by Sian Ceinwen
“Yes, that’s me,” Lita saw the people who had been watching them so carefully note her name and sighed.
Once they were in the hallway and walking away from the waiting room, Sebastian took her hand in his, and it was incredibly comforting for Lita. She smiled at him as they were shown into a room with a medical bed in it, next to a fancy looking machine. The woman who had shown them to the room asked Lita to lay on the bed and had Sebastian sit on a chair next to Lita’s head.
“Hi Lita, my name’s Kim, and I’m the sonographer for Dr. Watson,” the woman smiled at her.
Sebastian reached down and linked his hand with hers, stroking her skin with his thumb the way he usually did, as Lita replied, “Hi.”
“I assume you’re the father?” Kim asked Sebastian.
“Yes, I am,” he replied with a smile.
Lita couldn’t tell if the woman recognized him or not. She was certainly managing to maintain a professional aura, at the very least.
“Lovely,” Kim said to him.
“We don’t know if we’re keeping the baby yet,” Lita felt compelled to tell her, and beside her, she felt Sebastian stiffen.
“I see,” Kim said. “That’s okay. Dr. Watson will be able to talk through your options. I’m just here to take a look in there and see that everything is tracking along okay.”
Kim had Lita pull her top up under her breasts and her jeans down, putting a protective sheet over them before she said, “Okay then, Lita, this is going to be cold on your stomach. Then we’ll see what’s going on in there.”
Lita nodded, and Kim squirted some gel on her stomach before putting the bottle aside and placing a wand on top of the gel. Lita saw a TV screen hanging on the wall in front of her light up. There was a tiny white blob in the middle of the blackness.
“Can you see the head?” Kim indicated on the screen to where Lita could finally make out a round head connected to a small body, and she was finally able to make sense of what she was seeing.
“There are tiny arms and legs as well,” she gasped and felt Sebastian squeeze her hand.
“That’s right,” Kim smiled at her. “Now, I’m just going to take a few measurements, then we’ll listen to the heartbeat.”
There were a few minutes of silence while Kim took several pictures of the baby and measured its various proportions. Lita lay there, the wand pressing on her stomach, exacerbating the growing pressure in her bladder.
After that, Kim told them, “Okay, we’ll listen to the heartbeat now.”
Kim focused the wand on a tiny flickering that Lita could see on the screen, pressed a button, and the most amazing sound Lita had ever heard in her life filled the room. Her mouth dropped open, it was a fast, thrumming noise, and it brought tears to her eyes. She looked up at Sebastian and saw his eyes were glistening too. He was staring at the screen, clearly entranced by what he saw there.
“Can you hear that?” Kim smiled at them. “It’s measuring at one hundred and sixty-seven today. That’s a nice, strong heart rate for ten weeks. Do you hear the whooshing sound behind it?” Lita nodded. “That’s the placenta, which is your heart rate. Much slower.”
Every question Lita had ever had about whether or not to proceed with the pregnancy was thrown out the window in this moment. She felt very protective of the tiny thing inside of her right now. This wasn’t something she had ever expected to happen, but if Sebastian continued to be involved like he had been today, she couldn’t ask for more than that.
If he didn’t want to be a part of the baby’s life, that was okay too. She would figure out a way to make it work. She had a good career with medical benefits. This would be okay.
They saw the doctor once the scan was done. Lita didn’t even bother to ask about other options now. She noticed Sebastian didn’t ask those questions either but wasn’t sure if he was just taking her lead and waiting for her to ask them. Dr. Watson laid out how she would care for the pregnancy from here. When they left, Lita paid for the appointment and booked in for an anatomy scan of the baby in her twentieth week of pregnancy.
“I’ve left a room key for you at the hotel,” Sebastian said to her quietly as they stood near the exit of the doctor’s office, and she nodded. “We’ll talk back there, yeah?”
“Sounds good,” she smiled at him.
They’d talked about this in advance, and Sebastian had insisted she leave before him. He thought it was less obvious if she did because any reporters would still be looking for him. They would be less likely to pay any attention to her as a result.
She got a notification that her Uber was only a minute away, so she gave him a final wave and headed out. She noticed that, once again, the patients and the receptionist in the waiting room all seemed very interested in him. Lita had no doubt rumors would start appearing online soon and wondered how long it would be until people found out about her.
When she got to the hotel, she retrieved her card from the front desk and made her way up to his hotel suite. Lita had a wicked idea and quickly looked around to find the door that opened to his bedroom. She could see some of his clothes and luggage in here. She stripped off and lay on the bed, completely naked, to wait for him.
Lita was lying there and looking through Reddit on her phone when she heard the door to the suite open. She quickly dropped her phone on the bedside table and tried to look as sexy as she could as she watched the door and waited for him to appear.
It opened, and she was utterly horrified when Daryl Kelly walked in. He saw her, instantly looked away, and said, “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, Miss Ciccone,” before backing out hastily and closing the door again.
She hadn’t even had time to cover herself at all. Lita heard low voices outside the room and then Sebastian laughing as she climbed under the covers. More sounds of them talking, then silence until the door opened again. Thankfully, Sebastian was the one who walked into the room this time.
