Lost Haven.

"Am I doing it right?" John asks, looking at me quizzically when I enter the room. His hands were on either side of the small plush bear as he attempts to secure the strap in order to hold the diaper in place. I can't help but laugh, pushing off the door frame and trudging over to him on the bed. "You're waiting till now to practice how to change a diaper?"
His face flushes but he rolls his eyes. "Of course not. I was just...refreshing my memory. I'm starting to get worried I'm not going to be able to do this."
My eyebrows furrow at the sincere look of concentration on his face. Was he still talking about diapers or the baby?"
I plop down onto the bed with some effort as I hold my stomach. "You'll make a great father, John. Just think of all the times you came to my rescue and imagine the times you'll come to this little one's."
He smiles softly, looking down at the stuffed toy as if it were our very own.
"I guess I'm just worried she won't really need me," he admits sheepishly, removing the diaper and starting the routine again.
I rest my hand on his cheek, urging him to look up. "Of course she'll need you," I whisper. "Every girl needs her father."
"So you've finally accepted it's a girl," he muses with a smirk.
I scoff. "Well, you won't refer to it as anything else. So don't come crying to me when all we have is pink clothes for our little boy."
He gnaws in his lip. "That reminds me. The, uh, gang wanted to present us with a gift."
I gasp at the mention of our friends. I haven't seen all of them almost as long as I've been pregnant. "You mean all the guys?"
"Yep," he chuckles. "They brought it in yesterday. Ravenna and Mal were particularly excited."
Grinning, I fling my arms around him. "Well? When do we get to go see them?"
He laughs. "Whenever you're ready." With a smirk, John rises from the mattress, the animal tucked under his arm. Absentmindedly I think how much the guys would tease him if they saw him changing the toy.
"Are they at Ri's?" I ask as he hold his hand out for me.
"Not exactly," he mutters before guiding us out of the apartment.
~
After taking a drive down a route I wasn't familiar with, we arrive at a low set white house with a lively front yard. The grass was a fresh and healthy green, siding the pathway up to the front door. I could spot a backyard that seemed to stretch on forever, with a pool that glistened in the sun.
John walks right in once opening the unlocked door and gestures for me to come in. A long cornered couch is to my left, with a buzz of people smiling at me as I enter. I spot Jared at the end with a guitar in his lap, but he stops playing when he notices us. It's then that I notice the various white and baby pink streamers hanging around the walls and balloons crowding the floor. In perfect unison, they yell, "Surprise!"
John laughs at my shocked expression, clearly not having expected any of this. It's soon replaced by my smiling face seeing all of our good friends in one place, as well as a few others I didn't know. A few of them stand to greet me and I laugh when Eric saunters over holding his arms out at his sides. "Haaaappy baby shower! Hope you don't mind babies. Or showers, not that there will actually be any of either."
I laugh at his wittiness and accept his hug. "Thank you. You guys didn't have to do this." I pause, looking over at John. "Is this what you meant they wanted to give us?"
He shrugs almost bashfully as he rubs his neck. "They wanted to throw a little party and I didn't object. Tim figured his house would be best since it's best."
As if on cue, the bigger Kirch brother makes his way through, smiling in his very friendly manner. "It was only fitting. You haven't gotten a chance to meet everyone just yet and this was a perfect opportunity. I mean, what better way than being able to welcome you and another member to our devious little family?" He pulls me in for an embrace and I can't help but think how big and bear like it was. That beard of his made him look even more grizzly.
I grin back at him. "Thank you. Who else is-"
"Lexi!"
Before I could finish my sentence, Mallori's arms are thrown around my neck, giving me a tight squeeze. I slip my arms under her and laugh. "It's good to see you, too, Mal."
"Of course it is," she teases and pulls away, beaming at me. Her once turquoise end-colored hair was now shorter and layered and a pale pink and subtle purple color. It fell in tousles around her round face and her blue eyes sparkled.
"We've been waiting for you," she tells me before tugging me away and pulling me toward the group. I'm introduced to the girlfriends I'd never met before, all sporting the same pink ribbon on their shirts as well as a pacifier necklace.
