Going The Distance

Charlene POV

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Nick’s eyebrows rose slightly, his mouth opening just a little bit as his dark brown eyes penetrated mine.

“Pregnant?” He whispered, a smile forming on his lips.

I nodded and bit my lip in anticipation, fighting back a smile.

He exhaled deeply and licked his lips just before a huge smile broke out on his beautiful face.

“We’re going to be parents?” He again whispered, clearly taken by surprise.

“I think so.” I whispered back shortly before Nick took my lips with his in a passionate yet gentle kiss. His warm hands cupped my face as he fed me breathtaking kisses that made my toes curl tightly. My hands gripped onto his chest as we lost ourselves in the moment.

“I love you so much, Charlene.” Nick said quietly against my lips, rubbing his nose gently against mine.

“I love you too.”

He smiled down at me and kissed me once more before pulling me tightly against his body and kissing my forehead. I smiled and nuzzled my face into his neck which always smelt so alluring and comforting.

“God, I love you.” He said almost silently whilst he stroked my hair and chuckled softly to himself. “I can’t believe we’re bringing our first child into the world.”

He stared down at me and skimmed my jaw with his thumb, his eyes so warm and loving that I just wanted to stay in this moment forever.

“I hope it’s a boy. I don’t think I will be able to handle the cuteness of having a mini Nick around the house, especially with the little curls.” I laughed, running my hands through Nick’s hair whilst he chuckled.

“It’s going to be amazing.” Nick said, still wearing that smile that looked like it would never leave his face. “We’re going to bring a little one into our family. God, imagine our parents when we tell them.”

“Imagine Sara and Henry.” I laughed, already picturing a screeching Sara jumping up and down.

“Well, can we tell them yet? How long have you known?”

I cuddled into him and smiled as he scooped me up and engulfed my entire body.

“I only took the tests this morning. I took three just to be certain and they all said positive. You have no idea how hard it was to wait all day until I got you alone to tell you.”

He grinned and kissed my lips softly before pulling back and continued to gently trace my jaw.

“It’s probably best not to say anything until we’ve been to the doctors and are past the 12 weeks ‘safety’ mark, right? We want to make sure you and our little one are healthy and everything is ok first.”

I nodded and smiled at how protective he already was over me and the baby. I couldn’t have asked for a better father of my child.

“I’m so excited.” Nick beamed, his eyes so electric that he looked like a young boy going to a theme park for the first time.

“I just have to get through nine months of being sick, having non stop cramps, mood swings, cravings-”

“Bigger boobs...” Nick interrupted.

I laughed and hit Nick’s shoulder, but all he did was grin at me. There was no moving that smile.

“That is a good point though.” I chuckled, following Nick’s eyes which surprisingly weren’t on my breasts, but were instead looking down at my stomach.

My hand squeezed his and he slowly lifted his gaze to my face, that same soppy smile on his face.

“We’re going to be parents.”

...

Nick POV

“You’re not going to win against anyone if you call those pushups, lads!” Our coach yelled across the freezing field during early morning training. Our coach was without question the best around but considering the hell he put us through in order to win the superbowl, we bloody deserved it.

Ten minutes later and we were finally given a five minute break before having to return to another few hours of military style training.

“Jonas, it’s 11am.” He called, nodding his head towards the exit.

“Lucky shit.” John chuckled, patting me on the back before I headed inside.

At midday Charlene was having her doctors appointment to find out if we really were expecting and for the whole of training, it was all that was running through my mind.

I jogged through to the changing room and had quick shower before shooting off home to pick up Charlene. It had only been four days since she’d told me the big news and it was proving close to impossible in stopping myself from screaming from the rooftops that she might be pregnant. I was just hoping this was all real but I was still warily preparing myself for the news that it might have been a false call.

Pulling up into the driveway I pressed the horn and waited for her to appear. A smile formed on my lips when I saw her wrapped up warm in a Saints hoody over her leggings and ugg boots. She smiled through the windscreen at me as she walked towards the car and climbed in beside me.

“Hey beautiful.” I smiled, leaning over to kiss her softly.

“Hi.” She smiled back, squeezing my hand. “Nervous?”

“Yup, you?”

She nodded and bit her lip, letting out a deep breath. I chuckled and held onto her hand as we made our way to the doctors, which thankfully was private meaning we wouldn’t have to risk being seen by paparazzi or fans. This was a private moment.

“What if I’m not pregnant?” She asked quietly, gazing across at me.

“Well the way I see it, is that considering our ‘personal activities’ we wouldn’t have to wait long before a little one came along.”

She smiled softly and squeezed my hand. “Your weird ways of making me feel better always work.”

“Good.” I grinned, lifting her hand and gently kissing her palm before resting it back on her lap again. “There’s nothing to worry about, Lene. I promise.”

She smiled and turned her gaze to outside, her thumbs gently rubbing my knuckles the whole way to the doctors.

When we finally got to the doctors we both looked at each other across the car with the same look in our eyes, knowing that the next twenty minutes could completely change our lives forever.

As we sat together in the waiting room, Charlene continued to play with my hands whilst wearing a soft smile on her face. She then chuckled and looked up at me with her hand placed over mine.

