Hi guys! Sorry this isn't a new story. I had to delete the story and repost this because when I edited it, it went a little crazy!!!
Thanks to all the silent readers and for those who vote!
Sasha walks in the door to the home you two share, closing the door behind him. He releases a deep breath upon feeling the air conditioner on his skin. The summer heat this year was brutal. "Darling? I'm home," he calls out. Upon not hearing an answer, a frown crosses his face. Dropping his wallet, keys and purchases on the entry way table and hanging his jacket on the hook, he moves into the hallway, wondering where you could be. "Darling?" he calls out again.
He enters the living room and doesn't see you. He heads to the bedroom, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. You aren't in the bedroom. He heads to the ensuite bathroom to drop his shirt and tie into the hamper. His pants and socks follow. Heading back into the bedroom, he grabs some shorts. Donning the shorts, he heads back into the living room, and surveys the kitchen and the dining room. "Darling? Where are you?" he calls out.
He heads out into the backyard, where you two had built a pool, just last month. He was so grateful for that pool. Especially with the continual record breaking high temperatures. He scans the backyard and finally succeeds in spotting you. You are sleeping on the lawn chair in the shade under the trees. He smiles as he gazes at your prone form. Making his way to you, he reflects back on your request from earlier today. You had asked him to bring home some pistachio ice cream and jalapenos. You had been eating a lot of spicy food lately, he noted, maybe in a way to fend off the heat, like people from hot countries did. You had always had a love of spicy food, but it seemed to be increasing of late since the heat wave started.
Sitting down on the lush grass next to your chair, he gently strokes your arm, then your face. Feeling the touch, you open your eyes, groggily. "Hey, darling," Sasha greets you.
You smile sleepily at him. "Hey," you greet him. "Did you just get home?" He nods in the affirmative.
"How long have you been sleeping?" he asks.
Furrowing your brow in concentration, you think back. "I think shortly after our phone conversation? Why?"
"Just curious. You hungry?"
"Yeah. This heat wave is taking a lot out of me. I hate the heat so much. Makes me so sleepy."
Sasha gives you a smile and a lingering kiss. "Missed you. Brought your food. Want me to bring it out?"
Your eyes light up that he remembered to get you the food you requested. "Yes, please," you murmur. Sitting up, you stretch, yawning. Sasha watches you appreciatively. He grabs you in an unexpected hug, "I love you so much," he whispers in your ear.
Hugging him back, you return the sentiment. He pulls away, noticing your goofy grin. "Be right back."
You smile to yourself, watching the retreating back of your husband. He definitely was a looker your husband.
Sasha heads back into the house, moving through the dining room, then the kitchen into the hallway. Grabbing the bag of goods, he had purchased earlier in the day, he heads back through the kitchen, picking up two spoons and a fork, on his way through, back outside to where you are sitting waiting for him.
As you watch him approach you, you blow him a kiss. He sends you a lascivious grin, and sends you a kiss back. Placing the bag on the low table beside the chair, he sits beside you on the chair, now that you have moved sideways on the long lawn chair. Sasha grabs your face and kisses you breathless. Your lips moving over his, you two revel in being near each other again. Separating, you two breathing heavily, Sasha strokes his hand down your face. "I love you, darling."
You smile up at him. "I love you, too." Giving him a hug and holding him close for a minute.
Your gaze lands upon the bag. Frowning at it, you mutter, "What else did you get? It looks like you got more than what I asked. What else did you get?"
Releasing Sasha, you open the bag and start removing the contents. There's your jalapenos – four jars of them! – and your ice cream. And –
Your face a mask of disbelief you pull out the package and brandish it towards Sasha. "A pregnancy test? What on earth possessed you to get that?"
Somehow Sasha is able to not roll his eyes at you. "Darling, you've been sleeping a lot more lately, and eating a lot of different things in huge amounts. You actually cried the other day when we were out of jalapenos. You haven't got your normal grouchiness around your time of the month yet and I think you should have had it by now to be honest. I think the last time you were grouchy was a month and a half, almost two months ago. I think it would be safe to conclude you might be pregnant."
Looking at him in complete shock, you manage a weak, "Oh my god."
Chuckling softly, he grabs your hands. "It really never occurred to you, did it?"
You shake your head at him, still rather mute.
"Darling, it's okay if you are. I'm ready to be a dad. I know we haven't talked about when we would have kids quite yet, due to our jobs and you going to school at the same time, but we have been married for a while now."
Still staring at him mutely, you move your lips to say something, but nothing comes out. He releases one of your hands, to gently move his thumb over your cheek. "It's okay to be scared. Honestly, I'm terrified. But I know we can do this."
