Chapter 23
I don't own Lucian
Lucy's POV
A loud yawn surpasses my lips as my eyes flutter open. I roll over on my back stretching out my body. My head falls over to my right expecting to see Ian, instead I am looking at an empty bed. Pushing myself up in the bed I look around the room to see if Ian is in here. I'm surprised to see he isn't and the attached private bathroom door is open with the light turned off so I know he isn't in there either. Climbing out of bed I scurry into the bathroom to relieve myself then get dressed. I pull on my sweat pants from yesterday that Ian must have taken off of me when he carried me up to bed as well as grabbing Ian's hoodie that had been laying over the top of my bag since I had worn it yesterday during the flight. I run a brush through my hair to tame some of the wild curls I have going on but other than that I look decent enough to wonder around the house to find Ian.
My sock clad feet pad down the hardwood stairs until I reach the main floor. I head straight into the kitchen where there are an assortment of aromas travelling from. I instantly freeze in place upon seeing Ian, Momma, Maggie, and Maggie's husband Lewis standing in the kitchen cooking a plethora of food together.
"Lucy!" Maggie jumps in excitement when her eyes catch my movement causing everyone in the room to turn and look my way.
"Hi Maggie!" She pulls me into a hug, well the best way she can with my stomach in the way a bit.
"Happy Thanksgiving sweetheart." Momma smiles from behind the granite island where she is currently peeling potatoes with Ian.
After getting over the initial shock of seeing everyone and greeting everyone it clicks in my mind that today everyone is here. Wait. Ian and I were supposed to go pick up his parents last night but I fell asleep.
"Ian, where are you parents?" I worry having not seen them down here.
"They are—" Ian says but pauses, his eyes shifting off of me.
"We're right here dear. You walked right past us in the living room where we were talking with your dad." I jump and let out a gasp in shock at the voice behind me. A smile instantly replaces the worried look on my face when I see Stephen and Marry standing in front of me.
"I'm so sorry, I didn't even realize anyone was in the living room. My mind completely blanked about today; I was on a hunt to find Ian and I smelled something delicious cooking in the kitchen. It's wonderful to see you both again."
"Oh don't worry about it dear. I remember the 'baby brain' I had developed during both pregnancies."
"How's the pregnancy been treating you, Lucy?" Stephen asks politely.
"It's been really good, definitely a learning experience that's for sure. I'm just excited to finally have this little one in my arms already!"
"Your due date is any time now, right?" Stephen asks.
I nod my head in confirmation. "Yes, December 8th. Two weeks from tomorrow."
"These are going to be the longest two weeks of your life honey. Just to warn you." Marry laughs softly.
I laugh along with her. "My mom told me the same thing. It's always right around the due date when things start to really get crazy."
"I'm going to go upstairs and get more appropriately dressed. Ian, can I borrow you for a few minutes?"
Ian nods his head, sitting the potato peeler down on the counter top. Ian reaches out to lace his fingers in my own—it's always the little details of things he does that make me smile. We return to my bedroom upstairs and shut the door softly. I take a seat on the bed knowing I need to stay off my feet in case I am up moving around once I head back downstairs to help out in the kitchen.
"Why didn't you wake me when it was time to go get your parents?" I ask Ian softly. My hands rub my stomach soothingly.
"Because I knew you were tired and needed the nap so I just carried you up here to bed. Plus it was freezing cold out and I didn't want you to have to get out in the weather." Ian shrugs casually.
"I wish you had woken me up though."
"Did you have a good night's sleep?"
I nod my head happily. "I did, yes! You know I haven't gotten my 'Good Morning' kiss yet." I pout up at Ian.
Ian chuckles in response. "You know it is two in the afternoon."
I gawk at him in disbelief. "Two in the afternoon!" I turn around to look at the clock on the nightstand in shock. Sure enough the clock reads in bright red letters 2:27.
"I kept coming up here to check on you but you were fast asleep each time."