“Imagine how tiny our baby’s hand would look against yours.” She smiled, staring down at the huge difference between our own hands. I laughed and squeezed her body with my arm that was around her shoulders, keeping her close.

“Well imagine how out of place you will feel in a house full of radiant curls.”

She burst out laughing and then quickly covered her mouth as some of the other waiting patients glanced over.

“Radiant?” She chuckled as she tried to control her laughter. “What kind of a man says radiant?”

“The most manly man of them all, my dear.”

Just at that moment a nurse appeared and called our name, saving us from anymore weird looks from other patients.

“Hi Nick and Charlene, how have you two been?” Doctor Shaw smiled as he greeted us.

“Very good...but I’m sure you can tell that from the reason for our visit.” I said with a grin.

“Nick!” Charlene warned, nudging me with her elbow but all I did was smile back at her.

Doctor Shaw laughed and held his hand out towards the bed next to him, asking Charlene to take a seat.

“So, we think there might be a little one on the way?” He asked whilst I stood next to Charlene and gripped her hand in mine.

“I took three tests a couple of days back and they all came back positive, so we just wanted to be sure of everything.” Her voice sounded slightly shaky and I squeezed her hand in support, rubbing her knuckles like she had been doing to mine earlier.

“Ok, well let’s take a look then shall we.” He smiled, gently pouring some gel on Charlene’s stomach which she jumped at. “I forgot to mention, it will be very cold.” He smiled as Charlene laughed lightly.

Charlene looked up at me and took a deep breath before turning her attention to the screen, her grip on my hand suddenly getting really tight.

“Just relax, ok?” He smiled comfortingly at Charlene who looked so tense and anxious, but it wasn’t surprising considering this potentially life changing situation. I kept my eyes on Doctor Shaw to watch for any reaction as he stared at the screen in front of him, his face so calm and not giving anything away at all.

I rubbed my thumbs over Charlene’s knuckles continuously, both for her sanity and mine as we stayed silent with anticipation.

“Well, you are indeed expecting. Congratulations, you’re about six weeks along.”

I felt my entire body go warm and my eyes well up as I stared at him, frozen from what he had just said. I felt a tear of happiness roll down my cheek as Charlene brought her hand up to her mouth and let out a soft sob, before turning to look up at me through emotional eyes.

“Nick.” She smiled, gently stroking my forearm.

“I love you.” I chuckled through my tears, leaning down to softly kiss her perfect lips.

“I love you too.” She smiled, kissing me back whilst she gently caressed my face; the reality slowing hitting home.

We were going to be parents.

...

Charlene POV

After the doctors appointment, we headed straight home with huge smiles on our faces, holding hands the entire way home. Not much was said as we were both trying to let it all sink in, but I could honestly say that it was one of the best moments of my life.

As soon as we arrived home we rounded up Bella and Winston and took them for a walk to the quiet park in our neighbourhood, our hands intertwined the whole way. As usual the park was empty so we let the dogs off their leashes and Winston instantly ran whereas just like every other walk, Bella had to be convinced me and Charlene weren’t going anywhere before she finally followed after Winston.

We sat under the same tree we always did and Nick instantly pulled me into his lap, wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my shoulder. I placed my hand on his cheek and smiled down at him.

“What are you thinking?” He asked quietly, pressing a kiss to my shoulder.

“I’m thinking...I can’t believe the biggest wanker in high school has got my eggo preggo.”

Nick burst out laughing and threw his head back, gently nudging my arm. “And there I was thinking you were going to say something romantic and soppy like 99.9% of girls would have!”

I grinned and held his chin, leaning down to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I love you.” He grinned back and kissed me again for longer this time, wrapping his free hand in my hair.

“I love you too.” He smiled. “What on earth was a beautiful girl like you thinking when you got involved with bad old me back in High School?”

“Let’s just call in a momentary lapse in judgement.” I smirked as he laughed.

“And now I’ve got you all knocked up and made myself your partner for life. Gosh, I really have made a nuisance of myself haven’t I.”

I chuckled and looped my arms around his neck, snuggling my face into the soft skin where I pressed gentle kisses. Words could never describe how much I loved this man and how much he had changed my life forever. But the most amazing thing was that I knew he felt the same way.

And now we were starting a family of our own.

If someone had told me years ago that this is the role Nick would have played in my life, I’d of laughed in their face. He was the gorgeous but rebellious ‘it’ guy in school whereas I was the new foreign kid no one knew, and we had hated each other. But we now both know that that’s because deep down we were both scared of the feelings, so strong, that were there from the first look we exchanged. The same look we still share today when we look into each other eyes, of something beyond explanation.

Life without Nick was unimaginable and I was so grateful that I would never have to imagine it. We were for life, and now we were bringing life into the world.

As I drifted into my own thoughts I glanced up at Nick who was smiling softly as he held me, his fingers twirling my hair so gently. He looked so content and happy, which was exactly how I felt. Gone was the heartbreak and pain from the past and our little baby was going to represent everything Nick and I had been through just to come back together as if it were meant to be...because it was meant to be.

This child marked the next chapter of lives together, not only as parents and husband and wife, but as best friends who could never be replaced. This marked the next chapter of my fairytale with my prince. My curly haired amazing prince.

The End.