Mal pins a bigger one on me and grins. "For our guest of honor."
I smile and look back over my shoulder, meeting John's eyes as he watches with a soft smile. Riley appears at his side and waves at me.
Ravenna and Falyn, Garrett's girl, appear at my side and I raise an eyebrow at their matching pink hair. Was everybody doing that?
"We figured we could coordinate for the party," Ravenna smirks, pulling me into a side hug before patting my belly. "You've gotten big in there, baby."
"Ha! You said it!" Falyn exclaims and begins to tug at the necklace.
She scoffs. "Oh come on, Fal."
"Pause," Mallori giggles, turning to me. "The rules are you can't say the b-word. If you hear someone say it and are the first to claim it, you get all their pacifiers, no matter how many they have. Whoever has the most by the end of the night wins."
I nod in understanding and watch in amusement as Ravenna begrudgingly hands over the necklace. I chuckle. "Well that should be fun. What's the prize?"
"Considering I'm going to win, you can be my prize," John says as he comes up behind me, resting a hand on the small of my back.
Mal crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow. "You think you're going to win everything, O' Callaghan."
His lips curl slowly. "That's because I am." He pauses to turn to me. "There's a bunch of food in the kitchen," he murmurs. "Do you want anything?"
I shake my head, rather wanting to spend time catching up. My heart feels warm at knowing they organized all this just for me, even if half of them hardly know me. I smile at the fact that our little girl was going to be born into this kind of family. She'll never feel like she didn't belong and that was assuring.
As the night goes on, many of us share laughs at watching others either lose or gain pacifiers throughout the game. Riley lost his to Ravenna, and Ravenna lost hers to Kenny, whom John was able to catch saying the forbidden word, officially putting him in the lead. Everybody was watching and listening to him like a hawk, out to get the various cords hanging around his neck. He meets my eyes and smirks knowingly.
The group of girls were seated around me asking me endless questions about how the pregnancy has gone as I eat. The food really was delicious; it seemed to hit the spot after spending so many months with craving after craving. They ask about what names we'd thought about, if any, but I simply inform them that John and I agreed and were confident that we'd decide in that moment the baby was born, when it felt right, that we'd know.
As for the boys, they were drinking and chatting and playing cards, until Mallori announces the other games she's set up for the night.
"Alright, boys, this one's for you-"
"Are we ready to bob for nipples?" Kennedy asks with an excited grin.
My eyes widen. "Excuse me, what?"
"Baby bottle nipples," he explains with a chuckle. Just then, Riley appears from the kitchen, his long sleeves rolled up as he carries a small tub of water, filled about three quarters of the way. He places it on the table, causing it to slosh around a bit. "Hope you're ready to get messy."
The guys whoop and cheer, Kennedy being the first to go. He rubs his hands together but Mal stops him before he could get too far. "Hands, dear."
"But they're my specialty," he says with a smirk.
She shoots him an unamused glare. "Hands."
He scoffs. "I'm not gonna cheat."
"As if you didn't like it," she teases, smirking and tying them behind his back with a bandanna. Ravenna pours a few packs of nipples into the tub. She set the timer for a minute and calls, "Go!"
He takes a deep breath and I can't help but giggle once he dives in. He manages to spit out three, but the other ones slip from his mouth's grasp. The flop of his hair floats around at the back of his head as he moves around.
The timer goes off and he comes up gasping with a total of five.
A few of the other guys take their turn, getting an average of seven or nine. The highest score was currently eleven. John steps up to the high table, licking his lips. "I haven't gone yet."
I watch him suspiciously as Mal goes to tie his hands. His gave was unwavering and playful, the set of his features making it clear that it was game on. His confidence shone through as if to say so.
Ravenna called go and he swiftly drops his head in the water, spewing out the nipples like seeds. One after another, he spits them out on the table, everyone counting with each addition. He moved like water himself, able to
maneuver so that the floating bits of plastics moved toward him. I watch in pure fascination as he gets even more.
