Can’t Look Away

“What have you done with the children?” Sasha asked as she stepped onto the patio, placing a glass of wine into Cassie’s waiting hand. It was surprisingly quiet. Since Cassie and Aiden had arrived that morning with their one year old daughter, Violet, the whole house had been filled with the sound of her and Arlo’s voices, and it surprised Sasha that it had fallen so quiet whilst she had stepped away into the kitchen. They were excited. As both Cassie and Sasha had hoped, Arlo and Violet were inseparable and whenever they were around one another, they tended to get a little over excited.

“Aiden took Vi upstairs with your husband’s blessing” Cassie replied “She was starting to grumpy, so Leo said we could used the spare bedroom to try and get her to settle. Your son, however, is over there” she added, tipping her head at something further down the garden.

Sasha, who’d been settling back into her chair, followed Cassie’s nod, the slight frown she wore fading to be replaced by a soft smile when she spotted Arlo toddling around, haphazardly kicking a ball back towards Lionel. Shaking her head softly, she settled her own glass down onto the table that sat between her and Cassie before she picked up her phone, snapping a couple of pictures.

Cassie watched her, a soft smile pulling at the corner of her mouth, before she shook her head. “Don’t you have enough pictures?” she teased.

Sasha scoffed playfully. “Says the woman who gets her phone out every time Violet breathes” she quipped.

“My baby is younger” Cassie quipped “She could say her first word any day, or take her first step. Arlo’s already done it all” she added.

Sasha rolled her eyes playfully. “You can’t have enough pictures” she quipped, flicking through a few pictures on the screen of her phone.

Cassie nodded her head in wordless agreement.

“Can I tell you something?” Sasha asked after a couple of moments, her eyes moving away from her phone to settle on Cassie.

“Always” Cassie quipped “Is everything alright?” she asked.

Sasha quirked a slightly sheepish smile before she held out her phone.

Cassie leant forwards, studying the picture that Sasha had put onto the screen, before she let out a soft gasp, her fingers gently prying the phone out of Sasha’s grasp so she could better study the black and white image that filled the screen. “Is this recent?” she whispered.

“I had it done yesterday” Sasha confirmed “I...I took the test a few days ago. Leo doesn’t know” she added, her stare drifting towards Lionel who was stood away from her, cooing encouragingly at Arlo as he tried to kick the ball back at him.

It wasn’t the first test she had taken. After Arlo’s first birthday, she and Lionel had quickly agreed that they were in a good place to think about trying for a second baby, but after months of failed tests, she had grown hesitant about telling him when she was taking them, not wanting to see the look on his face when they were greeted with a negative result. It also meant that when, a few days previous, she had found out that she was pregnant, he hadn’t been there to see it.

Cassie’s head snapped up. “He doesn’t?” she asked.

“We’ve been trying since Arlo’s birthday” Sasha replied “And when it didn’t happen quickly, I started to take the tests by myself. He knows I do it, but he doesn’t know about the latest one” she added.

“Why are you telling me?” Cassie prodded “I mean, I love that you are, and I am so happy for you, but isn’t this news you really ought to share first with your husband?” she pressed.

“I hadn’t thought of that” Sasha retorted sarcastically.

“Don’t be rude” Cassie quipped “I just don’t know why you’re not over there, showing him this photo, and gushing over the new addition” she added.

“Because I have planned something” Sasha replied “I just needed to say it to someone. I’m so excited about it, Cass” she gushed.

Cassie grinned before she eagerly wrapped her arms around Sasha, squeezing her carefully. “I’m so happy for you” she cooed “But just so you know, I am not going to be making this one a little best friend any time soon. One Violet is enough for me” she teased.

Sasha giggled, hugging Cassie tightly. “You never know” she quipped.

~#~
“Do you know why Cassie kept smiling at me this afternoon?” Lionel called, listening to the sounds of Sasha padding around their bathroom, getting ready for bed. It had been slightly strange. Whenever he had caught Cassie’s eye, she had flashed him a grin like she knew something he didn’t, and it had him slightly wary that there was something he had missed. He knew that if there was one person that Sasha would go to over him, then it was Cassie.

“She likes you” Sasha called back “She always has” she added.

“It was a weird smile” Lionel said “Like she had a secret. Did she and Aiden finally get engaged?” he quipped as he settled back against the headboard.

“Like she wouldn’t be yelling that from the rooftops” Sasha scoffed.

Lionel snorted out a laugh before he reached over to the end table, collecting the book that he had left there. Flipping it open to the page he had left folded down, he saw something fall out of it, something which caused him to frown as he reached down, collecting the piece of paper from its spot on the duvet. Setting the book to one side, he unfolded the paper before he let out a quiet gasp, a sound which was drowned out by the sound of a camera.

Blinking, he lifted his stare to Sasha who stood at the foot of the bed, smiling at the picture on her phone gently. “Sasha” he breathed softly.

Sasha’s eyes moved to meet his, showing off the tears that had started to gather. “Surprise” she spluttered.

Lionel climbed out of the bed so quickly that he almost tripped, something which made Sasha giggle softly as she wiped at her eyes. “Don’t hurt yourself” she teased gently.

Lionel ignored her comment. Instead, he sat at the foot of the bed and coaxed her towards him, his eyes fixed adoringly on her stomach. He wanted to ask questions. He wanted to know if she had had to take more than one test, like she had done when they first found out about Arlo, and he wanted to know just how long she had known, how long she had been planning on slipping a copy of her ultrasound into his book, but he couldn’t vocalise any of his thoughts. She had left him speechless.

Sasha bent over, burying her nose in his hair. “Happy?” she whispered.

“Very” Lionel’s voice was a soft croak.

Sasha smiled into his hair, a few tears slipping down her cheeks.

The tips of Lionel’s fingers brushed over her stomach, gently lifting the material of her pyjama shirt, before he pressed his lips to her warm skin, already picturing the bump that would grow there.