Avery

“Pee on it.”

“Eric, you’re killing me here. Stop being so damn bossy!”

His hands fly to his hips, as he stares down at me, to where I am sitting against the bathroom wall, after just losing the entire contents of my stomach.

“I really think that it’s just a bug. I felt totally fine yesterday.”

“And I think that you have a little baby Eric inside of you. So, pee on the stick, babe.”

“No.”

“You’re just not going to do it because I told you to.” He mutters, before leaning back against the counter.

“No, I’m just not going to do it because I think that it’s a waste right now. We’ve already done this so many times. I really don’t want to get my hopes up and then be let down again.”

“But the doctor said you would be fertile again after six months.” He waves the stick at me, making me roll my eyes.

“It’s only been five.”

“I’m pretty sure that my sperm are superstars though.” He grins wide before motioning down his body.

“Kind of like the rest of me.”

I pretend to need to puke again, making him roll his eyes.

“You’re killing me here.”

“You’re killing me. I just want to see if that’s why you’re sick. I mean, hell. I’ve planted a lot of seeds in you lately.” He grins down at me smugly, as I blush.

He has planted a lot of seeds in me if that’s what we want to call it. At least several times a day for the last five months.

Our marriage was a whirlwind since we only had a few days to plan it. But it went off without a hitch. We got married here, right in the backyard of our own house, with just a small group of people present.

It was perfect, and honestly, life since has been pretty damn perfect also.

I managed to finish out my last year of school, but honestly?

I haven’t even spent any time finding a job. Eric is pretty adamant about me staying home with Jacks, and of course, all of our future children.

And while I’ve always managed to take care of myself, now? I really don’t have to.

Plus, if I’m being honest?

I don’t really want to work right now anyhow. I’m perfectly content being a stay at home mom and wife to my superstar husband.

I have no shame in that whatsoever.

We haven’t had to deal with any of the outside world too much and have been pretty content to live in our own little bubble as a family.

But all of that changes today.

Today, we have to head to Florida, for spring training. And I couldn’t have picked a worse time to be sick.

“I almost think that Jacks and I should just wait and catch another flight,” I mutter, as another wave of nausea nearly knocks me over.

“I really think that you should just pee on the damn stick and make your husband happy.” He thrusts the stick in my face with a pleading look.

“Fine.” I snatch the stick out of his hand before standing on shaky legs. “But you have to get out.”

“Like hell.” He reaches out, lifting me up and trying to help me sit on the toilet.

“Eric. For the love of God. I have a stomach ache. I am not crippled.”

“I’m not leaving and letting you fall.”

“You are not going to sit here and watch me pee!”

“You act like I’ve never seen it before, Ave’s. Jesus.” He throws his hands up before heading to the door.

“I’m right outside. Let me know when you’re done and do not move off that toilet until I get back in here.”

So damn bossy.

I thought that maybe Eric trying to steamroll me at every turn would stop once we were married and he knew for sure that he would have me forever.

To some extent, it has. But he still tries to boss me around and is over the top with his coddling of me.

With any other man, I think that I would absolutely lose my shit over it.

But this is Eric.

My Eric.

And I know that it is just who he is.

Protective to a fault, both of me and Jackson.

And for some reason that I may never understand, deep down?

I absolutely love it. But of course, I have to give him a hard time about it.

I can’t make things too easy for him...

I still grumble as I open the test, following the instructions before standing up and laying it on the sink.

I wash my hands and begin to brush my teeth when the door flies back open.

“Are you?” He throws his hands up. “I told you not to move...”

“And I’m telling you to quit being so bossy, Eric Wayne,” I tell him with a mouth full of toothpaste.

“I can’t help it, Avery Wayne.” His voice softens as he smiles down at me. “I just need to keep you safe.”

“I know.” I finish brushing my teeth before grabbing his hands in mine. “Come on. Let’s go in the other room. No sense in standing around and staring at it. It takes five minutes.”

“Five minutes from the time that you pee’d on it? Or five minutes from the time that you set it down?”

He’s anxious and I know it. Which is precisely why I didn’t want to even take a test right now when I know that I’m not pregnant.

“It was a ten-second difference, honey. It’s not going to change a thing. Five minutes from right now.” I point to the clock and he sighs, before beginning to pace.

