A/N: Hi, welcome back! I am thrilled that you guys wanted a sequel, and if you haven't yet read it, I would suggest going back to read Clean Slate. Enjoy the first chapter, which is rated M.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Gossip Girl because it would have turned out a lot better. The only person I claim is Alex.
Chapter One
"You're pregnant? How did you…?" Rufus breaks off, so excited that he can't even string words together. This is what he wanted, he could not be happier to be having another child with his wife. Lily admits that she wasn't as ecstatic as Rufus is when the doctor told her, but seeing him this overjoyed makes her reflect his emotion.
"I had a hunch and went with it. Honestly, I don't know how this is going to work out, but we are having another baby." Lily feels stupid when her eyes prick with tears for the second time today. Rufus uses his thumb to flick away a tear and then moves his hand to bring his lips to hers passionately.
"Yes we are," Rufus mumbles against her lips, blindly resting his hand over her flat stomach before kissing her again.
They separate and Lily shifts slightly on the couch until she is nestled in Rufus' lap. He moves his arms so they are folded over his wife's stomach. Rufus has so many questions to ask her regarding their baby; he doesn't know where to start. Lily is patiently waiting for him to say something, but he isn't, which has her worried.
"Rufus?" Lily tilts her head up to look at him, seeing him try to organize his thoughts. Rufus breaks out of reverie in order to lock eyes with his wife, who is staring at him with a terrified expression on her face.
"I'm okay Lil; I just don't know where to begin. Uh…how far along are you?" Lily sighs against him; she was concerned that he was having second thoughts.
"A little over a month, the doctor said that I am due in May." Rufus brushes a kiss to the top of her head while Lily uses an arm to rub his thigh.
"I am curious Lil, how did you get tipped off that you were pregnant? I haven't noticed anything different."
"Well, I was looking for that juicer William bought me a few years ago and I realized that my juice craving was back. Where did that juicer go by the way?" Rufus clears his throat,
"It might have been thrown into the trash shortly after William left. I don't know though, it's just a theory." Lily rolls her eyes; she finds Rufus' jealousy over William adorable because it's so unreasonable sometimes.
"Were you afraid that the juicer was going to confess its undying love for me when you were around?" Rufus clicks his tongue against his teeth,
"No, it broke when I accidentally dropped it so I threw it away. Anyway, enough about that, when are we going to tell the kids?" Lily shrugs her shoulders and readjusts her head on his chest.
"I am not sure; I would like to tell them as soon as possible, I am just scared of how they are going to react, especially Alex."
"I think Alex will be the most excited out of all of them when we explain to her what is happening. We should tell the kids all together though because you and I both know that Alex will want to blab our secret right away."
"Good point, let's see if they can do dinner soon, maybe tomorrow. Oh, I have something to show you." Lily gets up and heads over to her purse, digging through it until she finds her wallet. Rufus cranes his neck over the couch to see what his wife is up to. She finds what she needs and bounces back over to him, handing him the ultrasound picture before sitting in her original spot.
"That is a very cute and tiny dot," Rufus jokes as he analyzes the picture and extends his arms so they are both looking at it. Lily reaches up to kiss him on the cheek,
"I know, you can barely see anything this early, but our kid is still pretty adorable." Lily giggles and carefully maneuvers on the couch so she is facing him. He reaches up to brush a wayward strand of hair out of her face. She bites her lip and bends down to kiss him, her tongue lacing into his mouth. Rufus leans into the kiss, both of his hands cupped around her cheeks, pulling her in closer. Lily hums and skates her hands down Rufus' chest, stopping when she reaches the hem of his shirt. Unfortunately, Lily's phone beeps, interrupting their alone time on the couch. An apology escapes Lily's lips and she reaches over to check her phone lying on the coffee table.
"Who is it?" Rufus asks, trying to scoot up a little so his back is up against the couch. Lily scratches her chin,
"It's Charles, I'm sorry, I have to go." Lily chucks her phone onto the table and attempts to get off the couch, but Rufus wraps his arms tightly around her back.
"No, don't go, we were having fun," Rufus pouts childishly, he wants her to stay here so they can celebrate her pregnancy. Lily smirks at him, hoping that he is kidding.
"I'll be home for dinner," Lily presses a lingering kiss to the corner of Rufus' mouth before getting to her feet.
