A chance to love again

Chapter 16

It's actually shocking how quickly Louis gets pregnant. They're pretty sure the night they started to try was their date of conception, because it all moved so fast from there. They wait until he's out of his first trimester, though, before they tell the kids and their families, wanting to be out of the woods for anything serious before getting everyone's hopes up.

They're healthy, though, both the baby and Louis. The doctor smiles when they come in, telling them she's happy they're having another because they're such amazing parents, and Louis' pregnancies are always so smooth and easy. She has no doubt this baby will be any different.

Louis is a little nervous about telling the kids, though. He's sure the twins will be okay, because they were so excited about their little sister, but Ava's the baby, and she's still young, so Louis hopes it goes well. Harry tells him not to worry about it, that she'll be fine and they'll all be happy.

Harry decides it's best if they take them out for ice cream, then break it to them there. They'll at least have dessert to distract them.

"Is your ice cream good, honey?" Louis asks Ava, who's sitting on Harry's lap carefully, chocolate ice cream all over her face.

"Yummy!" she says happily, feeding a spoonful to Louis. Louis smiles and accepts it, thanking her. He didn't get any ice cream himself, his nausea still present, so he figured avoiding such a decadent treat would help.

"Why didn't you get any ice cream, daddy?" Lucas asks, licking his mint chocolate chip. Harry looks at him over his cookie dough cone, and Louis shrugs. Guess it's a good time to tell them.

"Daddy doesn't feel well," Harry says for him.

"Are you okay?" Joshua asks, sounding worried.

"Yeah, sweetheart," Louis nods, grabbing a napkin and trying to wipe Ava's face. "Actually, papa and I have to tell you all something."

"Are we getting a puppy?" Lucas asks hopefully. He's been pushing for a puppy for a while, but they've been so busy that they haven't really had time to look into it. Louis figures they might as well get one, maybe. A small one. Something they can handle.

"Well, no, but, we can look into it soon," Louis says. "But that's not the news."

"We're getting a puppy?" Joshua asks excitedly.

"We might," Harry says. "But you are getting a new baby brother or sister soon."

"We are?" Lucas asks.

"Yeah," Louis nods. "Daddy's got another baby in his tummy."

"Again?" Joshua asks exasperatedly. Harry and Louis laugh.

"Yes, again," Harry smiles. "Is that okay?"

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Lucas asks.

"We don't know yet, babe. We'll find out in a little while," Louis explains.

"Ava, do you want daddy to have a baby?" Harry asks her.

"Baby where?" Ava asks, obviously having been more focused on her ice cream than her family.

"The baby is in daddy's tummy," Harry says, pointing to Louis' belly, which only looks like he's bloated, not pregnant, not yet, at least.

"Why?" Ava asked, confused. "You ate a baby? Yuck!"

"No, honey," Louis smiles. "Papa gave daddy special seeds that I ate to grow the baby. It's really, really tiny right now. But soon it'll get bigger and you'll have a brother or sister."