“Aww, no peep show for me, princess?” he asked her.
“No, I’m too busy dying of embarrassment,” she groaned.
“For your reference,” he laughed, “Daryl tends to do a sweep of the place, any time we arrive or leave, just to make sure it’s clear.”
“Good to know. It would’ve been great to know about twenty minutes ago.”
“Poor Daryl,” Sebastian laughed again as he stooped to take off his shoes.
“What about poor me?” Lita laughed.
Sebastian swiftly removed all of his clothes, then slid under the covers with her and placed a hand on her stomach. “Daryl probably thought I might fire him. You, though—you hold a position in my life right now that nobody else can fill.”
Lita looked up at him and smiled. “You felt it, too? When you heard the heartbeat?”
“Yes, princess. I want to record that sound.” He looked completely and utterly besotted.
“It was pretty amazing to hear,” she agreed.
“No, I mean, I want you to come to Galena sometime so I can literally record the sound of our baby’s heartbeat,” he told her.
“Oh.” Lita didn’t know what else to say.
They lay there together for a long time in silence, Sebastian with his hand spread over her stomach and Lita with her head resting on his chest.
“It probably goes without saying,” she said eventually, “But I’m going to say it anyway: I’m going to have the baby.”
He smiled at her. “I know. I’m glad.”
“Oh my god,” she moaned.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“Remember when I asked how traditional your family is?” Lita wrinkled her nose at him.
Sebastian seemed to understand at once. “Oh, yeah, I’ve been the black sheep of my family since the day I was named Sebastian, pretty much. I’m good. I’m assuming yours is traditional, then?”
Lita nodded. “I know Heather said it’s 2021 and families are all different now, but try telling that to my grandparents.”
“Wait.” He looked at her in sur
prise. “When did you talk to Heather?”
“Before the appointment,” Lita told him. “Did you know she’s been talking to Becky on Instagram about us since the day you told them about the baby?”
Sebastian laughed. “No, I did not know that. What else did my lover say to you?”
“Your lover?” Lita shook her head. “How ever did people manage to get the wrong idea about you two, I wonder.”
“I still can’t figure it out,” Sebastian said with a grin.
“She told me not to hurt you. She seems very protective of you.” Lita shrugged at him.
“I love Heather; she’s awesome.” Sebastian smiled as he said it.
Lita considered her next words, but as usual, she decided to go ahead and speak them: “She asked me if I thought you would never see me again if I ended the pregnancy.”
He gave her a quizzical look. “What did you say to that?”
“I told her I’d assumed that would be the case.” Lita shrugged.
“You thought I would never see you again if you ended the pregnancy?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Not that it matters now, but yes,” she said.
“Interesting.” He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her as his hand dropped from her stomach to her crotch. He began to slowly explore her with his fingers, and she moaned in response. “You really thought I wouldn’t want any more of this?”
Sparks of electricity shot throughout Lita’s body while wetness pooled between her thighs, making it easy for him to slide his fingers inside of her. She sighed his name under her breath.
“You thought I would be okay with never hearing you moan my name like that again?” He threw the covers off both of them before moving down to place his face between her legs. He looked up at her with a wicked grin and said, “You should probably set a timer for thirty minutes now, princess.”
There was no more time for discussion, and, once again, they spent most of the next two days in his hotel bed. On Sunday morning, they sat side by side at a table in the living area of his suite and were eating a room service breakfast together before he had to leave for his flight back to Chicago at midday.
“So, I guess I’ll see you in ten weeks?” Lita asked him, as casually as she could.
Sebastian looked at her. “That’s a long time, princess.”
“Yeah, it is, but that’s when my next appointment is.” She shrugged.
“And you don’t want to see me until then?” he asked her.
It was an awkward question. Whatever the fuck they had going on between them was so damn complicated. He was going to be the father of her baby, but he still slept with other women, and they weren’t together. At the same time, Lita recognized within herself that she wanted to see him as often as they could manage.
Lita sighed heavily and said, “Of course I want to see you before then, Seb.”
“Good, princess, because I don’t think I could wait ten whole weeks before having kind of epic sex again.” He winked at her.
“That reminds me, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. Some ground rules, I guess. I know you’re going to sleep with other women, and I’m okay with that. I know you slept with someone last weekend—” she said.
“—How do you know that?” he interrupted her, looking very curious.
“She posted about it on the Cruise Control subreddit.” Lita rolled her eyes.
“What the fuck?” Sebastian seemed surprised.
“Uh, yeah, I can’t tell you how many accounts I’ve read of your sexual encounters in my lifetime,” Lita laughed. “I’ve gotta say, I don’t blame them. You definitely live up to the hype. Anyway, that’s not why I brought it up. I know there’s going to be other women; all I’m asking is that you don’t tell me about them.”
“Again, princess, you seem to think me capable of cruelty beyond belief. Of course I’m not going to come and give you a rundown of any women I’ve slept with since I saw you last.” He frowned.
“It’s not that I thought you would, Seb. I just wanted you to know I don’t want you to. If this is going to work between us, and we’re going to have a baby together, we need to be able to communicate and work together and be comfortable talking about shit like this,” Lita said gently.
