CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Nausea engulfs me as I take the meat out of the fridge. I brace myself against the counter and inhale a deep breath. The pungent smell of meat and herbs makes my stomach twist and knot. I push the metal bowl away and place my face against the cool counter.

"What's wrong?" His footsteps thud as he races into the kitchen.

Blake rubs his hand over my back and I tug on a smile. Bile rises in my throat which makes me groan with annoyance.

I shove Blake away as I lurch to the sink. He gathers my hair in a bun as I empty the contents of my stomach into the sink. Blake turns the tap on and rubs my lower back.

"Can you move the meat outside?"

"Don't tell me you're going vegetarian on me." He chuckles.

"I'm craving a delicious burger, it's just the smell of raw meat and apples, I hate the smell of apples. I might never eat an apple again."

He scoops me into the air and carries me to the couch. I lean into the plush surface and inhale a deep breathe. Blake squeezes my hand and I rest my head against his shoulder.

"I hope this doesn't last the entire time I'm pregnant."

"Once the back pain and your swollen feet set in, this will be the last of your worries."

"Thanks for reminding me!" I groan. "This isn't exactly convincing me to have another baby."

"No matter what happens, I'll be with you, every step of the way." He takes my hand and squeezes his fingers around mine.

"You're lucky you're a smooth talker." I chuckle.

He turns to the side and wraps his arms around my torso. I fall onto his chest and sigh with content. Blake runs his fingers through my hair and kisses my head.

The black balloon containing the gender of our baby is tied to a cement holder on the living room floor. Blake collected it this morning from the party store, and from the moment he placed it there, the need to pop it has tripled.

"We could pretend it popped on the way home." He chuckles.

"Don't tempt me! The nausea is making me weak and I don't know how long I can wait."

"Just a few more hours if people aren't late." He squeezes my side.

"If they're late, they miss out."

"Sounds good." Blake nods.

"We should go do something before I accidentally pop it."

"Alright, bubs."

Blake cups my cheek and brushes his thumb over my skin. A shiver coils down my spine which makes him chuckle. I nip his lower lip and chuckle.

"I should cook and check on London since she's gone quiet."

"Don't worry about Lo, I'll see what she's up to."

"Are you sure? You can rest until the guests come."

"I'll call out if I need you."

Blake kisses my head and drags himself off the couch. He looks at me and I smile through the nausea still gripping my body.

"Please cook because we're hungry." I pout.

"Okay." He laughs.

I push myself up and wander into London's room. There's stuff everywhere, but the little bugger is missing. I check the bathroom and the soon-to-be nursery before panic sets in.

"London, are you down here?"

My voice echoes down the hallway and my heart races.

"Yes, Mummy."

"Thank goodness!" I place my hand over my chest and inhale a deep breathe.

I hurry into the bedroom and smile. London is surrounded by makeup and her face is covered in eyeshadow and brown lipstick.

"You scared me! I couldn't find you."

"I wanted to look like you." Her blonde eyebrows knit together as she frowns.

"You are beautiful, Lo."

I take a seat beside her and she rests her head on my arm. She sighs and my heart still races. I wrap my arm around her body and squeeze her closer.

"Why do you want to look like me?"

"Will I go back to my other Mummy once you have this baby?"

I pull London to my chest and nuzzle my face into her blonde curls.

"You don't have to leave! Baby girl, never think you'll have to leave. Daddy and I have more room in our hearts for another baby, a little brother or sister for you. Someone you can play and get into mischief with."

"Okay." She sniffles.

"Once they're older, you can have tea parties and play unicorns together."

London leans back and smiles.

"Do you think they'll like strawberry tea?"

"If they don't, we'll get more tea."

"I'm going to be a big sister." She smiles.

"You're going to be an amazing big sister." I poke her sides and she giggles.

"Can you help me with the makeup?"

"Of course." I nod.

She takes a seat in front of me and I remove the makeup with a wipe. Lo patiently sits as I apply pink eyeshadow and lipgloss.

"Do you want to help your father cook?"

"Yes." She nods.

Lo leaps to her feet and races out of the room. I put the makeup into the cupboard and rest against the doors.

I push my fingers through my hair and sigh.

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect her from Tori." I sniffle. "Please forgive me."

The doorbell rings and I scramble to my feet. London slides down the hallway with a wide grin on her face. I open the door and Mum and Dad step inside.

London leaps into Dad's arms and he grins with pride.

"Hello." I grin.

"Do you need help with anything?"

"Nope, so sit back and enjoy yourselves."

"Let's check on your father, make sure he isn't burning the meat."

"Yes." Lo cheers.

The pair zoom down the hallway and we follow.

* * * * *

People gather in the backyard, humming with excitement. There's a colossal amount of food and presents on the table, and London is milking the attention.

Blake wraps his arm around my waist and smiles.

