Lily and Dafne met with Officer Hillsman of Spring City PD as Raleigh requested. He was very discrete with the situation and made sure to thoroughly document what had happened. Unfortunately, because the rape wasn’t reported immediately and there were no witnesses, they had no concrete evidence other than Lily’s word against her attacker. However, Officer Hillsman told her that he had hopes that since they live in a small town, if there was another victim that was out there, they might also come forward.
Later that day, Lily and Dafne went to Lily’s OB/GYN appointment for a checkup and ultrasound. Thrilled to see the baby on the monitor, both women smiled from ear to ear and embraced once the technician left the room.
“Our secret, Ma?” Lily said.
“Our secret,” Dafne replied kissing her daughter-in-law on the forehead. They finished their appointment with the doctor and found out a more concrete conception date and due date after telling the doctor the situation. She was upset with Lily that she had not told her about the rape when they met the first time, but understood how tough of a situation she must have went through.
“You’re a brave one, Lily Griffin,” the doctor told her, “And I can already tell you’re going to be a great mom.”
They thanked the doctor for all her support and asked if they could get a copy of her records to take to her new doctor once she moved and got settled.
“I’m sad to see you go, Lily,” she told her as she wrote instructions for copies to be made. “Where are you moving?”
Lily glanced over at Dafne not knowing how to answer and was thankful when she spoke up for her.
“These crazy kids are moving to Florida!” Dafne said, “I told them that the baby won’t be able to enjoy Disney World for a few more years at least, but they insist on getting closer to the beach.”
“I’m jealous and I completely understand!” They laughed together for a few more moments before the doctor left and Lily got dressed.
“Thank you for that, and for coming with me today,” Lily told Dafne, “You are one heck of a woman.”
“Why thank you dear, and you’re my daughter now,” Dafne huffed as if she had seen a revelation, “I’ve never had a daughter before!”
Lily enjoyed Dafne’s company.
“So what do you want to do now, Ma?” She said the word intentionally, knowing she’d get a rile out of her mother-in-law.
“Well, as your Ma, I think I deserve to spoil you a little,” she told her, linking their arms together as they walked out to the waiting room. “How about we go get you some new maternity clothes so you can stop wearing Wil’s t-shirts? That belly is only gonna get bigger!”
“I think that sounds like an excellent plan!” Lily kissed her on the cheek grateful for her love and generosity. “Do you have plans for dinner tonight?”
“I had something started in the crock pot, why? What did you have in mind?” Dafne asked.
“How about a special dessert?” Lily smiled a Cheshire cat-sized grin and the two ladies went on to enjoy their afternoon.
They found Lily some cool summer dresses that would grow with her, some nice tops and pants, a couple pair of maternity jeans, a dressy outfit in case she needed to go somewhere that required nice attire, and most importantly some maternity tees and capris. Lily didn’t look at the receipt and Dafne didn’t bat an eye buying the new clothes for her either.
“Nice clothes just make you feel better,” Dafne said to Lily. “Both of my pregnancies consisted of the same kind of stretch marks you’re already experiencing, irregular morning sickness and just an overall feeling of being tired. I’m pretty sure I stayed tired for all 18 months that I was pregnant with Wil and Manny.”
The pair stopped by the grocery store to pick up the ingredients for Lily’s dessert and then headed home to make it before the boys arrived for dinner.
“We’ve got a good hour before Raleigh and Wil make it home this evening,” Dafne said to Lily as they were cleaning up the kitchen. “Why don’t you go on upstairs to my bathroom, the one with the big claw foot tub, and take a nice warm bath before dinner. You can put on one of your new outfits and come back down whenever you’re ready.”
“Really?” Lily said as she wiped a little confectioner’s sugar off the countertop that had spilled. “At least let me finish cleaning up in here before I go.”
“Nope, if you learn anything, it’s that you do as you're told in this house, little momma!” Dafne shooed her out of the kitchen knowing she’d never leave on her own simply because she was too helpful.
Lily went into Wil’s room to gather her makeup bag and pull out some of the new clothes Dafne had just bought her. She decided on a cotton sundress since it was so hot outside anyway and she thought it would be nice to dress up a little bit for a change. Her wedding dress also was a simple halter that flowed to the floor and was extremely forgiving. She knew Dafne had good taste because she had picked out that dress and bought it for her, too.
