"Well, first it was Anna wanting to know if we were still going to the birthing class or not." There was a slight pause as Ammy moved into the spacious bathroom with Willow, joining her in the ritual of brushing their teeth.
"Then, Alvaro called, wanting to know if I needed anything."Willow spit her mouthful of toothpaste out, grabbing a disposable paper cup to fill with water to wash her mouth out with. After all was said and done, she came out of the bathroom to see Amaya on her phone, apparently texting.
Glancing over at her, she made her way into the large walk-in closet that the two shared. Their home was something that they both had spent a lot of time searching for. They just had to find the perfect one, which was more than difficult at the time because they were both sure of what they wanted and would settle for nothing less than perfect. Willow had been adamant that they buy a house - she didn't want to live in some overpriced apartment that wouldn't gain any value or become an asset. She insisted on a home, and luckily they both found one that fit their needs. It was lucky too - she had received a bonus and raise at work due to receiving some awards, and the album she had worked on at the time went Platinum.
Together, they bought the house: 10325 Greendale Drive. It was pretty close to both Amaya's and Willow's jobs, centrally located between Bel Air and Beverly Hills in the lower Beverly Glen section of L.A., bordering Holmby Hills. The only thing Willow didn't really like about the place was that they were about 5 minutes away from the Playboy Mansion - that whole lifestyle wasn't really her thing. But she couldn't complain - they had bought a beautiful Tudorian style mansion together. They got it at a great price and rate, and it was everything both of them wanted. Willow's parents had chipped in some as well, and for that she could never truly thank them.
Willow had grown up in Bel Air, and her parents wanted her close by. They wouldn't settle for having their only daughter living in some small home in central L.A., in some neighborhood that they thought was "bad". Willow didn't push it, either. She and Amaya were getting the house of their dreams, and they couldn't be happier.
Willow had changed into a light and fluttery dress, comfortable and yet warm. She added a cardigan to her ensemble, slipped on a pair of flats, some simple diamond earrings and a small pearl necklace. Then she donned a large hat with sunglasses. The fall sun was getting to the point where it would get in her eyes at the wrong angle, and she disliked the feeling of squinting.
Twisting her engagement ring around her finger once for good luck, she stepped out of the closet just in time to hear Amaya ask her a question.
"You're coming with me, right?" The dark-haired beauty turned around to look at Willow, a questioning look in her eyes. Willow offered her a smile, happy to be spending one of her days off with her fiance. She answered back with a yes, and made her way over to Amaya's open arms.
"C'mere cutie... God, you're so gorgeous..." Willow took a seat next to her on the bed, embracing the girl who had stolen her heard, before lacing their fingers together.
"C'mon," she began, standing up and pulling Amaya up in the process. "We're supposed to be getting to that birthing class, right? We can't keep Anna waiting."
~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~ x ~
Willow and Amaya had eventually made their way to the garage, and Willow had opted to drive. Amaya hadn't disagreed either way, so they got into one of Willow's cars, and made their way to the location of the birthing class. Pulling into the parking lot of the building, Willow glanced around, found a parking spot, and pulled the car in. She turned to Amaya and offered her a smile, before getting out of the Cadillac.
Shutting the door to her car, she turned to see Anna walking towards them. Well... it was more like waddling, almost. Willow couldn't help but feel a bit bad for the girl. Having to deal with all the stress of pregnancy, and it wasn't even her kid...
The thought flew quickly from her mind though, as Anna greeted them.
"Hey Amaya and Willow, how are you guys today?"Willow answered her back, fixing her sun hat as she did so. "Oh, I'm pretty good. How are you feeling?" She gestured for Amaya to follow, and began to walk towards the entrance to the building. "We should probably head in and get you a spot, Anna..." She glanced over at the girl and offered a small smile of her own.
"Rosalia!"There was that familiar voice, that sound that she knew so well. Rosie could practically see his smile beaming across the room at her from where she stood. Her heart beat quickened, and she raised her hand up to wave at him. He already knew where she was, so she didn't know why she even bothered - he saw her. But she was too excited - her Richie was home! She almost forgot she was pregnant in that moment.
He approached her quickly, his smile big. But as he neared her his eyes fell to her stomach, and they instantly grew. She could almost see the cogs turning in his head, before he looked up at her face again. He stepped in, hugging her, no words yet leaving his lips. The hug felt sort of strange - Rosalia felt it was partly from being away from him for so long, but at the same time she could sense the carefulness he was holding her with. It would be impossible for him not to feel the bump that was separating them.
He took a step away from her then, her hands in his.
"You're pregnant... with me?" His face had gone all white, and he bit his lip. Rosalia instantly felt the regret that she had been bottling up emerge on her face.
'I knew he was going to react badly...' she thought, glancing up at him from her smaller height.
His voice rang out once more, and to her it seemed as if his was the only one in the room, even though they stood in the middle of a crowded airport.
"Darling, why didn't you tell me this sooner? I could've gotten a leave... I could have been here with you.." She looked up at him again, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. "I couldn't bring myself to tell you such important news over the phone... or in a letter." Her eyes fell down to her stomach, before she spoke again. "I didn't want you to worry."
"We'll have to wait until after the baby to get married... and.. do you have stuff for the baby?" Her eyes met his again, and she smiled slightly. "Well, I did some shopping. Just basic things... But, I wanted to save the important stuff for... for when you came home." Her eyes began to water up at the realization that here he was! He was home! He was home and he was all in one piece, all his limbs, everything. He was here, holding her hands and breathing, alive. He was okay, and he was home.
A few tears slipped out, as her happy smile returned to her face. She couldn't help herself, and she pulled herself into his arms, wrapping her own strongly around his middle. She was careful of the baby, careful of this perfect little person that was her and his and theirs. Careful of this person who she would bring into the world.
"I missed you so much..." Her words were muffled by his uniform, one hand clinging tightly to his front and the other still wrapped firmly around his waist.
There were so many things to think about, so many things that needed to be discussed. She hadn't found out the gender of the child yet - that, she wanted to save for when Richie had gotten home. She hadn't told her parents yet, and she had no idea how she was going to break it to them. She had done a bit of shopping for the baby, but they still had so much they had to gather. There was a million and one things to do, but all she cared about right now was that her Richie was home.
