Like You Did Before

Iker didn’t know what to say.

His eyes kept moving from the box in his hands up to Matilda’s face as she stared down at him nervously before they dropped back down again, but he couldn’t quite force a sound out of his mouth. He wanted to. He wanted to ask questions, and assure Matilda that, whatever the outcome of the test, they’d handle it, but the surprise had rendered him speechless, and he was worried that if he didn’t take a moment to get his head around what she was telling him, then he’d say the wrong thing. It wasn’t something they had talked much about. Other than Iker asking if it was something Matilda had considered when they’d been celebrating Lola’s first birthday, they’d barely mentioned the idea of having a second baby, and it meant that Iker had been caught off guard. He had thought it was something that was still a long way off.

“Iker?”

Iker’s stare moved back to Matilda’s face, blinking dazedly.

“I’m going to go and get changed” Matilda said with a gentle smile, softly pushing her fingers back through her hair “It’ll give you a few minutes. I’ll be right back, OK?” she asked.

Iker turned his head slightly, pressing his lips to her palm. “OK” he agreed.

Matilda leant forwards, kissing the top of his head, before she stepped away and padded into the bathroom.

Iker heard her walk away, but his stare fell back to the test in his hands. Turning it over a couple of times, he felt a smile begin to pull at the corner of his mouth before he heard Matilda’s footsteps move back towards him, causing him to glance up at her. “Have I missed something obvious?” he asked quietly.

Matilda shook her head as she sunk down at the foot of the bed next to him. “It’s not obvious” she said “I didn’t even put two and two together until tonight. When I was with...with Art, something I smelled caused me to feel a little nauseous, and he reminded me that one of the first things I felt when I was pregnant with Lola was an oversensitivity to certain smells” she added.

Iker’s expression flinched slightly, something which caused Matilda’s hand to settle on his arm, squeezing it softly. “I didn’t know that” he murmured.

“It didn’t last for very long” Matilda insisted “And in the early part of my pregnancy, you and I weren’t exactly spending a lot of time together. It’s not a surprise that you missed it” she added.

She didn’t want him to feel bad. When she had first been pregnant with Lola, things between her and Iker had been at their worst, and it meant that being around one another was difficult for them. He had been around for the most important moments. He hadn’t missed a midwife appointment or a prenatal class. He’d even been there when Lola had kicked for the first time, and that was what Matilda wanted him to focus on, not the fact that he had missed the odd symptom of her pregnancy.

Iker nodded his head slowly. “Has it happened more than once?” he asked.

“I felt a little off when I put on my perfume before I left” Matilda said “And sometimes, my stomach feels a little weird when I wake up, but I kept putting it down to stress or something. It wasn’t until Art said what he said that I thought about it. I think we need to do this” she added, gently prying the test box out of Iker’s hands.

Iker watched her turn it over in her hands a couple of times before he looked back up at her face.

Matilda caught him staring out of the corner of her eye. “What are you thinking?” she asked quietly.

Iker let out a slightly dazed laugh. “I...I don’t really know” he stumbled out “I mean, I am kind of wondering how I missed that you weren’t feeling well, but mostly I am picturing that test in there, with the word ‘pregnant’ on the screen. I...I really want to see that, Mattie” he babbled.

Matilda bit down on her lip to try and curb the smile that itched to light up her features. “Me, too” she whispered.

“Then we should do it” Iker encouraged.

Matilda let out a soft breathy laugh before she stood up, disappearing into the bathroom.

Iker moved towards the closed door, waiting for Matilda to swing it open, before he padded inside, settling on the edge of the bath. Matilda sat down beside him, gently entwining her fingers with his as she placed her chin on his shoulder. “It says it takes three minutes” she whispered “And I’ve got a couple more, if we need them” she added.

Iker smiled down at their hands, toying with her fingers. “Didn’t you take a lot of them when you were pregnant with Lola?” he asked.

Matilda nodded. “It was the biggest surprise of my life” she said “And I was...I was trying to convince myself that it was real. It was the most wonderful moment in retrospect, but when I was in it, it was overwhelming. I was excited and happy, but after that first flood of joy, there were all these questions and worries, and I just...I needed to make myself believe it” she explained.

Iker pressed a kiss against her forehead. “I’m here this time” he murmured “For everything” he added.

Matilda shifted, allowing her to press a kiss against the corner of his lips. “I’m glad” she whispered.

Iker squeezed her hand as the two of them fell into silence, both watching the second hand of the clock as it made its way around the face. On a couple of occasions, they caught each other’s eyes and shared bashful smiles before they looked away, their cheeks a gentle shade of pink. Toying with Matilda’s fingers, Iker waited for her to stand up before he followed, watching her pick the test up. Matilda spared him a brief look over her shoulder before she turned it over, a soft noise falling out of her mouth.

“Mattie?” Iker pressed.

Matilda didn’t hesitate, turning the test over to show it off to him.

Iker gripped her hand to steady it so that he could read the result before his face lit up with a smile that Matilda was already sharing. “Positive” he breathed.