"Hey there, babies. It’s daddy." I heard Phoebe giggle.
"Get up," Lilli hissed at me and tried to reach for my arms to pull me up.
I swatted her away.
"I’m talking to my children, Shh!" I chuckled.
"No, you are talking to my stomach in the middle of the hospital. Get up!" This time her giggle couldn’t help but break through.
"We’ll continue our conversation later." I kissed her clothed stomach and got up smiling at her. Phoebe giggled and Lilli rolled her eyes.
We all got onto the elevator.
"So, you’re riding back with us right?" Phoebe smirked at me and then I turned my head to see Lilli staring at me.
"Yes, if you don’t mind." I said to Phoebe, but still looked at Lilli.
"Wait, you’re coming to Winter Harbor?" I nodded. "Don’t you need to get back to work or something?" I shook my head at Lilli.
"I’ve got a couple of days." I shrugged. "I cleared my schedule. Plus…" I swallowed the nerves "I hoped that you would come home with me." I had been looking at the floor, so I looked up slowly to see her expression. It was blank.
The elevator announced its arrival to the lobby with a ding and we all walked in silence to the car.
The drive back to Winter Harbor had been very quiet. Phoebe napped in the back seat as Lilli glanced out the passenger window with her head on the headrest. I was about to ask her what she was thinking when my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and furrowed my brow.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Aidan, its Loreley, do you have a moment?" She sounded like she was either rushed or excited.
"Actually I’m driving and…"
"It’s about the birth control pills, Aidan."
"Oh?"
"Are you with Lilli now? She will want to hear this I’m sure."
"Yes, I’m with her. Loreley, I think—"
"I know who it was, Aidan."
"You do? How did you find out? Wait. Who was it and who gave you the information?" I had so many questions that needed answers.
"It was Becca Johnson, you remember her? Dr. Johnson’s daughter? And let’s just say that I sort of stumbled upon the information. I really can’t out my source." She stated a bit too innocent.
"It’s fine, thank you, Loreley."
I hung up my phone and immediately felt Lilli look at me with confusion on her face. I answered her unasked question, though my mind was still reeling from the information.
"That was Loreley." I was scrolling through my contacts. "Gideon’s daughter." I informed.
"I know who Loreley is," Lilli sounded annoyed.
"Sorry," I found the contact I was looking for and hit the talk button. "Lilli, it was Becca." I could feel Lilli’s confusion and then it seemed to hit her.
"Becca is a pharmacist. That’s how I knew her." It was my turn to be confused.
"What are you talking about?" Then I motioned for her to wait. "Lance, it’s Aidan, I need you to look into some information that I was given in regards to the ‘situation’."
"Of course, what do you have?" he replied.
"Look into Becca Johnson" I spoke firmly.
"The same Becca Johnson that…" I cut him off.
"Yeah, the same one," I spit out.
"Damn," he breathed out heavily in disbelief. "I’ll start looking around now and will get back to you."
"Thanks," I said quickly before hanging up. "Now…what are you talking about?"
"Becca," Lilli exclaimed. "She works at my pharmacy, that’s why she looked familiar to me."
I could feel my eyes widen.
"But why would she do this? I don’t understand what her motivation would be."
"I don’t either," Lilli quipped and then sighed heavily as she sat back into the seat. "It feels better to know that it was someone else though."
I bit back my smile. She was finally going to believe me and maybe even trust in me and in us. One could hope.
We spent a week together in Winter Harbor before Donald and I could convince her to even consider going back to New York. Phoebe and Millie seemed to be the final nudge that pushed her to agree. Millie promised to take good care of Donald, who was a little stand offish with me, but I assumed that Lilli had told him what happened so it was to be expected. Though, I do have to say that at the mention of him being a ‘grandpa’, as Millie called him, he would light up with joy and happiness. Hell, she even bribed him to do his therapy and eat correctly with the promise that it would allow him to be strong enough to hold and play with his grandchildren.
Even though the comments were for Donald, I had to admit that it made me feel incredible too.
Lilli spent most of the trip back to New York with Phoebe. Though we were talking and both had basically discovered the source of the ‘tainted’ birth control pills, there was still a distance between us that wasn’t there before. She was more withdrawn.
"You know, there is this really great maternity boutique on fifth that we should definitely go to and then…" Lilli cut Phoebe off.
"Oh God, can you please not talk about maternity clothing," she groaned.
I watched Phoebe pat Lilli on the stomach.