March rolled in and brought with it the early flowers of spring. Back at Eli's house, he began trying to work from home more, so that they spent the majority of their day together; her on her art - him in his upstairs office. Most mornings they would spend engrossed in their respective work, then eat lunch together and fuck languidly on the couch, napping for a while until one or the other got up to get more work done.
The further along she grew, the more Ava began to consider where to put the baby and what things to buy for him.
"Whatever you want," Eli said when asked, "Buy him clothes, toys, anything you want him to have."
One afternoon when Eli got up much earlier than usual from their lunchtime fuck, she ambled down to the second floor but, instead of heading toward their room, she found her footsteps leading her to the smaller room at the end of the hall. Eli's self-appointed nursery space.
Everything remained where it had been the last time she ventured in here months ago. From the outdated carpet and lace curtains to the desk with a layer of dust on the top. The beadboard was nice, but the grayish-green walls made the space feel dark and cave-like. She tried to envision where a crib could go, as well as a rocking chair, changing table, dresser...
"What are you thinking about?"
Ava jumped at Eli's voice from the doorway, grabbing her bump on instinct. The baby jumped too from her reaction, and she patted her belly to reassure him.
"You scared me," she told Eli, who walked in behind her and set his hands on her shoulders, massaging the tense muscles underneath. He said nothing, just watching her as she surveyed the room again, mentally planning where things might go.
"I can have someone come and decorate the nursery if you like," he offered, wrapping his arms around her from behind and pulling her back against his warm chest.
"I don't even know what I would want," she said, resting her arms over his.
"Well, I think the desk will be the first thing to go. I've been meaning to get rid of it for a long time anyway."
She laughed softly, "You don't think he'll want to sit there and make business deals between his naps?"
Eli chuckled and spun her around to face him, "I think he'll be ready for one in a few years, but until then, he needs a functional room," he kissed her softly, then held her close.
"I'm not much of an interior designer," she confessed, "I wouldn't know where to start."
"Is there a theme you like? Colors? Should we replace the carpet? I know this whole floor is woefully outdated."
Ava turned her head away from his chest to look at the room again, trying to think of what theme would fit in the space.
"Dinosaurs, I guess."
He looked down at her with a smirk, "You're serious?"
She smiled, "It would make sense, given, you know..."
Eli looked at the lackluster space with new eyes, "Keep the beadboard; change the wallpaper? Or remove it and paint instead?"
Ava shrugged. "I'm not picky."
His gaze on her felt like it was searching for enthusiasm. Since the mishap up at the Manor on their last visit, he had been extra patient with her, gentle in a way she seldom experienced for long unless he wanted something. After her admission, he seemed to be intent on increasing her affection for him. At this point, Ava had all but given up on resisting. From time to time she would feel that familiar white-hot hatred in the pit of her stomach, but then look down to her burgeoning belly and remember that she had someone else to consider now too. Eli had calmed down for the most part, content with having broken her of the desire to flee at any given moment, and confident that she had resigned herself to staying with him at last.
There were even times now when Ava initiated affection more than he did. Touch-starved and increasingly nervous about her impending birth experience, she allowed herself to cuddle up with him whenever they were in close confines together. Many mornings she woke in his arms and nuzzled her face into his neck, feeling the burning desire between her legs begin to build until she wrapped them around his waist in a silent invitation. He would tease her with his fingers for hours sometimes, then finish her with his tongue while she held onto the headboard and screamed.
She lost track of how close her due date was all the time. Her belly grew rounder and she was more tired from the slightest effort, winded by a simple flight of stairs or a single earth-shattering orgasm from Eli. The days seemed to roll together and she mentally categorized them into weeks that were spent in the city and weeks that were spent at the Manor.
When the time finally came for their next visit up North, Eli told her to pack more than usual, as he planned for them to be there for almost a month. Excitedly, she stuffed every piece of clothing she had into her duffel bag.
It rained for most of the drive-up. Dark gray clouds seemed to follow them all the way to the Manor, but even the dreary weather couldn't dampen Ava's excitement at going back for a more extended trip. They had left earlier this morning than usual, and the whole way up Eli made lighthearted conversation with her, their fingers linked the whole while.