"I must have been half asleep whenever I got up to use the restroom because there is no possible way I slept that long without going to the bathroom with this damn pea sized bladder Brea has given me." After a moment I grin mischievously at Ian. "Since it is so late, you owe me a morning and afternoon kiss."
Ian grins back at me in response. "I can do that."
Ian turns his back to me to flip the bedroom door lock before turning to face me. I giggle as Ian strides over to the bed and lightly pushes me down against the mattress as he climbs on top of me. He straddles my lower half with his hands resting on each side of my head to support himself. His eyes flicker from my eyes down to my lips with a look of desire in his eyes. I bite my lip in anticipation. Ian bows his head down to attach his lips to my own. My hands reach up to toy with his the hair on the back of his neck. Our lips linger for quite some time enjoying our private moment before we have to return downstairs to the company of my family.
Ian regretfully withdrawals from my lips. "I love it when you giggle." Ian comments as he brushes a few stray strands of hair out of my face.
I nudge my head into his neck enjoying the tingling feeling I get when his skin touches mine.
"Come on Baby, you need to get dressed."
Reluctantly I nod in agreement and force myself to get up from underneath Ian. Since it is plenty warm and cozy inside of the house I slip into a pair of black leggings that have been comfortable to wear since I have developed such a rounded belly. I pull on my favorite maternity dress, it's a beautiful light blue and white patterned dress that's forming for the bodice but flowing just under my bust preventing it from being tight around my stomach. It is sleeveless and exposes a bit of my chest though it doesn't reveal my much larger cleavage I have received as the pregnancy has progressed. I curl my hair and apply my makeup then tell Ian I am all set.
We return downstairs to find everyone lingering around in the kitchen talking and helping each other cook. I waddle over to the island and take a seat on the bar stool to keep myself off of my feet due to Ian's pleading that I do so. Everyone said I should just sit back and relax but I refused saying I can help prepare something and I am sitting down so I won't be straining myself in any way possible. After much reluctance I managed to snatch the vegetables and a knife to chop up everything for the salad.
Bile rises up my throat abruptly and my hand clamps over my mouth at a sour smell that wafts through my nose. I take off in a run—more like a slow determined waddle—across the room and straight into the hall bath.
"Honey?" I hear Ian's worried voice eco down the hall. Upon hearing the disturbing noise of me ridding the nausea he finds me. "Oh Lucy Goose." Ian is instantly squatting down next to me rubbing circles on my back with his right hand while his left hold my hair back.
"Thank you, babe." My hoarse voice whispers to him appreciatively.
"What'd you smell?"
"I don't know. I smelled something then I couldn't keep the bile down."
"Do you want to go back in to the kitchen or do you want me to look around and see if there is something out of the ordinary you may have smelled?" Ian offers as he helps me up off of the bathroom floor.
"I'll come back to the kitchen and see what is was."
Ian and I return to the kitchen and I hesitantly take a seat on the bar stool once more.
"It's the shrimp," I sputter out as soon as the smell wafts my way again from where Lewis stands with the tray of shrimp. "Oh god." I quickly turn my head to bury it in Ian's chest while Momma and Maggie shoo Lewis and the shrimp out of the kitchen. My head remains buried in Ian's chest inhaling his blissful scent while Maggie sprays some air freshener in the kitchen in hopes of removing the odor of the shrimp.
Ian's hands slide down my back and he leans down to kiss the top of my head. "Better?"
I withdraw my head from his chest to smell the air desperately hoping the smell has dissipated. I sigh in relief and offer up a grateful smile to Momma, Maggie, and Ian. Lewis soon returns—without the shrimp—and apologizes greatly for the incident. I assure him he isn't at fault and there is no way he could had known. Despite my love for sushi and other sea food I have cut myself off from it alongside my beloved coffee for the sake of Baby Harding. Since I haven't been exposed to sea food for several months I had no idea the smell of shrimp would affect me the way it just had. Soon we all fall back into our groove of cooking, talking, and having a good time.
