The Things That You Do

Padding down the stairs, Alexa took in a deep breath, trying to stifle the nauseous sensation which bubbled in her stomach. It was easing slightly, with her pregnancy progressing, the feeling of morning sickness was one which was starting to fade, but still she couldn’t shake it entirely, even if it was getting slightly easier. She missed the mornings when she didn’t have to wake up just to be sick. Pulling her blonde hair off of her face, she hesitated on the step for a few moments before she heard the floorboards beside her creak, causing her lift her eyes slightly, a faint smile pulling at the corner of her lips as she spotted Lionel stood on the step ahead of her, his hand extended out towards her.

Shaking her head gently, she placed her hand in his before he padded down the stairs, guiding her through towards the living room. “You should sit down” he mused “I’ll grab you a glass of water” he added as he helped her to sit down.

Alexa smiled up at him warmly, something which caused Lionel to smile before he leant over, pressing a soft kiss against her forehead. Pressing a couple of light kisses against her warm skin, he smiled gently to himself before he padded out of the room, leaving Alexa alone.

Alexa shook her head, wordlessly fussing about how sweet he was, before she allowed her eyes to scan the room, settling them quickly on a wedding magazine which sat on the side of the table.

It had been there for a while, before she had discovered that she was pregnant for the second time, she and Lionel had been in the midst of planning their wedding, but with the news of her pregnancy having caught the two of them off guard, talk of their wedding had been put on hold, something Alexa knew that they had to talk about.

They wanted to get married, after the novelty of their engagement had worn off, both she and Lionel had made it clear that they both wanted to be married sooner rather than later, but with her having fallen pregnant again, she was tempted to suggest that they postpone it for a little, even if it was just a few months. They didn’t need to run into anything.

Leaning forwards in her seat, she lifted the magazine into her hands before she flipped it open, smiling a little as she spotted a few pages with their corners folded over.

“Your phone keeps buzzing”

Alexa, who’d been quietly leafing through the magazine, blinked in surprise at the sound of Lionel’s voice before she looked up at him. “Huh?” she spluttered.

Lionel, who’d moved to settle a glass of water down onto the coffee table, smirked. “Your phone” he quipped “You left it on the counter in the kitchen. It’s been vibrating since I got up. Mostly, it’s texts from your mama” he explained, his smile softening a little at the mention of Madeline. He knew that it was a sore topic, even despite the conversation that he and Alexa had had a few days previous, he knew that she was still a little upset by what Madeline had told her, and he didn’t want to push it. He knew that it was something that she would have to get her head around in her own time.

Alexa spared him a soft look, not missing the slight change in his expression, before she gently shook her head. “She’s texted a lot in the last couple of days” she murmured “I’ve responded a couple of times, but I haven’t quite worked up the nerve to call her. The other night was a mess, Leo, and I think I still need a little while to get my head around it” she explained, her fingers shyly playing with the magazine which sat in her lap.

Lionel, who’d moved to take a seat beside her, watched the movement of her fingers for a moment before he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, causing Alexa to wrap her arms around his middle, cuddling happily into his side. “You know that you have to talk to her eventually, right?” he posed “I mean, especially if you’re looking at this” he quipped, tapping the magazine which sat in her hand.

Alexa looked down towards the magazine before she nodded, something which caused Lionel to press a soft kiss against her head.

Alexa closed her eyes at the feel of his lips, enjoying their comfortable embrace for a moment, before she moved slightly, resting her head against his shoulder. “I’ve been thinking” she mumbled, disturbing the quiet which had settled over the two of them.

Lionel, who’d moved to rest his head against hers, hummed in acknowledgement, wordlessly encouraging her to keep talking.

“How would you feel about pushing our wedding date back a few months?” Alexa posed, looking up at him cautiously “I mean, I know that we both said that we wanted to get married sooner rather than later but with the baby on the way, maybe it would make a little more sense if we...” she trailed off, mumbling the end of her sentence beneath her breath.

Lionel quirked a small smile, amused by the shyness in her voice, before he leant over, pressing a soft kiss against her lips. Alexa stilled a little at the feel of the kiss, surprised that he had kissed her, before she pulled away, lifting her eyebrow in confusion. “What was that for?” she asked.

“You’re pretty cute” Lionel pointed out with a nonchalant shrug. Alexa’s cheeks flushed pink, something which made his smile widen a fraction before he offered her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “You want to put the wedding date back?” he asked.

Alexa nodded tentatively. “It’s a lot” she mused “Being pregnant and planning a wedding, it’s a little overwhelming, and I thought maybe we could push the date back a few months, but if you’d rather keep it as it is...”

“I want to do what will make you happiest” Lionel interrupted.

Alexa stared at him, caught off guard by his interruption, before the blush on her cheeks darkened, something which made Lionel laugh gently. “That’s all I want to do” he quipped “I want to make you happy, Alexa, and if putting it back a few months is what you want to do, then I am on board. I want us to have the best day, when it comes around, I want it to be exactly what we both want it to be, and if you want wait until the baby is born, then that’s fine with me. We’ll need to make a few calls to rearrange a few plans, but it’s easily done” he insisted warmly.

Alexa stared at him for a few seconds, allowing her mind to process his words, before she nodded. “I’d like that” she mused.

Lionel flashed her another warm smile before he squeezed her shoulders, encouraging her to cuddle into his side. Quirking a small smile, she wrapped her arms happily around his torso before she turned her head slightly, pressing a tender kiss to the underside of his jaw as she mumbled a soft ‘gracias’.

Lionel’s grin widened a little at the feel of the soft kiss before the sound of Zachary’s crying emanated away from the baby monitor which sat in his pocket, causing Alexa to pull away from him slightly, mumbling about checking on the little boy as she pushed herself back up to her feet. Leaning down, she pressed a soft kiss against his lips before she stepped out of the room, leaving Lionel smiling after her.

It was a change of plans, after they’d gotten engaged, both he and Alexa had warmed to the idea of being married sooner rather later relatively quickly, and the idea of postponing was a move away from that, but he didn’t mind doing it, even if he had been excited by how close the date had been getting. It was something he was prepared to wait for if it meant making sure that the day was just right for the two of them.