"How are you feeling?"

"Like I need a nap after all the food I've consumed." I chuckle.

"Do you have enough energy to meet Ben's friend?"

"I'm sure I can muster enough energy." I nod.

He leads me to Ben who's vibrantly smiling. Besides him stands a tall blond man with spiky hair.

"Hi." I wave.

"Hey." Ben smiles. "Owen, this is my friend's wife, Ava."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Congratulations on the baby!"

"Thanks." Blake girns. "There's food on the table, drinks in the esky, help yourself."

Owen nods with a small smile.

"Oi Blake, I've been looking all over the place for you," Jude shouts.

"My house isn't that big." Blake rolls his eyes.

Jude pulls Blake away and I withhold the frown threatening to spread across my features.

"Where'd you two meet?"

"Owen sat at my table thinking I was someone else. We were part way through dinner when he realised I was the wrong blind date." Ben chuckles.

"Really?" I gasp. "What happened to your date?"

"They blocked me before I had a chance to explain the mix up. Can't say I'm upset by what's happened." Owen shrugs.

Pain zaps through my back and I moan. Ben grabs my arm and I clutch onto Owen's hand.

"Are you alright?"

"Just back pain and never ending nausea." I groan.

"Let's get you inside."

Ben places his hand on my lower back and guides me inside, Owen closely following. I plonk onto the couch and stretch out.

"I'll find Blake," Ben comments.

"Don't worry, I just need a minute or two and I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" He frowns.

"Yeah." I nod. "Please, go back and enjoy the party!"

I rest against the couch and focus on my breathing. Someone squeezes my shoulder and I joult.

Blake's green eyes swirl with worry and curiosity as he looks down on me.

"Still feeling nauseous?"

"Yes." I groan.

"Do you want to rest in bed before we pop the balloon? Nobody is going to mind if you need some time to gather your strength."

"Nope, let's do it now! If I keep moving, I might forget about the sickness."

"I can't wait to find out." Blake smiles.

He races outside and turns the music off.

"Can you gather inside? We're going to pop the balloon now."

Excitement buzzes through the air as people squish themselves into the house. Our parents gather on the couch, phones ready, while London clings onto Blake's leg.

Blake looks at the pin, then to me. I take it from his hand and kiss his cheek.

"I promise you can do the next one," I whisper.

His green eyes light up with happiness as he nods.

Blake swings London into the air and she giggles.

"Thank you for coming out to discover the gender of our baby. We've loved having you over and we can't wait to find out."

"You don't have to ask me twice." I laugh.

I stab the balloon and pink confetti and glitter dispursts. People cheer with excitement, but it's the tear trickling down Blake's cheek which has my heart racing.

He hooks his arm around my waist and crashes his lips to mine. Blake leans his forehead against mine and grins.

"We're having a little girl."

"Yes." I nod.

Blake places London on the ground and she grabs the confetti and tosses it into the air.

"I'm going to have a sister." Lo cheers.

Mum wrangles me into a tight hug.

"Congratulations!"

* * * * *

Blake rubs my tummy and he kisses it.

"Should we paint the nursery pink?"

"Or grey, something like that would be nice and aesthetic."

"What do you think?" He showers my tummy with kisses.

"She's getting whatever we decide." I grin.

"We could go with grey, I'd like it better than the white. We can have colourful things in there."

"Yes, that's true." I nod.

"And if it turns out we actually have a boy, it'll be easy to convert."

"Naw baby, I'm sorry it wasn't a little boy."

"We can keep having babies until we get a boy."

"No! You get one more and then that's it."

"Accidents do happen." He winks.

"We're old enough to not have accidents!"

"They're not accidents if we want more surprises." He sighs.

Blake plops beside me and I run my fingers through his hair. He kisses my cheek and I nuzzle closer to his warm body.

"I know we had a good day, but we should talk about London and Tori."

"Is this about the fight? I'm so sorry. I asked about adopting London and she got me so man. She knows how to get under my skin."

I slide my fingers under his shirt and sigh.

"I think adoption is a wonderful idea, but it's about something else."

"What's wrong?"

"London thought we wouldn't want her once we have this baby."

The colour drains from his face, so I coil my limbs around his body.

"I told her we'd always want her, and how she's getting a little sister. She's happier but Blake, we can't let her go back to Tori."

His arms tighten around my body.

"I'll protect my family at whatever cost."

I run my fingers through his chestnut brown hair and sigh. He nuzzles his face into the crook of my neck and kisses the skin.

She doesn't deserve this pain. I wish I could absorb it, promise that she'll never be hurt, but that's one of the hardest parts of being a parent, knowing you can never protect them from everything.

I've extended the storyline (again) to include more scenes of Ava & Blake raising their little family! I think the new chapters also wrap the story up better. There are 26 chapters to go!