“Okay, that’s fair enough. Do I get to ask the same of you, then?” He raised an eyebrow.
Lita laughed. “Sebastian Fox, I hadn’t had sex for a year before I met you. I’m currently pregnant and working full-time. I have very little desire to go looking for a new man right now.”
“I thought we were setting ground rules for the future?” he asked her.
“Oh, well then, what the hell? Of course I wouldn’t tell you about any guys I’d had sex with who weren’t you.” She shook her head.
“Exactly my point, princess,” he smiled.
Lita suddenly understood. “Oh.”
Sebastian leaned across, turned her face toward his, and kissed her. “Please believe me when I say that when I’m with you, I’m not thinking about anyone else to even tell you about them, anyway.”
She didn’t know what to say to that, so she went back to eating her breakfast.
“I’ve been thinking about the family situation, too,” he said, and she looked back at him. “Would you consider coming to Chicago one weekend soon to tell my family with me?”
“You want me to meet your family?” Lita started panicking.
Sebastian grinned at her. “Do I think my family will want to meet the woman who is carrying my illegitimate love-child? Uh, yes.”
“I think I’m going to be sick, and for once, it’s not from morning sickness,” she groaned.
“In return, I offer to come with you to tell your family. With our powers combined, we can resist the pressure to get married before this baby is born,” he laughed.
“Oh, god, yes. You know that’s what they’ll say.” Lita mimicked her nonna’s voice. “‘Lolita, bella, he’s such a lovely Italiano man. You want the baby to have the same name as you.’”
Sebastian laughed. “Oh, I can practically hear it. Wait, what will the baby’s last name be?”
“I hadn’t thought about it.” Lita considered the options. “Let’s decide closer to the time. Right now, I would say Ciccone, but only because I’d be hoping for some semblance of privacy for the baby. I also think, after you were seen at an obstetrician’s office with a woman today, it won’t be long until people are aware you’re having a baby. So, if people figure it out before the baby is born, then I would be fine for them to have your last name.”
Lita thought about how things had changed so drastically since she’d first gotten pregnant, when she hadn’t thought she could ever possibly have his baby. Now, not only did she want to have his baby, but she wanted to give it his last name as well.
They decided she would fly to Chicago in two weeks to see his family, and he would come back to Seattle, the weekend after, to tell hers. Lita was nervous but grateful they’d be doing this together.
11
LEVEL 11.6 – Brass Tacks
Your baby is the size of a chicken nugget.
Week twelve is the last week in your first trimester of pregnancy. You may start to have the tiniest bump showing, but more than likely, people just think you’ve eaten one too many ice creams lately. Every pregnancy and baby bump is different. Feeling dizzy? Your old friend, progesterone, is causing your blood vessels to widen and relax in order to increase blood flow to the baby—but this means it comes back to you a little slower and may cause dizzy spells.
It was Friday afternoon, and Lita was on a flight to Chicago. She had started work early today so she could catch the five p.m. flight, and she still wouldn’t arrive until almost eleven. Sebastian had bought the ticket for her, and he was flying her first-class. Lita didn’t quite know how to feel about this, but she’d agreed he could pay for her ticket, and he had booked it before she’d known it was first-class she’d be flying.
When she arrived in
Chicago, she sent Sebastian a text.
I’m in your city. You’re going to owe me ten thousand dollars before you know it.
Lita got into the limousine that would drive her to Sebastian’s apartment. On the way, she got a response to her text.
I doubt it. A man can dream, though. I do. I’ll tell Jeff you’re coming. He’ll let you in. Call me when you’re here. I’ll come down and get you.
When the limousine arrived at his apartment building, she saw the same doorman who had been there the night she was here in June. She wheeled her luggage up to the door.
“Hi, are you Jeff? I’m Lita.” She smiled at him.
“Good evening, Miss Ciccone,” he said, as he opened the door to let her in.
Lita made her way to the elevator, stopped in front of it, and called Sebastian.
“Hey, princess,” he purred at her, “You downstairs?”
“Yup, I am. Got room in your bed for me tonight?” she asked him.
“Always,” he laughed. “I’ll be down in a sec.”
The elevator doors opened after a minute to reveal Sebastian. He was only wearing a pair of sweatpants which were riding low on his hips, and his hair looked unkempt, as though he might have been in bed before she called him. Lita felt herself getting aroused, even though she was so incredibly tired, and she just wanted to sleep.
“Did I wake you?” she asked him as she wheeled her luggage into the elevator and stood next to him.
“Nah, I was just watching Netflix and waiting for you to arrive,” he grinned at her as he swiped a card over the reader and pressed the button for the penthouse.
Lita allowed her gaze to run over him from head to toe, then said, “I think it should be illegal for you ever to put a shirt on, Sebastian Fox.”
“Is that so, Lolita Ciccone?” He raised an eyebrow at her.
“Yes, it is. I think I’ll petition my member for Congress about it,” she laughed.
“Fair’s fair, the same would have to go for you. Also, have your tits gotten bigger since I saw you last?”
“Probably, they certainly feel painfully huge.” She grimaced.