They arrived shortly after lunch, not having stopped at any of their usual spots because of the weather, and just after pulling through the main gates to the estate, the rain finally stopped and the clouds looked like they were ready to break and allow the sunshine through.
Northern California springs were still chilly this time of the year. Ava shivered upon stepping out of the vehicle, careful not to trip on her way up the front steps to their hosts waiting just inside the foyer as usual.
Before she had even gotten her bearings Maisie was jumping around, tugging on her hand and begging her to come into the parlor on a mysterious errand.
"What's so urgent?" Ava asked her, looking to Iris and Mr. Lockwood for an explanation. Both of them looked deliberately evasive about it. Iris chided Maisie and told her to compose herself, while Mr. Lockwood smiled in a mischievous way.
"We decided to throw a small baby shower for you, I believe that's a thing that is commonly done here in America - for mothers expecting their first child, yes?"
Ava balked, "Um... well, yes. It is..." She didn't know what to say. It had never occurred to her that she would be thrown a shower as she had no one to invite and Eli made sure she bought anything and everything she could want, "That's so generous of you to do. Thank you."
"No trouble at all," Iris assured her, "I had hoped we might let you settle in first but Maisie is too excited to give the baby her gift. Are you up to doing it now? I assure you, Maisie can wait if she needs to."
Shocked, Ava looked to Eli, equally stunned. He rallied though and nodded at them both, "Very generous of you. I hope you didn't go to too much trouble."
"No trouble at all," Mr. Lockwood chuckled as Maisie pulled Ava's hand in the direction of the parlor again. Iris began pushing his wheelchair in the same direction. Eli set their things on the floor at the foot of the stairs and followed.
The parlor room had a few baby blue decorations out and a small pile of presents on the table. Ava smiled at Maisie's excitement.
"Open mine first!" she begged as Ava sat on the sofa, waiting for Eli to join her.
A large gift bag with a cartoon dinosaur on the front and bright yellow tissue paper erupting from the top was thrust into her lap. Eli sat down and scooted closer to her. Judging by his face he was just as caught off guard by this gesture as she was.
Ava pulled the tissue paper out from the bag one handful at a time.
"I used the whole package of it," Maisie told her excitedly, bouncing on her seat across the table from them.
"I can see that," Ava laughed, finally grabbing the last handful and seeing the gift at the bottom of the bag.
"Oh Maisie, how perfect."
She pulled out the gift, a large stuffed tyrannosaurus rex with felt teeth and claws.
Maisie was so pleased with herself that she couldn't even speak. When Ava beckoned her over for a hug, the girl came willingly and wrapped her arms around Ava's neck tightly.
"I can't wait to see him," she mumbled tearfully in Ava's ear, and tears sprang to her eyes too as she hugged Maisie back.
Eli took the T-rex in his lap and leaned back, smiling at the two of them.
"Mills, go ahead and open the next one," Mr. Lockwood said, his own eyes looking misty.
Maisie let go of Ava in a flash and turned to grab the next present to hand to Eli.
"Thank you, Maisie."
This one was a thin rectangular box wrapped in royal blue paper with 'It's a BOY!' scrolled intermittently amongst images of rattles and pacifiers. He peeled the corner open first, finally tearing it open to reveal a long white gift box.
Inside was a delicate, hand-knitted baby blanket in powder blue.
"Iris, did you make this?" Ava asked in awe, taking the box from Eli so she could inspect the gift herself.
The old woman beamed, "I did. My grandmother taught me, but it's been a while since there was a baby around so it took me some time to remember everything."
"Wow," Ava gushed, fingers tracing the intricate knots and braids of the yarn, "This is beautiful. Thank you so much."
Mr. Lockwood cleared his throat, "My gift is a bit smaller I'm afraid," drawing attention to a yellow envelope on the table. Eli leaned forward to retrieve it.
The paper ripped in spite of Eli's best effort to open it gently. Out came the card, with a cute pastel-colored depiction of a baby in a stroller and the word CONGRATULATIONS scripted across the top. Ava watched him open it slowly, expecting a check or some cash to fall out, but instead, there was a folded sheet of paper. It sank to the floor and Eli reached down to retrieve it, handing Ava the card to read.