"Aaaand time!"
He throws his head back gasping, his soaked white shirt sticking to his chest and hair dripping. Droplets hang from his nose and cheeks while Mal removes the bandanna from his bound wrists. With water to his long lashes that he looks at me from beneath them, I nearly shiver.
"Thirteen," Jared chuckles, kludging him. "Damn, John, how much experience do you have with those things?"
His green eyes meet mine. I could see the smirk playing on his lips as he answers, "With baby bottles? None."
He shoots me a wink.
I bite back a groan as Ravenna laughs, handing him a towel before raising his arm as champion.
They move onto presents, which I wasn't aware they'd gotten until Falyn and Mal start to set out a pile on the couch for me to open. The gift bags or wrapping paper was so cute that I had a hard time even opening the first one.
The majority of them were baby clothes and boxes of diapers, which I was grateful for because we'd definitely be needing as much as we could get. The onesies I got were probably my favorite; they all had sarcastic or ironic but relevant sayings, like 'cute as hell,' 'mommy's little angel,' 'daddy's little devil,' or, my favorite: 'there may or may not be a demon in my diaper.'
I also got a set that had a wing design on the back.
"Well aren't you guys cheeky," I laugh and move to put the new outfit back into the bag. I check the tag and smile. "Thanks, Falyn, Gare."
Garrett grins as he wraps an around his girlfriend. "We figured you'll need something to take the little guy out in style."
"Well considering someone is so set on it being a girl," I say with a roll of my eyes and I hear him chuckle behind me. "There's a lot of red and white ones in here so I'll at least have options. Seriously, thank you all." I take a look around the room to our friends with a sincere smile. "This wasn't necessary."
"Don't mention it, Lex," Riley says with a light laugh.
"Yeah, sweetie," Mal coos, patting my stomach. "We just want to give your tiny one the best there is to offer."
I watch them nod and Pat chuckles, adding, "If y-you ever need a babysitter, let me know. I'm p-p-pretty good with kids."
Once the gifts are finished, Tim announces cake and I try to move into the kitchen to help, but they won't let me. Instead, I stay seated as the crowd disperses, following behind him to bring out plates and spoons.
John sinks down next to me on the couch. He slings an arm over the back of my head and he cocks an eyebrow. "Enjoying yourself?"
"Very much," I giggle before leaning in to kiss him softly. He was at least somewhat in on it and saw to it that I'd have a good time. "Thank you," I mumble.
His mouth twitches. "Don't thank me yet. I have one more present for you, darlin'."
I eye him curiously as I lean back. "You do?" I ask and he stands, holding his hand out for me. He helps me up and guides me past the kitchen, down a short hallway and stopping at a door. He clears his throat. "I saw it and it felt right. We can bring it into the apartment whenever you want, but we might have to make some room-"
"What is it?" I cut him off, anxious to see what he was talking about already.
John bites his lip before gently letting the door open.
We step inside, into what seems like a regular room. There were flags on the wall and a king sized bed in the corner of the room and-
I gasp as my eyes fall on the white painted crib beside the bed. A small transparent canopy with violet sheets draped over it almost whimsically, like a veil.
My eyes water involuntarily at the mobile in the center. I approach it slowly, my fingers splaying across the smooth warm wood. He walks up behind me quietly and brushes his lips to my shoulder. "I asked Tim if I could stash it away in my old room to keep it a surprise."
I turn to face him, in awe of all he was doing. His dedication had me at a loss for words as always.
"It's beautiful," I whisper, trailing my finger along the top of the rims and sit myself beside it. "It's...John, it's perfect."
He stuffs his hands in his pockets as he watches me take it in before sitting down. "I'm glad you like it."
"I love it," I sniff, feeling the hormones take the reigns as I look at him again. God, I wanted him.
My mouth presses to his firmly, my tongue instantly delving inside. I feel his groan against my lips as he cups the back of my neck. I take his face in my hands and melt into the kiss, loving the shape and curve of his mouth. I trace the crevice as I tug him closer, the necklaces rattling.