"I know, I'll call the kids after my nap," Rufus closes his eyes and crosses his arms over his chest.
"Lucky you," Lily picks up her purse and cell phone, heading towards the elevator.
Rufus pops one eye open when he hears the elevator doors close. He swipes his phone off the table and texts their kids, requesting a mandatory dinner tomorrow night, no exceptions. Sadly, Rufus knows that Scott can't make it down for one night, so they will just have to tell him another time. He sets his phone down and fiddles with his wedding ring. Something tells him that he and Lily won't be able to not mention the baby in front of Alex.
Plus, Rufus can't remember the last time he and Lily have had dinner alone. This would be the perfect excuse for a date night, but who is going to watch Alex on such short notice? Maybe if he could bribe one of their kids… Dan would be, by far, the easiest one to negotiate with, so he dials his son's number.
"Hey dad, what's up?" Dan asks, balancing the phone on his shoulder.
"I was wondering if you could do me a favor and…housesit for Lily and me tonight."
"By housesit you mean babysit?" Rufus clears his throat,
"Well…yes, but I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. I think Lily and I could use a night alone."
"Sure, I just don't want to know the details. What time should I come over?"
"I think I will just come over to the loft, I want to cook Lil dinner there tonight."
"Wow dad that is beyond romantic did you piss Lily off or something?" Rufus chuckles,
"No, can't I just do something nice for my wife?"
"Of course you can, I will have Alex help me with my essay on F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary technique in between coloring."
"Thank you son, I think Alex will enjoy it. I'll see you later."
Lily scrambles into the door of Bass Industries, spotting Charles sitting in his office, going over paperwork. She knocks on the door and steps in, immediately causing Chuck to stand up.
"Charles, sorry I am late," Lily leans over the desk to kiss his cheek.
"It's fine," Chuck stares at Lily, noticing that she is giddy about something, almost glowing. "Obviously you are feeling better from last night. In fact, you seem oddly happy today. Let me guess, Rufus discovered a new waffle topping?" Lily sets her purse on the floor, a wide smile playing on her face. She wants to tell her son, but would rather keep it between her and Rufus for now.
"No Charles, it has nothing to do with Rufus' signature dish. I don't know I just feel different today. Oh, I want to invite you to dinner tomorrow with the family. Can you come?"
"I guess I can cancel the hookers I have coming tomorrow to attend a Humphrey dinner as long as Rufus isn't making chili." Lily can't tell if her son is kidding about his hooker comment, but it doesn't matter. She is ecstatic that he wants to come to a family event.
"I'll tell my husband to let the Crockpot be for one night if it means you will come or at least stop by."
"I will definitely try to make an appearance. Shall we get back to business?" Lily nods and Chuck hands her the financial report he was skimming earlier.
Alex rubs her eyes and pushes the covers off of her. She grips her monkey and heads downstairs, knowing either her mom or dad will be waiting for her.
"Hey Alex, did you have a good nap?" Rufus asks, spotting his daughter carefully walking down the stairs.
"Yup, I sweep good. Where's mommy?" Alex walks toward her father and sits next to him on the couch.
"She is with Chuck at work." Alex's eyes shimmer at the mention of Chuck, undoubtedly her favorite sibling.
"What we doin here?"
"Well, we have to go grocery shopping." The toddler frowns, she isn't a fan of shopping for food; she would rather do it for clothes or toys. Rufus rolls his eyes at his daughter, knowing that her mother hates grocery shopping as well. Lily always sends him with a list, telling him that she will handle the furniture, art and clothes if he takes care of the food. Rufus makes fun of her because she wouldn't know what to buy since she can't put a decent meal together. "Come on kid, go potty and put your shoes on. We will make this quick."
"Okay daddy, can I get cookie at store?" Alex produces a sweet smile and bats her eyelashes at her father. Rufus let out a small laugh, his daughter, even at a young age, knows how to acquire what she wants.
"Sure sweetie, if you are good," Rufus warns, giving his daughter a stern look.
"I always good daddy," Alex comments and hops off the couch, sauntering over to the bathroom, leaving her dad shocked by what she just said. Alex does what she is told and soon they are ready to leave for the grocery store.
Rufus lifts Alex into the cart's seat and starts pushing her through the store. He has no idea what to make him and Lily for dinner, nor does he know what Alex wants.