At the bottom, all 3 had signed it, but there was a special note at the end. For your new bundle of joy, that he might be prepared for whatever path he chooses.
"Thank you," Ava repeated, not even looking at the paper in Eli's hands, but assuming it was probably a check or gift card of some kind.
"They—" Eli paused like he was in shock, "They've opened a college savings account for him."
Surprised, Ava just stared at him, waiting for him to explain further.
Eli met her eyes with sober intensity, "Mr. Lockwood deposited $50,000 into it."
She couldn't help it, Ava gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. She looked from Eli over to the trio of party throwers all looking pleased by her reaction.
Mr. Lockwood waved his hands dismissively as Eli started to say that it was too much at the same time Ava began thanking him effusively.
"It's nothing, dear boy. A small token of my gratitude after so many years of loyal service from you. I'm sure you've had other, more lucrative job offers since you came into my employ but you've stuck with me, and that's no small thing."
For a moment, Eli looked almost stricken. Mr. Lockwood certainly seemed to have struck a nerve somewhere.
"I-I-I thank you, sir."
"Don't mention it, now, I think you're both probably wanting to go up and have a rest but there are a few other gifts for you upstairs. Most of them were too large and impractical to bring down for the occasion, but I'm sure Mills will be able to put them together."
Curious, Ava thanked them all again, hugging each one even though her belly made it difficult. On the way back upstairs she tried to think what Mr. Lockwood could have been referring to but as soon as Eli opened the bedroom door for her to enter first she saw what he meant.
Several huge boxes were stacked in the far corner of the room near the window. A crib, stroller, car seat, baby swing, jumper, basically any baby paraphernalia one could need. In the very back was even a vintage perambulator that looked to be from the 1940s. The choices were endless. As soon as Eli saw the pile he paused and dropped their bags to the floor, running his hands through his hair.
"Now I see what he meant about things I could put together," he chuckled, walking over to look closer.
Ava felt overwhelmed by the sight of all the items on top of the enormity of Mr. Lockwood's gift. She sat on the edge of the bed and slumped onto her side where she could watch Eli as he mentally tallied how many items he needed to construct while they were here.
"They're so generous," she mused, staring up at the canopy, "I can't believe he put that much money into an account for the baby."
"Oh, I can," he replied, "He's a very generous, kind-hearted man. That's why I've stayed here for so long."
It felt odd to hear Eli espouse someone's kindness and generosity as admirable character traits somehow, but Ava said nothing.
"I suppose this is also their way of trying to convince me to move us up here permanently."
She bit her lip, waiting to hear what he would say next, but nothing came.
"And?" she finally asked.
"And what?"
"And are you convinced?"
Eli snorted, "Not remotely. Look, I agreed to come up here for long stretches at a time, and I fully intend to. But once the baby is born I think we'll need some time to adjust to being a family of 3. I'll likely work from home for a few months, and we can come up here at our leisure when he gets a bit bigger."
She sat back up on the bed to look at him, "Shouldn't we discuss the birth soon? Given as I'm only a month or so from it?"
"What's there to discuss?"
"Well, for starters, where I'm going to give birth. I haven't exactly been receiving normal obstetrical care..."
"You'll have a water birth at the house. I've hired a midwife to be on call once we get a bit closer."
Ava balked, "A water birth? What if I wanted an epidural? What if something goes wrong and we need to go to the hospital."
He scoffed at the idea, "You're young and healthy, and all the women these days do water births with a midwife anyway. I don't anticipate any complications but if they arise we can get to one of the dozen or so hospitals in the city in no time."
Now she was feeling that familiar anger again. "What if I don't want to do it that way? It's really painful, Eli. I'm not ready to sign off on—"
"My decision is made Ava," his tone was terse, and she narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms over her chest to rest on her bump.
Eli sighed, hands braced on his hips. He rubbed his temple and came back over to the bed.
"I'm sorry," he kissed her shoulder, "I've got a lot on my mind right now. If you want an epidural I'm sure I can find an anesthesiologist willing to be on call for the right amount of money and come to the house to give you one, but you should know they're not foolproof. My sister had one with all 3 of her kids and twice there were issues. Once it only numbed half her body and she said it was worse than feeling the whole thing. I just want to make the healthiest choice for you and the baby."