Dinner had been filled with many laughs and giggles. Tonight reminded me of how much I miss being surrounded by my family. Ian has been overjoyed all night being around his parents as well. After everyone helped clean up dinner and get the house back in order we all relocated to the living room where it was a fend for yourself fight to whoever got to the furniture first; the usual playful family banter. Ian and I snagged the same place on the couch that we had last night. We also resumed the same positions on the couch we had last night. Momma and Tim are seated next to us on the couch, Ian's parents are on the couch adjacent to us, and Maggie claimed the plush recliner leaving Lewis to have to pull a chair up from the kitchen.
"Okay Lucy," Momma starts off in a serious manner. "Everyone is together now, can we please see our grandbaby's outfit she is going to wear coming home from the hospital?"
Ian and I instantly laugh. "I will go grab our bag that we have the outfits tucked away in." Ian stands up from the couch and disappears upstairs.
Ian returns to the room in record time with the bag in his hand. He sits it down on the coffee table in front of the couch. I scoot to the edge of couch and unzip the bag. Ian has taken his seat next to me on the couch and draped his arm around my lower waist.
"Okay, we haven't decided which outfit we are going to bring her home in yet, we think as soon as we see her we'll finally be able to decide. Here is the first option."
I pull out the first outfit which consists of a pure, innocent white winter coat that has fuzzy sleeves and torso as well as a cute little collar on the coat. The lower half of the winter coat has a tulle overlay to portray a full skirt. There are the cutest little pink flowers on the lower portion of the skirt and a light pink silk bow on the left side. Three medium sized buttons are placed down the front of the coat. It is just too darn cute. For underneath the coat we plan to dress Brea in a white onsie with a cute and colorful owl design on the front paired with hot pink pants which match the flowers on the coat. As for her feet we found cute frilly white socks to go with the black fuzzy boots to keep her little feet warm. Last minute we had found the cutest hat in the world that appeared as if it came with the coat it was so spot on. Everyone gushes over the outfit in awe and excitement.
After everyone looks at the first outfit Ian and I planned out I pull out the second outfit. It is another adorable winter coat that is black with small white polka dots pattern. It has three little black buttons down the front and a little leather belt that ties around the waist into a bow on the front as well as leather on the cufflinks. There is a white faux fur cozy collar at the top. The dress is lined with the softest white fabric on the inside. For Brea to wear underneath the coat we picked out a cute pink little onsie with black leggings and the most adorable white fluffy tutu skirt. For her little feet we plan to but the same black boots on her feet that also match the other outfit. The white hat from the other outfit also matches this one well so we plan on just using that as well.
"These are just precious baby. My granddaughter is going to be the cutest baby in all of Hollywood!" Momma gushes as does Mrs. Harding.
"We are so torn on which outfit we should put her in when we bring her home from the hospital. I'm just hoping as soon as we see her we'll know, otherwise we'll have to figure something out so she isn't naked!" I giggle while Ian and everyone else laughs along.
"I'm sure you two will make a decision shortly! I am expecting tons of pictures as soon as this little one is born! You let me know and I'll be running out of work and jumping on the first plane there is." Mom says in a tone I know she is serious.
"I promise we will send you all pictures and let you know the second she is born."
I snuggle deeper into Ian's side as the night carries on. Everyone continues to talk, laugh, share stories, and just all around enjoy the family time together. I found myself becoming less talkative the heavier my eyelids became. It isn't much longer until I am lulled to sleep completely relaxed as Ian's fingers caress my side.
Happy Valentine's Day! It does not feel like February at all. Please let me know what you thought about this chapter. I loved writing it! Don't forget, if you want to see the two pictures of the coats for Brea they are on my FanFic Twitter account: EzriaLover4Ever
Thank you so much for all of the reviews! If I am at 602 reviews I will post the next chapter either on Friday or Saturday :)