"Alex, what would you like to eat for dinner tonight?" Rufus asks his daughter who has managed to find a catalog, he has no idea how. Alex looks up, miffed that her dad interrupted her. Her tiny shoulders shrug, she is at a loss. Her mommy and daddy don't usually ask her, they just cook…well her daddy does while her mommy watches.
"Ice cweam?"
"Nice try Alex, but no. I was thinking real food. Like this, maybe?" Rufus holds up a box of macaroni of cheese with characters from the latest children's movie sprinkled on it.
"Oh, pwetty, I want dat for dinner." Rufus throws the box into the back of the cart and proceeds through the aisles. He just has to find something for him and Lily to eat. Alex peels her eyes away from the catalog to glance around the store, wondering why they are still here. She thought her daddy already got something for dinner, what else do they need? "Daddy?"
Rufus drops two chicken breasts into the cart and walks over to his daughter.
"What's up Alex?"
"Why you need dat?" Alex motions behind her to the chicken and other assortment of food gathering.
"I am cooking your mom dinner tonight at the loft. Dan is coming to watch you at the penthouse." Alex doesn't like this plan; she enjoys eating with her mommy and daddy.
"Why not I come?" The child's eyes widen with hurt, making Rufus feel bad. He twirls his finger through his daughter's blonde pigtail and leans on the cart slightly. He is at a loss for words, he doesn't think "sorry honey, daddy wants to screw mommy and we don't want you to intrude" will suffice.
"Uh…well I want to do something special for mommy because she has been working so hard lately. We thought it would be more fun if you stayed home and hung out with Dan." Rufus lies, giving his daughter a reassuring smile to let her know he and Lily aren't abandoning her. Alex nods and goes back to studying the pictures splashed across the catalog while Rufus heads towards the checkout counter.
Rufus loads the bags into their car and tells Isaac that they need to stop at the florist shop before going back to the penthouse. They arrive at the florist shop, but Rufus doesn't get out of the car right away.
"Daddy, we here," Alex informs her father, wriggling around her car seat so her father will get the message.
"I know Alex, just hang on a second; I need to text your mommy first." Rufus sits up in his seat slightly in order to pull his phone out of his pocket.
Hey Lil, I need you to go home, get dressed and meet me at the loft. I have a surprise for you tonight. Love you,
-R.
Rufus slips his phone back into his pocket and gets out of the car. He maneuvers around so he can unbuckle Alex from the car seat. The little toddler takes her father's hand as he escorts her into the flower shop.
Lily's phone buzzes against Chuck's maple desk. Her cheeks flush and she grabs her phone, reading the text from Rufus. Confusion flickers across her face briefly, but then she starts to get excited about whatever her husband has up his sleeve.
"These ones Alex, here," Rufus informs his daughter and points to a bouquet of Casablanca lilies, his wife's favorite flower.
"No, dese," Alex fights back, holding collection of salmon colored roses in her hands.
"Sorry honey, but these are the ones your mom likes the best. Trust me Alex, I am sure of it." Alex scowls, but her father looks confident in his choice. She sets the roses back on the table and scampers over to her father.
"I have to go, I'm sorry Charles. I will see you tomorrow though right?" Lily asks her son as he is signing off on some paperwork.
"Of course the waffles are waiting. See you tomorrow Lily," Chuck brushes a kiss to Lily's cheek and watches her go.
Lily stumbles out of Bass Industries, intent on finding the perfect dress for her and Rufus' date night. She wants to stay away from the maternity clothes she bought when she was pregnant with Alex for as long as possible. Plus, there is no need; her stomach is still taut and flat. She pulls out her iPhone, sending a text to Rufus.
I like when you get bossy with me. I also enjoy your surprises. I will be at the loft in about an hour or so. Love you too.
-L.
"Grab the door for me Alex, would you please?" Rufus asks while he is balancing the groceries on his arm. Alex yanks on the door to the loft, but it won't open.
"It too heavy," Alex declares and uses her tiny fist to pound on the door. "Dan! Open pwease." Dan swings the loft door and takes a few grocery bags off of Rufus' hands. Alex carefully lifts herself onto the barstool while he watches her father and half brother unload the food.
"So what am I making Alex for dinner tonight? Nothing to hard I hope," Dan asks Rufus nervously.