His hand splayed over her abdomen, then his face bent down to kiss it. "I can't believe how soon he'll be here."
Slightly less irked, Ava laid her hand atop his, "I know. And now you have this huge pile of presents to put together before he does."
He kissed her, pulling her face toward his as he pushed her down on the bed.
"Before I get started on any of that, I need to finish something here first."
She moaned as he lifted her shirt over her belly and breasts, pulling down the panel of her maternity jeans and feeling suddenly self-conscious.
"What is it?" he asked, feeling her tense.
"Just feels odd wearing these clothes and trying to feel sexy at the same time," she explained as he stepped off the bed to fully remove her jeans and underwear with them.
"Why?" he cocked his head to the side, massaging her calf muscles and looking at her naked from the waist down.
"I feel like a whale," she rolled her eyes and leaned back as he kneaded the tension out of her foot.
"You look like a goddess," he countered, leaning over her with great care not to crush the baby, "Now let me worship at your temple."
Ava smiled and parted her thighs, whining when he struggled with the buttons of his pants, writhing on the bed and letting her legs rove in search of what she wanted between them.
Eli palmed her breasts in his hands and entered her, grunting as he pulled her down to the edge of the bed to have easier leverage. She grabbed fistfuls of the sheets when he bottomed out inside her, gasping as he wrapped her legs around his muscled legs and pumping ass.
"Ohhhh," she threw her head back and moaned, her heaving breasts still encased by the bra which Eli shoved up to her chin to allow him full access. He licked and nipped and suckled them as she wailed in frustration, digging her fingernails into his pumping flanks as he rutted against her.
His cock shunting inside her felt tighter than usual, or perhaps that was just another effect of pregnancy on her body. Sex was different than before - now that she was getting closer to the end. A painfully pleasurable fullness bloomed deep in places she hadn't even felt before she reached this stage of growing a baby.
It took only a few nibbles from his teeth on her nipple before his relentless pace inside her made sure that she came violently, howling out her climax and staring open-mouthed up at him as his eyes rolled back and his hips stilled. She felt his balls jerk against her ass, her whole body jolted and shuddered, her eyelids flickering as he grunted with each of his ejaculations inside her.
Between them, her belly wobbled and moved, reminding her of what he had managed to do in such a short period of time. Not long ago she would have fought him tooth and nail, or at least withheld affection where possible, but when he whispered 'I love you' and kissed her after, she returned the kiss with fervor, tightening the grip of her legs around him and feeling him harden again inside of her.
That night at dinner, Eli held her hand under the table, stroking the inside of her thigh as they made conversation with the Lockwoods.
"Thank you again for all the gifts," Ava said between bites of food, "I'm still in shock from your generosity."
"Think nothing of it, my dear. We want you and your son to feel just as welcome here as Eli for as long as you're willing to stay. If you'd like for us to clear out one of the other rooms so he has his own space, let me know."
Eli piped in, "That's very kind of you, sir."
"Well, whatever we must do to enjoy your company more often and for longer, we're willing to do it."
Ava bit her lip and glanced nervously at Eli, wanting to join in trying to convince him to move up here permanently, but knowing he would not appreciate her undermining him in front of his boss.
The silence lingered, broken by the sound of forks scraping the china and Iris clearing her throat.
"Will you be having your baby in one of the city hospitals then?" she was looking at Ava, clearly expecting her to answer instead of Eli.
"Uhh, no," she fumbled, looking over at Eli, "I'll be doing a home birth."
Iris looked concerned, "What if there are complications?"
"Ah Iris, let them do things how they want. There are many ways for children to come into the world, after all." Mr. Lockwood looked over at Maisie as he said it, and Ava felt a knot in her throat at understanding his thought process behind the words.
"You could have the baby here," Maisie suggested innocently.
