THE RETURN

Chapter 78

By the time she reached 24 weeks, Olivia already felt like she was dying. According to her doctor, because of her age, it wasn't uncommon for the pregnancy to be harder on her body than it would have been for someone 20 years younger. Something she was well aware of but wasn't really able to fully understand, since she had no other previous pregnancy to compare it to. Her feet and back hurt, she could barely bend down to pick things off the floor, her heartburn was at an all time high, she couldn't seem to fully catch her breath, she was more moody than she had ever been and all in all she was just exhausted.

Elliot had been nothing less than wonderful to every discomfort she experienced. Every night when she came home from work, he was quick to remove her socks and shoes, guide her to the couch to sit down and massage her feet until dinner was done cooking. When her mood would begin to spiral downhill, he would use his calm composure to try to keep her calm as well.

Since she handled everything at her job, he made sure he handled everything at their home. By the time she arrived home, the boys were mostly done with their homework, the house was clean, dinner was finished and they all spent the rest of the night together as a family. When it was time for everyone to lay down, their shower routine always remained the same. He would take his time washing her to ensure that she was fully relaxed to have the best night sleep possible. The farther along she got, the harder sex became on her. It wasn't that they couldn't find a comfortable position, it was that she didn't have the energy. Although they kept their intimacy alive every night, by kissing, cuddling and making one another laugh, sex had been placed on the back burner. If Olivia initiated more, Elliot was more than happy to obliged but if she didn't, he was more than happy to hold back.

On the Saturday of the week she turned 25 weeks, Elliot made sure that Olivia got plenty of rest the night before. She was out by 9:30 and when he looked at that clock on the stove that Saturday morning and saw that it read 10:30, with still no sign of her waking up, he sighed in relief. He wanted her well rested because he had finally decided that it was the day to ask her to be his wife. He had contemplated over the weeks on what would be the perfect proposal for the woman and, with the help of Kathleen, he had finally figured it out. Although his plan was for a simple proposal, his plan for their night was for pure romance. He was more than glad that he had Kathleen to not only watch the boys for the night but to also set up the house while they were out for the day.

On top of the proposal, he was prepared to ask Noah for permission to adopt him as well. Him and Olivia hadn't started any of the process of adoption yet strictly because of the fact that he wanted Noah to accept him as his legal father first. He hoped by the end of the day he would not only have a wife to be but a son who accepted him wholeheartedly.

It wasn't until he sat down on the couch with his second cup of coffee, that he saw their door begin to open. Their eyes connected instantly and they both smiled at one another. "Good Morning sunshine," he said.

"Good morning? It's almost afternoon. You really need to stop letting me sleep so long on the weekends. I already don't see you guys enough, I can't afford to spend half the day sleeping."

Although he nodded, he said, "You need your rest, Liv." As he stood up to take the view steps to her, he added, "You're baking a baby."

She rolled her eyes slightly and placed her hands on his hips, "Trust me El, I am very aware that I am baking a baby. She's the one who ultimately woke me up this morning."

As his hands came up to rest on her belly, he said, "Our little jumping bean?"

"Definitely, but I'm pretty sure she's bigger than a bean at this point."

He smiled and leaned in to kiss her lightly on the lips, "You hungry?"

She nodded, "I'm always hungry and I would love a cup of coffee."