“I know.”
She closed her eyes, resting her head against his, knowing in her heart that she had fallen in love with a man that would love her for the rest of her life.
****
The weeks passed, and after confirmation from the doctor, they set to work decorating one of the rooms into a nursery. They went for neutral colors, and gave Logan free rein to help them decorate. He had an artistic eye, and Xavier loved seeing the boy come out of his shell. During the decorating of the nursery, it sank in that he was going to have a baby. They were going to have a tiny little life in their hands. It wasn’t about being a father, or for Anya a mother, as they already felt that way for Logan. He’d spoken with Anya about it, and she had the same thoughts and fears as he did.
Xavier knew he hadn’t made a mistake with Anya. Not only did he love her, but she was a fantastic mom, and she knew exactly what to say and do to help Logan along the way. There were moments, late at night, where he’d still have nightmares. She never once shouted at him. Instead, she’d nurture him, and love him.
Once the nursery was complete, they went shopping, letting Logan pick some of the stuff for them.
The weeks passed, and Anya slowly got bigger. He loved seeing his baby growing inside her. Work was just work, and he loved having Anya with him every single day. He did have to deal with his days being turned on seeing as her pregnant state aroused him. Even though he loved it, Anya struggled with gaining weight. One day Xavier stood in the bedroom, and heard Anya weeping in the bathroom. Worried, he’d rushed into the bathroom to find her trying to zip up her skirt, only the two ends wouldn’t fit.
“I’m so fat!” She sobbed each word out. “I can’t fit in my skirt.”
The books that he’d read had warned him that women were prone to dramatics, and tears. There was also a chat room online for fathers that gave him advice on how to treat his woman that the book didn’t have. For instance, if a woman complained about her weight, don’t say anything. Don’t ignore it, but tell her how beautiful she is.
Rub her stomach, show her attention. Xavier found if he did that, the tears ebbed away. He couldn’t stand her crying. She was beautiful to him, and seeing her swell with his kid was a major turn-on.
After the skirt incident, he’d gone shopping to the maternity section, and selected the clothes that he believed she would love. He did everything he could to show her that he loved her, and he found her newfound pregnancy weight hot. Yeah, he was a weird guy, finding his pregnant wife sexy!
With new clothes, he intended to show her exactly how sexy she was.
That night, he got her to try them on, and then in the privacy of their bedroom, he showed her how much he loved her curves, and her pregnancy.
Xavier always made sure to be one step ahead after that night, and if he saw her clothes getting a little tighter, he’d change them without her noticing. He hated to see her cry, so he had to be constantly on his game. Her hormones were all over the place.
The weeks turned to months, and they got their first scan of their baby. They didn’t know what sex their baby was as the little devil had turned away from the ultrasound. It didn’t matter to him. He would love any child, boy or girl. Xavier had fallen in love, and according to the woman doing the scan, it looked like their baby was waving to them. So, if his baby turned out to be a girl, she was shy, and maybe he wouldn’t have to worry about boys when she was older.
They showed Logan the picture, and he was sure it was a girl. Only girls would wave from inside the tummy. Boys would think that was lame, even as kids.
Work and life carried on, but it was different for Xavier. He was happier, contented, and he’d finally found what he’d been looking for all those years in foster care, and building his business. He had a family, not one he had to buy either. One that actually cared about him as well. Anya’s parents constantly phoned him to check in. Her father even said that he could call him Dad. That was surreal, and according to his wife, it meant her father accepted him.
Anya got rounder, and she found it difficult to be on her feet all day. He had no choice but to hire a temporary assistant to replace her. Every time he stared out of his office door, he missed Anya. She was advised to rest during pregnancy. At home, she started nesting, cleaning everything in sight. It didn’t make him feel any happier. Whenever he could work from home, he did.