Eli chuckled, "I don't think that would work, Maisie. I don't want to be graphic while we're eating but there are a lot of components to having a baby that are distasteful to most people—"
Mr. Lockwood scoffed, "Well, Mills, if that's the reason for not wanting to do it here I won't let you leave thinking that. It's nonsense. There's nothing distasteful about birth so long as both mother and baby make it through healthy and unscathed. It's purely natural. I'm a scientist. I would know."
No answer from Eli but Ava felt his hand tense on her knee.
"Furthermore, wouldn't it be better for your son to grow up out here than in the city? I know it's out of the way, but all your costs of living would be covered on top of your normal salary. Think about it. Children should grow up with fresh air and family, not cooped up in the city full of murderers and thieves."
Ava squeezed Eli's hand under the table, willing him to listen to Mr. Lockwood's reasoning even if she couldn't be seen voicing her assent. The mention of a family for her son to take part in made her heart beat faster in anticipation.
Mr. Lockwood held up his hands in mock surrender, "Just think on it, Mills. Please. We all would love to have you here permanently."
Eli swallowed and looked down at his plate, "I will think on it, sir. Thank you again for the offer."
They stayed for 3 weeks this time. It got harder to clamber out of bed in the mornings but Ava usually slept in, spending her days with the Lockwoods and sometimes Eli when he could be pulled away from his work. When she asked him what he was doing all day, he was still evasive, but she heard a name once when she passed his office that stuck with her.
"We need to bring in Owen Grady."
She had no idea who Eli was referring to. Even so, she stepped closer to the door and tried to listen in, but Eli must have been letting the other person talk until they said something he didn't like.
"I don't care how long it takes to find him, how far could he have gone?" A pause. "Well, I met Claire Dearing several years ago and if anyone will know how to get ahold of Grady, it's her."
He shuffled through some papers on his desk, searching for something, then Ava heard the squeak of his chair as he sat in it and began clacking on the keys.
"Says here she runs the Dinosaur Protection Group now out of San Francisco. That's not far from here. I've got some things in the works right now but if the situation continues to deteriorate I will reach out to her myself and bring her in to track Grady down for us."
Faintly, she heard the sound of him ending the call and setting his phone down on the desk. Part of her wanted to go in and ask him what that was all about, to show an interest in his work. The other part of her warred against the idea, an eternal battle within her head as she tried to grapple with the change in her feelings toward him. Ava's face flushed at eavesdropping on Eli knowing full well how much he would not like it. She pressed her cheek against the cool wood paneling of the hallway, took a deep, quiet breath, and tiptoed down the hall to head towards the kitchen. Even if she asked, Eli still would not trust her, and so it was a moot point.
At the end of the 3rd week, Eli informed her they would need to return to the city the next day. Ava knew it was coming – his moods had become more irritable the longer they were here, especially after spending long hours in his office exchanging harsh words with people on the other end of his phone calls. Even sex didn't seem to energize him like it usually did. Sometimes in the evening after they retired to bed, he would simply lay there next to her, stroking her stomach or her face until one of them fell asleep first. Most often, he wanted sex in the mornings, before the stresses of the day hit him in full force. He would roll over when the light began peeking through the windows and dally his fingers between her legs to wake her as he bestowed kisses all along her chest and neck. Those morning sessions were brief and tiring enough that she usually fell back to sleep soon after. Occasionally, the baby would wake from their activities and start moving and kicking so that she couldn't rest again, but more often than not she and their son seemed to be on the same sleep schedule and for that she was grateful.
It still felt surreal to her that she was soon to have a son with this man, a living, breathing child born from this horrific situation she had somehow managed to resign herself to. They no longer spoke about the circumstances that led her here. Ava felt no more use in arguing now. For better or worse, they had, at least, reached a strange kind of stalemate whereby he allowed her more freedom when convenient and she ceased trying to wound him with her words and her fists every chance she got.
The morning they left there were tears and long hugs between Ava and Maisie, as well as a watery-eyed Mr. Lockwood.
"Not long to go now," he said, "Hopefully we see you again soon before he arrives," he wiped his eyes with the back of his shaking, wrinkly hand, "Take care of them, Mills."
"I intend to, sir."
Cold gray skies overhead followed them all the way home. Almost halfway through the drive, Ava dozed off with her head against the window, lulled by the sound of Baby Mozart music Eli had taken to playing regularly.
