to know what it was that changed.

I think we all know. Oh yes, I almost forgot to tell you guys something. REVIEW.