THE RETURN

Chapter 70

Their night ended with chicken tacos and the movie "Matilda." After a two hour nap, Olivia was more than rested and when the movie ended the four of them stayed cuddled on the couch while Noah and Eli took turns reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Olivia was quick to discover that although Elliot's voice coaxed more of a response from the baby, she was fond of her brothers' voices as well. The flutters continued throughout their whole story time and Elliot had tried more than once to slip his hand under her shirt to feel her. Although he couldn't yet, he finally decided to keep his hand on her stomach in case one was strong enough for him to feel.

After the fifth chapter, they all began to get ready for bed. Both Olivia and Elliot took the extra time to tuck Noah into bed and when Elliot popped his head into Eli's room to ask if he wanted to be tucked in as well, the boy groaned, "I'm good, dad. Good night."

As both parents made their way back down the hallway, Elliot turned to Olivia and said, "I'll straighten up really quick."

She nodded and wrapped her hands around his neck, "I'll start the bath."

The grin he gave her was accompanied by a kiss so deep, that if it wasn't for his arms around her supporting her weight, her knees would have buckled. As they pulled apart, he kissed the tip of her nose and squeezed her ass gently, "I'll be right there."

"Okay." She made her way into their bathroom without any further thought. While her hands reached for the faucets on the tub, her eyes surveyed her surroundings quickly. Although she had been in the bathroom many times since they had purchased the place, she still hadn't gotten over the fact of how phenomenal it was. The fact that she now was able to use a bathroom as nice as the one she was currently standing in for the rest of her life, provided her with so much happiness. She had the perfect family and the perfect house, there really was nothing else she could have asked for.

Turning towards the mirror, she smiled at the reflection of her growing baby bump under her shirt. Although she tried not to compare herself to other women, her belly was slightly larger than the ones she had met at the doctor's office. As much as she loved it, the largeness of it was a slight reminder of how big she may actually be at the end of her pregnancy.

She watched herself as she lifted her tank top over her head, exposing her bare abdomen and black sports bra covered breasts. She was sure that the coconut lotion she had been rigorously rubbing on her stomach and breasts was actually doing something, because she had yet to develop any additional stretch marks along the two. As her fingers skimmed over her slightly protruding belly button, her eyes made contact with the scar on her lower abdomen. Her fingers trailed over it lightly, following it completely down until they hit the elastic band of her yoga pants. With her expanding belly, the scarred tissue expanded with it, making the scar just as noticeable as it was before she became pregnant. The scar didn't bother her that much anymore, especially after being with Elliot, however it did hold her back in a whole different way.

There were times where all she wanted was to somehow get the boys more active in her pregnancy. Noah took the time a few times a day to talk to the baby briefly or run his hand along her belly as he passed by, but Eli hadn't paid much attention to it at all. Sometimes he would smile at it, but he never once reached to touch it or showed any interest. She had the thought that maybe if he heard his sister's heartbeat, he would possibly find more enjoyment in it and even if he didn't, she more than knew that Noah would get a kick out of the galloping sound. However, she had yet to mention the doppler to any of them because of the very obvious mark on her.

Her eyes lifted from her own reflection to Elliot's figure coming up behind her, with the doppler in his hands. When she smiled at him, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his left hand on top of the one currently dragging along the line and his right hand resting against her with the doppler in hand.