"She wanted macaroni and had a cookie in the car so she should be fine. Lil and I won't be gone too long, although you might have to put Alex to bed for us."
"That's fine, no details please."
"Right," Rufus starts peeling some potatoes while Dan helps with the chicken.
An hour later, Lily walks out of Barneys clutching her purchase close to her as she squeezes into a cab. The taxi takes her back to the penthouse so she can start to get ready. Once she gets home, she dashes up to her room and carefully extracts the couture gown from the plastic wrap. Lily disappears into the bathroom to make sure her makeup isn't smudged. She fixes her ebony eyeliner and brushes her teeth before making her way over to her dress.
The sparkly plum floor length gown slips onto her effortlessly, molding to her body shape. Lily reaches behind her to clasp the diamond necklace Alex got her for her birthday onto her neck. As she is slipping on her heels, she can hear the elevator door ding open. Lily goes to the top of the stairs to see who is stepping off.
"Hi mommy," Alex exclaims and waves from the bottom, holding onto Dan's hand. Lily smiles and meets her daughter in the living room, picking her up, not caring if her dress gets wrinkled. "Mommy, daddy got you fwowers!" Alex informs her mother, not knowing that it is supposed to be a secret. Dan cracks a smile as he sets the grocery bag containing Alex's dinner on the counter. Lily puts Alex down to inspect what Rufus bought their daughter to eat. Not exceptionally healthy, but not too bad.
"Daddy bought me flowers, what else?" Lily asks her daughter, trying to extrapolate information from her. Dan covers Alex's mouth as she is talking, making the toddlers words unintelligible.
"Nothing, you will find out when you get there." Lily shoots a playful glare at Dan for corrupting her plan.
"Fine, you are right. Thank you for doing this Daniel," Lily stamps a kiss on her stepson's cheek and moves over to her daughter.
"You need to be good for Dan, okay Alex? I want you to be asleep by the time daddy and I get back." Lily plants a kiss on the crown of Alex's head and blows a kiss goodbye while she is getting into the elevator.
The door to the loft opens while Lily is knocking on it. She is impressed by what she sees; her husband really goes all out for his surprises. There are candles resting on the table, soft music playing in the background and apple juice poured into Lily's wine glass.
"Hey Lil," Rufus approaches her with flowers and a quick kiss. Lily catches a whiff of the flowers, smiling into them.
"Thank you, this is so sweet," Lily captures the collar of Rufus' trademark flannel shirt, crashing his lips onto hers.
"I have to finish dinner," Rufus mumbles against her lower lip, nibbling on it teasingly before walking away. Lily finds a vase to put the flowers in and patiently waits for their food to be served.
"Dan, I have dinner now?" Alex asks her brother who has been glued to his laptop since he got here.
"Of course Alex," Dan shuts off his computer and walks over to the kitchen, swiping the bag containing the pasta. He starts rifling through drawers and cabinets, searching for a pan to cook the macaroni in. Alex tears her attention away from her new coloring book to stare at her half-brother. She decides to help him out since her daddy showed her where some of the cooking stuff was the other day. Alex taps Dan on the leg and points to the unopened drawer next to him.
"Mommy don't know eader," Alex comments, leaving Dan astounded by the three-year-old who seems intelligent beyond her years.
"Thanks," Dan mutters and walks over to the stove, switching on the burner. Alex hangs back in case her sibling needs anymore help taking into account that one of her favorite things to do is aiding her dad in cooking the family dinner.
Rufus grabs fully made plates for them and hands Lily hers. They sit down at the small dining table and start to eat.
"Okay, let's start with the most obvious question: boy or girl?" Rufus asks and reaches for his beer to take a sip. Lily presses her fork to her lips while she is chewing.
"Well, I am going to stick with boy even though I was wrong the last time. I seem to have alternated gender with each kid, so this time I am more confident it will be a boy. What about you?"
"Girl, for sure, not that I wouldn't mind another boy, I just think another girl would be fun." Lily purses her lips; she isn't buying Rufus' excuse.
"I am guessing that you picked girl because I picked boy."
"Oh really, care to place another bet like we did with Alex?"
"You are so on. And when I win, our son is going to be named Bart William Humphrey." Rufus chokes on his drink a little, shaking his head back and forth while Lily giggles.