She had never really looked into the master bathroom before, never having a reason to, but when she opened the door the entire room just glowed. The sun was setting outside and only a little light gleamed in through the windows. The wall switch had a dimmer and Lily opted to only turn it half on. She filled the tub with warm water and added in a few bath salts. The lavender smell was very relaxing and the bath was just what she needed.
A little light makeup, some pink glossy lip gloss and a brand new black and white polka dotted dress were just what the doctor ordered. Or rather the mother-in-law ordered. Lily laughed at the thought. She headed downstairs to hear that Raleigh and Wil were home and already in the kitchen bugging Dafne.
They had in fact just gotten home and Wil was heading up to his room to change clothes and take a quick shower when he saw his bride coming downstairs.
“Good Lord woman!” he said as she caught his eye and they met each other at the middle step. “How did this sexy lady get to be my bride?” Wil asked and put his arms around her waist leaning in to kiss her shiny lips.
“Hey, I just put on that lip gloss!” she said.
“And I just took it off, sweetheart,” Wil kissed her again and said she tasted like honey.
“The color is actually called ‘Skimpy Lingerie,’” she said smiling.
“And I can only hope that’s a forecast for later, darling,” Wil said swatting her behind. “I’m going to go take a quick shower and come back down for dinner. BUT… I plan on revisiting this tasty lip gloss later and finding out what’s under this sexy little dress of yours.”
Raleigh also noticed how pretty Lily looked and told her so. After the boys cleaned up they all sat down for dinner together as they had every night since they were home. She was getting used to Dafne spoiling her.
“How did today go?” Raleigh asked, inquiring about the visit from Officer Hillsman.
Dafne said, “Just as expected, he was a gentleman and very professional. Lily had a nice visit at the doctor also and we have her records ready to take to South Carolina. We also know a better timeline of conception and potential due date.”
“And that might be?”
“Well it’s the window we hoped to avoid unfortunately, but she could go earlier or later since this is her first pregnancy,” Dafne told them.
Wil reached over and grabbed hold of Lily’s hand, winking to reassure her.
“We also received some good news today,” Dafne said looking over at Lily hoping she’d take over the conversation.
“Yep, we sure did. The baby and I are both healthy and doing just fine.” she said pausing and looking over at Dafne, “We also found out the gender today.”
“What?” Wil said, “Well tell me!”
“It’s a surprise!” Lily said as Dafne giggled to herself.
“You can’t keep it a secret!” Wil was suddenly much less mature than he had been all week. “You have to tell me!”
“Son, I’d say these two have something in store for us based on the looks they keep flashing back and forth,” Raleigh interrupted Wil’s protests.
“All in due time, honey,” Dafne told her son, “This is Lily’s news to tell and she’ll reveal it when she’s ready.”
They made a little small talk as Wil sat there and sulked.
“Anybody want some cake?” Dafne asked the crowd.
Raleigh started to say he’d have some later and Dafne’s stern look convinced him to eat cake with them around the table.
“I made your favorite kind, Wil,” Lily said to him. “It’s vanilla with chocolate icing!”
Dafne sat the cake in front of Wil with a few small dessert plates and then handed him a cake knife.
“It looks delicious Lil, why don’t you cut it? I suck at this stuff,” Wil said as he acted like he had no idea what to do with the knife in his hand.
“I have faith in you honey,” Dafne said, “Just cut the damn cake.”
They all laughed at her abruptness and he sliced into the double layer cake, taking care to make an even slice before dishing it out on the top plate beside him.
A bright blue cake shined as he lifted the piece onto the plate.
“Thought you said vanilla?” Wil said and then practically dropped the piece and plate in his hand to get up and go over to Lily.
“Is it a boy? Is it really a boy?” he said as he kneeled down in front of her.
“He showed himself proudly on the ultrasound today,” Lily said as Raleigh held his fist in the air.
“That’s a Griffin for you!” said the proud grandpa. Wil hugged her belly tightly and whispered softly to his unborn child.
“Come on kids, let’s eat this brightly colored cake!” Dafne said as she finished cutting the cake and handed a piece to each of them.