"Lexi," he breathes, tilting his head back. My lips follow his long neck in response and I feel him swallow. "Shit, baby."
Smirking, I bunch the cords in my hand and tug firmly as I lean away to look at him, then tug him back down for a chaste kiss. "I win," I whisper.
He stares at me incredulously as I pull them over his head to drape them over my own. I hold onto the crib as I rise to my feet, walking out of the room and back out into the living room that was crowded again.
"There you are!" Ravenna sighs, holding a paper plate with a slice of cake and scoop of ice scream. "This is yours. Sneaking off huh-hey, how'd you get those necklaces?!"
I chuckle and take the plate from her hands as I wink. "Piece of cake."
~
Once people began to head out past midnight, I lean into John's side with a yawn. I could hear him chuckle. "You're not going to make it back to the car, are you?"
"Nope," I mutter.
He looks up at Tim and his girlfriend. I didn't understand how Ashley was a fallen angel. Her and Tessa were the definition of saints.
"Can we crash here in my old room?" he asks them, his thumb rubbing circles into my arm. It was soothing but equally distracting.
Tim chuckles. "Yeah, man, make yourself at home. It's been a while."
"Do you guys need a blanket or anything?" Ashley offers kindly.
I shake my head in John's neck. "I think we're good. Thank you so much," I say with a smile. I sit up but that's as far as I get.
John laughs, his voice sounding a bit rough from the late night. "Come on, lazy bones," he teases, taking a grab of my arms and pulling me up.
We reach his room once more and I kick off my shoes before crawling onto the cool comfy mattress. He stands at the foot of the crib for a moment, looking into it with a soft look. I couldn't help but be mesmerized by those emerald eyes. They held more compassion than a demon like him got credit for.
"Are you going to get into bed or are you going to stand there all night?" I murmur as I nuzzle into the pillow. He chuckles, kneeling and moving around me to the other side. I notice the guitar when he moves away, turning to face him. "You used to play?"
"Sorta," he muses with a light chuckle. "I mainly messed around in high school. Jared's the real expert."
I raise an eyebrow at the thought of him going to high school. That must have been one hundred and...twenty six years ago. It was hard to imagine him going to school in the late 1800s. What was it even like back then?
"Did you play any sports?" I ask, biting my lip.
He nods, resting an arm over my hip and rubbing it with his thumb. "Baseball. I was usually shortstop." His lips twitch. "What about you, huh? Any cheerleading?"
A snort escapes my lips and I shake my head. "Please, I had to be the least athletic person in my school. I stuck to the basics; reading and writing. My mom bugged me for the longest time to join a team, like track or volleyball or something. But I joined the math team instead." I give an unamused laugh.
"Really," he murmurs, looking sleepy but he kept his eyes directly on me. "What else did you like to do?"
I give a soft shrug. "I liked bike riding a lot. It was nice to just get out in the open and watch the trees blur past you." I pause. "You know, it's weird to think about all that now. It...feels like so long ago." It was true; my old life couldn't be more different than it would ever be again. My parents had no recollection I even existed, nor my old friends. Sometimes I still thought about them, or wondered how they were, but then I remembered that they didn't know me anymore. A lot of the normality I used to know had been traded for something I could only describe as extraordinary. It was wild, but I wouldn't change it for anything.
He chuckles, taking a deep breath. "I know how you feel. You'll get used to it, time passing." His knuckles brush along my cheek. "Everything from your past will one day become just that. The past. You'll remember the things that matter."
I nod, thinking back to when I felt most alive as a human. Every single moment involved John. It's as if I'd come alive when I met him.
"I remember you," I mutter. "I remember all of it. I just hope I'll never forget it."
John lets his lips lift before pressing them to my forehead. I sigh, my eyes fluttering closed.
"I'll always remember anything involving you, Lexi," he whispers. "And I promise I'll be here to remind you every day. Just in case you forget."
I fold into him as best as I can with my round belly and sigh. "Promise?"
"Hope to burn."