LA Baby ♡ Manhattan Dreams Sequel

25. Staying Afloat

I had gotten through a number of days without waking up with morning sickness, unfortunately today was the end of that.

I bolt out of bed and rush down the small hall and proceed to empty the contents of my stomach into the toilet, wishing that time would speed up and bring me into my second trimester so that this awfulness would end. "Maya." I hear him calling my name from down the hall so I call back to him, bringing him to the doorway where he stands and looks down at me. "Morning sickness" he guesses. I nod as he comes to sit behind me, rubbing my back. "I suppose all those times you thought you had food poisoning was morning sickness, huh?" I hum in response. "I'm sorry" he apologizes softly causing me to lift my head to look at him.

"Sorry for what? You aren't the one making me sick."

"In a roundabout way" he argues, rubbing his hand soothingly down my back. "If we'd just been more careful-."

"Hey" I protest, sitting up and reaching out to touch his cheek, "we both got caught up in a moment. It happens but I'm not placing blame on either one of us for my pregnancy. Okay?" He nods and if I hadn't just been throwing up, I'd kiss him but instead I spare him and stand up to brush my teeth. He lingers in the bathroom though.

"My mom called again" he tells me. I pause, toothbrush in my mouth and lock eyes with him in the mirror. "I don't know what to say to her."

I spit toothpaste into the sink. "I'd start with hello" I say in an attempt to lighten the mood. He glares at me but not in an angry way, more like he's just highly unamused at my attempt at making a joke. I turn to face him, leaning my back against the sink. "What do you want to say to her? Do you want to tell her yet?"

"You told Shawn."

"I did" I confirm, kicking at the linoleum floor while I take a deep, calming breath. "You know, you never did answer me last night...about whether they'd be upset."

His lips press into a thin line. "They're really proud of what I have going for me right now, my relationship with you included but-."

"They didn't expect us to procreate just yet" I guess and he nods. I take a step towards him, placing my hands on his shoulders. "The worst they can do is yell, they can't change our minds and make us give it up. We're adults and this is our decision. Our baby" I add causing his face to soften as he encircles my waist and pulls me closer.

"I always thought about what it would be like to have a family with you. To have kids running at our feet" he says dazedly making my heart flutter in my chest. I smile back at him. "I know I should be more terrified than I feel but I can't help but be a little excited and I think that's why I'm most afraid to tell my parents. They're going to want to know our plans, they're going to demand to know what we were thinking in the first place-."

"We weren't thinking" I protest, "that's sorta the problem. If we'd been thinking we definitely would've remembered protection." He rolls his eyes, leaning down to kiss me swiftly.

"You know what I mean" he murmurs, resting his forehead against mine. I nod knowingly because I'd had the same conversation with Shawn. He couldn't understand how, despite knowing all the ways to prevent this from happening and having access to them all, how I had still gotten into this situation. It was a natural parental response to finding out you're going to become a grandparent while your child was still at the beginning of their young adulthood. "Maybe we wait. Just for now." I nod again. I'd agree to whatever he decided because I'd been the one to wait literal weeks to tell him, the father of my unborn child.

"We'll wait until you're ready" I agree, "but you should still call her back. She's your mom and you and I both know she won't stop calling until she hears from you."