He kisses you gently then picks you up and cradles you to his chest across his lap. You two stay like that for a few minutes. Finally, you move and glance up at him.
"I'm a little perturbed you figured it out before me," you glare at him.
"Darling, you've been so busy with work and school – finals, papers, end of semester projects, deadlines and end of tax season all at once, it makes sense you didn't register. You were burning the candle at both ends there for a while. Remember you got sick a month ago because you had so much on your plate?"
Rubbing your hand across your forehead, you remember. "Right I couldn't keep anything down. I had missed several days of my birth control." Releasing a breath, you clutch Sasha closer to you.
Sasha, cuddling you closer to him, suggests, "Let's go take the test, yeah? See if we have anything to celebrate or not."
Your eyes wide you glance up at him. Mutely, you nod. He stands up, cradling you close to him, as he carries you into the house, the bedroom you two share.
He places you on the bed and takes the package from you, opening it. He opens the instructions and begins to read them out loud to you.
You smile at him, "You don't have to read them out loud you know, I can read them too."
He grins at you, "I know. But this way we are doing this together, every step of the way."
Your head ducks into Sasha's chest. You place a kiss over his heart. You listen as he continues to read the instructions. You notice that he's switched over to reading them to you in French. You give him a gentle bite on his jaw. "Hey, no fair! You know I don't understand French. I still have to learn."
He returns a bite to your shoulder. "Just making sure you are paying attention."
"Knob," you say lovingly.
He gives you a saucy grin and a wink.
He finishes reading the instructions. Looking impressed you state, "Wow. Pregnancy tests have come a long way. It's actually going to tell us, how far along I am, if I am pregnant."
"Appears so."
"Interesting." Getting up, you head towards the kitchen. "Where are you going?" Sasha calls after you.
"I'm not peeing on a stick!"
Entering the bedroom with a Dixie cup, (left over from parties you two had thrown in the past), you grab the package and enter the bathroom and close the door.
Exiting a few moments later, you look at Sasha and say, "So we wait for 1 minute?"
He nods. You sit down next to him on the bed and look at the clock. Entwining his hand with yours, he looks at the clock with you. He gives your hand a squeeze. You squeeze back. He squeezes your hand three times. You squeeze his back three times. You grin at him. You squeeze his hand back in a complicated pattern. He swoops in and kisses you hard. Pulling away from him, you grin triumphantly, "I knew you couldn't follow that pattern!" Only to look down at your hand as he squeezes your hand back in the same pattern.
You look at him, and he smirks at you. You two just look at each other, grinning like fools. Sasha glances over at the clock. "You ready?" he asks you.
Nodding, you grip his hand tightly. Hand in hand, you both walk towards the ensuite bathroom. Seeing the two pregnancy tests, Sasha glances at you with a raised eyebrow. Shrugging at him, "I figured two would be better than one."
Sasha picks up one of the tests. "Ready?"
You nod.
He turns it, so you both can read it. "Pregnant. 2-3 weeks."
Placing it down, he grabs the second one and you both read it. It reads the same as the first one.
"Wow," is all you can say.
"You okay with this?" Sasha asks you.
"I think so. I'm too terrified right now. Will I be a good parent?? Am I ready for this? Are we ready for this??"
Sasha asks, "Do you want to get rid of the baby?"
Pulling away from him, you sock him in the arm, hard. "No!!! How could you even ask that?! I'm just not sure I'm ready is all I'm saying. Kids are a big responsibility. Colossal. I have a lot with work and school. How will I be able to manage it all? Something is going to have to give. I want children. I love children. I just didn't think about having one now with everything I have going on right now. Do you understand?" you plead to him.
Sasha nods. "I do understand. Honest I do. But maybe this is maybe the universe saying that you need to slow down, take a break. Just enjoy being. You have worked so hard. Maybe you could start your own business after the baby is born and set your own hours, so it's not so grueling for you. Online schooling is an option too. You can do one course at a time."
"Those are good solutions," you state, "I do know that I want this baby. There is no other alternative for me. I really do want this baby. I just need to map out a plan for us. You know how hard change is for me, no matter how good. I want our child to have a good life, that is why I've been working so hard and going back to school. Now it seems as if things are going to be stalled for a bit."
"We can do this. Together," Sasha says, framing your face with his hands and looking at you intently. "We will figure this out. Together. Okay? Let's go eat your ice cream and you eat your jalapenos and talk about this okay? I love you. I'm in this with you one hundred percent. Men are involved in raising their kids these days. I can be a house husband. I would love to be a house husband. We can do this okay?"
Giving him a watery smile, you say, "Thank you for understanding. I know you are in this with me. Thank you for being in this with me. I love you."
Holding you close, Sasha kisses your hair, "I love you, too."