I was on birth control for so long, that the doctor specifically told us not to get our hopes up for at least six months. He also mentioned that it could take even longer, sometimes a year or more, but of course, Eric wasn’t trying to hear that.

I know he desperately wants a baby, and seeing how great of a father he is to Jacks?

I most definitely want to give him one. But I also am not in a place where I want to constantly get my hopes up either.

I sit down on the edge of the bed, trying to test out how it feels to just sit.

Feeling the way that I do right now, I’m not super anxious to get onto a plane. But I also know that Eric will probably freak if I’m not with him.

“Where is Jacks?” Eric stops pacing for just a second before sticking his head out of our bedroom door and glancing down the hallway.

“Ah, still in his room watching cartoons. I just checked on him a minute ago.”

He begins to pace again.

“You’re pacing is starting to freak me out.”

“I’m sorry.” He stops and leans against the wall, pulling at his hands.

“A baby would be awesome, right?” He grins over at me, his face looking much like Jacks did on Christmas morning. “A little girl? God, baby. Can you just imagine what our little girl would look like? And what a great big brother Jacks would be? I mean, a boy would be fine too, but, I’ve always wanted a daughter. You know, to have a daddy’s little girl? She would totally be daddy’s girl. We could name her Erica...”

“Eric.” I can’t even hide the smile on my face. “Babe. You’re rambling.”

He exhales loudly. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just excited.”

“I know you are. Which is why I really think that we should stop doing this. I don’t feel pregnant. I just feel sick to my stomach, and I think it’s probably something that I ate.”

“Right. It could be. But it could also be a baby.”

I glance over at the clock.

“Alright. It’s time.”

He hops upright, before motioning for me to get up. “C’mon. Let’s go look.”

“You go,” I tell him, knowing that I can’t manage to see the instant look of disappointment on his face like it has been all the other times that we’ve done this.

“Ok. Ok. I will look.” He blows out his breath before turning his eyes up towards the ceiling, clasping his hands and whispering something, before turning and heading into the bathroom.

I sigh hard, waiting for it.

And a moment later, I get it.

He steps back into the bedroom, holding the stick, a solemn look on his face.

“I’m so sorry, honey,” I whisper, before patting the seat next to me on the bed.

“We can try again, ok? We can try the whole time that we’re in Florida. Every day, all day. Just like we have been here. It will happen soon enough.”

He sinks down next to me, before nodding his head.

“I’m sorry too, baby.”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I’m sorry that I’m not going to be able to do that.”

“Do what?” I give him a puzzled look, as his face breaks out into a huge grin.

“I’m not going to be able to rock that fucking box all of the time because I don’t want to hurt our baby.”

He thrusts the test in my face, his hand shaking as his entire body radiates with excitement.

“I’m gonna be a daddy.”

“What? Oh my god...” I shake my head as he sinks to his knees in front of me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pressing kisses all over my stomach.

“But, your face...”

“Yeah. I got you.” He flashes me a wicked grin, before turning more solemn. “But I wasn’t joking about the sex, Ave’s. I think we shouldn’t do that for right now, as much as it kills me to say it. And oh, fuck. We need to find a doctor.”

“Eric. We can have sex. It won’t hurt the baby.”

He eyes me cautiously. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! People do it all of the time.”

“But not everyone is as, you know, endowed as me.”

I can’t even contain my eyeroll, even though, he is right about that...but that’s beside the point.

“You aren’t going to penetrate my uterus.”

“Maybe I’ll just use the tip.”

“The hell you will,” I mutter, making him grin wickedly at me.

“Aw, my baby wants all of me, huh?”

“Damn right I do.” I grin up at him, before standing and letting him wrap his arms around me.

“I’m so happy, baby.” He squeezes me tight, fisting one hand in the back of my hair and holding me close.

“So fucking happy.”

“Me too.”

“Thank you.” He finally whispers. “Thank you for giving me the chance to love you. Because I swear to God, I know that I don’t deserveve you, or this much happiness, but I promise you, I will continue to show you every day how fucking much you mean to me.”

“I know.” I squeeze him back.

“So, about naming her, Erica...”

The moment is lost, as I smack him playfully on the side.

“Slow your roll, superstar. Let’s get through the next nine months first.”

“No worries there.” He grins down at me. “I’m planning on the next ninety years.”

***