Thunderbird - B. Bridgerton

13

A baby!
Sofia can't believe that this is really happening now. She remembers the conversation she had with Benedict on their way home - did really  just two months pass since then? It feels like it was in another life. Benedict was so happy and seemed ready to embrace the role of a father. Sofia can't believe that she was indeed carrying his baby at that moment. Oh, had she just agreed to his wish of staying in Scotland for a bit longer! None of these had happened and they would be happily receiving the news of the baby together.
Sofia had secretly imagined the day she would finally reveal to her husband that she was pregnant, while choosing the location and furniture for the painting room for Benedict.

Benedict is working in his painting room, concentrated on his work, while she carefully approaches besides him. She has a little baby shoe in her hands and slowly places it on the landscape her husband is busy painting.
Benedict hates it when someone destroys the setting he created, so his first reaction is to shout „Hey!" and angrily turn around. Sofia can't control herself and laughs. „You look cute, when you're angry."
Benedict has not cared to look at the object that his wife has placed on the plate he was painting. Instead he fully turns around to look into his wife's face. „Sofia.. you know that there are easier and nicer ways for you to catch my attention", he says, with a childish smirk on his face. He puts his hands on her back and slowly, seductively pulls her closer to himself. Sofia is surprised that his focus changed so quickly. Benedict doesn't even need to stand up, he just stretches a little bit and then starts placing kisses on her neck. Sofia has always admired how tall the Bridgerton boys are.
She giggles, while putting her arms around Benedict's neck. Then she tilts her head up a little bit, to force him to look into her eyes.
„I thought that the painting was missing an important piece."
„Is that so?", Benedict asks, while he tries to make her sit on his lap - which she successfully rejects.
„And it's not only the painting", she continues talking, while Benedict sighs desperately and tries to make his wife come closer, „I decided that the whole house is missing something, so I made some orders. It will unfortunately take some time, but by winter, it shall arrive and make our home complete." Sofia reaches out to Benedict's hands that are still around her and places them around her belly. Benedict is confused at first, but a few seconds later he understands. He quickly turns around to see what Sofia has placed on the table and when he sees the baby shoe his eyes grow wide.
„Are you sure", he whispers to Sofia as he stands up, cupping her cheeks with his hands. Tears start building in his eyes.
Sofia - suddenly overwhelmed by her emotions - just nodds.
„Oh God, I love you. I love you so much", Benedict whispers, before he lowers his lips to hers.

Of course none of these is possible now. Instead, Sofia tries to stand up and change into clothes that are more comfortable, while the doctor tells her husband about her condition. She has no idea how Benedict is going to react and that scares her.
Just as she changed into a nice, daily dress her door opens. Sofia turns around, glimmers of hope in her eyes, but it's not Benedict who entered the room. It's Anthony.
"Oh!", he immediately turns around, „where you dressing up?"
„I was just finished dressing up actually", she informs him, smiling.

„You look much better than like an hour ago."
„I'm used to it by now. This has happened every day for almost two months now. It's only in the morning that I feel this sick, about like lunchtime I'm feeling completely fine again."
„Well, you're in a better situation than Kate then, because she had these nausea nonstop for the first four month in both of her pregnancies."

Sofia's smile fades a little bit. Doctor Davies apparently told them about heir pregnancy and yet did her husband decide to not show up to look after her.
„Benedict had some duties to do - I sent him to look after one of our residencies in the city, apparently there have been problems with the pipes." Sofia knows that Anthony is lying, but she appreciates that he at least tries.
„It's okay Annie... I guess I deserve this."