A little over an hour later, Ava stirred from her nap at the sound of Eli's phone ringing. He rarely picked up calls when he was driving with her, but this one he hastened to answer. She closed her eyes again in case he might say something worth overhearing.
"Hello? Yes, this is him. You're done? Perfect timing. Yes, thank you. I'll make the final payment tonight after I've seen it myself."
Ava's curiosity was piqued, but she couldn't hear what the person on the other line was referring to and Eli hung up shortly after.
When she opened her eyes, she saw familiar road signs that told her they still had a quarter of the drive to go. "Who was what?" she asked nonchalantly through a yawn, rubbing her eyes.
He grinned over at her, "You'll find out in a bit."
She knew better than to think she could weasel an answer out of him before he was ready to give it. The rest of the drive, she pondered what it could be, and when they got in hours later, Eli seemed nervous but excited.
"Are you ready?" he asked her after he carried the bags in the backdoor and headed for the kitchen staircase.
"For what?"
"To see the surprise."
Ava bit her lip. Historically, surprises from Eli were not the good kind, but since he had recently turned over a new leaf, she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt just this once.
"Lead the way," she told him.
Up the backstairs, they trekked. By the time they reached the top, Ava already felt winded, but Eli set the bags down on the floor and turned to the nursery door.
"Wait," Ava looked down, noticing the worn-out carpet had been removed since they left weeks ago, and the original hardwood floors had been stripped, sanded, and redone in their absence, "Did you..." her voice trailed off.
"Come and see," he smiled and put an arm around her as he opened the door to the nursery.
The room was too dark at this time of night to see much of anything even by moonlight. Ava reached for the light switch and blinked rapidly when the room became illuminated. For a moment she stood there just staring in awe to take it all in.
The carpet had been ripped out and the floors refinished in here too, their mahogany hue gleamed in the overhead lighting, which had been replaced by a large modern ceiling fan currently spinning at a low speed. The beadboard had been repainted light green, the wallpaper replaced with a new print of whimsical watercolor dinosaurs. A comfortable navy blue rocking chair and matching ottoman sat in the corner with a side table and lamp. In another corner was an assortment of potted plants and a wooden rocking horse carved in the shape of a triceratops. A matching white crib and changing table had been assembled, as well as a dresser in the corner and a small bookshelf under the window already laden with baby books. In the center of the floor was a braided oval rug in greens, blues, and yellows.
Speechless, she turned to Eli who was watching her for a reaction.
"How did—We weren't even gone that long!"
He laughed, "I paid them extra to be fast and thorough. Do you like it?"
"Like it? It's amazing."
His shoulders relaxed, and she looked back at the room still in shock, "It feels like this should have taken way longer."
"Wait until you see the rest of it."
Ava turned her head back to him, "The rest of it?"
Wordlessly, he held out his hand to her and pulled her along with him towards the bathroom.
Changes in here were even more jarring – the room had been completely gutted. Gone were the tub and shower which had been ripped out to make room for a sleek glass-walled shower and a freestanding tub that looked large enough and deep enough to hold two adults comfortably. The sink and toilet had been replaced, the walls and floor were retiled and there were now two sinks instead of one.
Her mouth hung open at the change, "I can't believe it's the same space," she mumbled.
"One last room to see," he coaxed her out to see their bedroom.
Open-mouthed, she walked in to see all the previous furniture was gone, replaced with a tasteful matching bedroom set. The walk-in closet had been extended, with new space left empty for her to put her own things as she accumulated them. Everything looked fresh and new. The last remnants of the antique decorating by the former owners were gone and it looked like a very posh home any young couple might own in the city.
"You like it?" his breath was in her ear, pulling her into his arms.
"Yes," she huffed, suddenly hungry to peel back the sheets after the long drive and be ravished on this new bed.
"I can be good to you, Ava. I just want you happy," he spun her to face him, hands cradling her face, "We're going to be so happy."
She kissed him, surrendering herself to the emotions such a gift wrought and pushing down the ones that told her this was just a bribe to break down her walls further. As he carried her to the bed and peeled off her clothes one by one, she looked at her belly and willed the objections away as she closed her eyes and let him.