Later that evening, after returning from my day with Viola, I was soaking in the tub again. Aidan hadn’t arrived home yet, but I could smell Rachel cooking. The smell of the food caused my stomach to groan in impatience.
Climbing out from the tub, panic brought both my hands to cradle my small bump. When I felt it again, a feeling crept throughout my body making my scalp tingle. The fluttering feelings the book discussed, I feel it. They're in there. My babies are moving.
Chapter Two
Breathe
Lilli
Sitting on the edge of the tub, still naked, tears slipped over my cheeks. Amazement and awe at the fluttering in my abdomen consumed every sense.
"Lilli?" I faintly heard my name called. "Lilli! Are you okay? What’s wrong?"
I jumped when Aidan burst into the bathroom rushing to my side. Realizing I was still naked, I grabbed for my robe and pulled it up over the front of my body.
"Christ, Aidan!" The startled expletive left my lips before I could think.
"Are you okay? What’s wrong?" He crouched down on the floor in front of me, panic flooding his words and features.
"Nothing is wrong." I took a deep breath. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"
"I yelled for you, but you didn’t answer me." He looked at me warily. "Are you sure you are okay? You were holding your stomach and crying."
"I’m fine." I put one hand on his shoulder, the other still holding the towel over my chest. "It was the first time I could feel them. That’s all, so nothing—"
"You can feel them?" His eyes widened. His hands went to my stomach. "Can I feel? Are they still moving?" Aidan kept looking from my face to my stomach, looking like a kid on his birthday.
"I don’t think so. It was more like an inside feeling. I think it's still too soon to feel movement from the outside." I slowly stood and slipped into the robe.
"Where are you going?" He stood up when I started to walk away.
"To get dressed." I said over my shoulder.
His presence crowded my back, before his arms slipped under my knees and back.
"Aidan!"
"I got you." He said, carrying me toward the bed and lay me down.
"What are you..?" Before I could finish, he laid on the bed next to me. With the robe pulled open, his hands went to the small bare bump.
"Shh." He said as he caressed my bare stomach with his smooth hand. "Tell me when they move again."
I laughed.
"It could take forever for them to move again and I'm starving." I started to roll away.
Aidan pressed me down into the bed.
"Stay here." He gave me a stern look and rolled away, grabbing the phone from the side table.
"Hey Rachel, could you have dinner brought up here tonight?"
"Aidan, we can go down—"
"Thanks, Rachel." He hung up. "Dinner is on its way." He smirked. "Now, tell me if they move around again.
I sigh but relent, laying down while waiting for the food.
"Hey." Aidan’s voice was just a whisper. I looked down realizing he wasn’t talking to me. "How are you doing in there?" His lips were so close to my belly I could feel the every warm breath against my skin. "I’m your daddy."
Then I felt it.
"Did you feel it?" I asked. He shook his head, looking frustrated. "I told you it would probably take some time."
He sighed. "Yeah, I guess."
The knock at the door pulled Aidan's attention from my stomach. He stood and went to answer the door. I covered my stomach back up and this time he allowed me to sit up.
Jay pushed a cart in with food on it.
"Sorry, Jay." I gave him my best apologetic look. "I told lazy, here, that we could go down to the table."
He smiled. "It is perfectly fine, Mrs. Iverson." He turned to Aidan. "Will that be all, sir?"
"Yes. Thank you, Jay." Jay closed the door upon his exit. Aidan made two plates of food and brought them to the bed, handing me one.
"Thank you." I said.
"You are very welcome." He sat next to me, his own plate in his hands.
Acting as if I'd never seen a plate of food before, I shoveled large forkfuls into my greedy mouth.
"So, you going to tell me what’s going on with you?" Aidan spoke with a serious tone.
I shrugged, putting another bite in my mouth.
"Lilli, please talk to me. I-I don’t think I can take the distance between us much longer." He looked down, defeated and not touching his food.
Taking a deep breath, I put down my plate and turned to him.
"I’m sorry." I whispered. "I really don’t mean to…well, to distance myself. I just…" I furrowed my brow.
"Look, I know everything that happened really stressed you out and it's still eating at you. I understand, honestly, I do." He took a breath. "I…I just miss you." He whispered.
I didn’t know what to say. Still feeling a little apprehensive, I stayed silent.
"Knowing you're so unhappy about being pregnant crushes me. But, you not telling me what you feel…kills me."
I placed my hand on his forearm, drawing his attention toward me. He looked up and met my eyes.
"It’s hard, Aidan. I'm the suffer-in-silence type of person."
"Please, tell me." Aidan put his plate on the bed and placed his left hand on mine.