"Just for that, if we are having another girl, I will be naming her after my favorite first wife."
"Ouch."
"Oh yeah." Lily narrows her eyes at him, contemplating whether it is worth it to inadvertently spill her apple juice all over him. He did plan this nice dinner for us…maybe I'll hold off.
"Does the winner get the same thing as last time, the right to pick the name within reasonand diaper duty for the first six months?"
"If I remember correctly, and I think I do, Alex's first diaper was actually changed by me so you didn't keep up your end of the deal." Lily blushes, she forgot about that.
"Well…I w-was um…so far away and you were right there. It didn't seem fair to make Alex wait." Rufus rolls his eyes, not falling for his wife's excuse.
"Alright, bypassing your little lie, what do you suggest we wager instead?" A malevolent smile forms on Lily's face,
"How about…the loser has to take my mother out for a meal after the baby is born?" Rufus cringes at the thought of Lily's proposal, lunch or dinner with CeCe sounds awful.
"Are you willing to inflict that on yourself if you lose?"
"I am if you are," Lily holds out her hand for Rufus to shake. He grabs it and pulls her in for a kiss to solidify their bet.
Dan manages to make Alex's dinner without burning anything, but the toddler doesn't eat much.
"What's wrong Alex? Is the macaroni not good?" Dan asks and steals Alex's fork to take a bite. Alex takes a sip of milk from her sippy cup,
"My tummy hurt." This makes Dan panic, he has never taken care of a sick child before. He isn't sure what to do, he doesn't want to interrupt his dad and Lily's nice evening, but he might have to.
"Okay, well um…let's get you changed into your pajamas and maybe watch a movie? If it gets worse, I promise I will call your mom and dad." Alex nods and lifts her arms up so Dan can take her out of the high chair. He tries to set her down, but Alex has her arms tightly coiled around his neck. This is a sign that she doesn't feel good; Alex never likes to be carried. Dan uses his free hand that isn't holding Alex to feel her forehead, she is somewhat warm. He sighs, he will have to call his dad and Lily back, but he is going to change Alex first.
Lily comes up behind Rufus while he washing their dishes. She loops both of her arms around his torso and stands on her tip toes to brush a kiss to the nape of his neck.
"Are you going to help or distract me?" Rufus asks teasingly. Lily rests her head on his back,
"Hmm…both?" Rufus discards the dish into the sink and twirls in her arms to face her. They start swapping kisses back and forth as they stagger towards the couch.
"Ugh…not again," Rufus grumbles when his phone rings.
"Ignore it," Lily mutters, scattering kisses on his neck.
"I can't, it's Dan," Rufus hits the talk button on his phone and can hear muffled voices on the phone.
"Dad? Are you there?" Dan asks as he sets Alex down on her bed.
"Ah…" Rufus groans, shooting a glare at Lily, silently asking her to stop kissing him while he is on the phone. "What's up son?" Lily lowers her head and lifts up Rufus' shirt, sucking on his skin.
"Sorry to bother you, but Alex says her stomach hurts and she has a tiny fever. What should I do?" Rufus reaches down to swat at Lily who has a mischievous twinkle in her chocolate orbs. Lily shakes her head at him and dips her tongue into his belly button, causing Rufus to clamp down on his lips to trap the moan in his mouth.
"Did she throw up?" Rufus' question catches Lily's attention, she immediately stops what she is doing and sits up. Her eyes soften with motherly concern, wondering what is wrong with their daughter.
"No, but I've never seen Alex this way. Look, I know that it was supposed to be you and Lily's night alone, but I think you two should come back here." Rufus sighs and starts gliding his fingertips over Lily's bare arm.
"Alright, we will be there as soon as possible. Just stay with Alex and maybe put a movie on in my office for her. Thanks Dan," Rufus hangs up the phone and sets it on his upper chest.
"What's up with Alex?" Lily inquires and gets off of Rufus, already gathering her stuff up to leave.
"Dan says that her stomach hurts and she has a fever. I'm sorry Lil, we will have to continue this later…again." Rufus gets off the couch and makes his way over to her. Lily softly smiles at him, reaching on her toes to press a kiss to his lips.
"No don't apologize, I had fun and this was a really nice idea. We will put Alex to bed and then we can have our time, okay?" Rufus flashes a grin and kisses her forehead. Lily snags his hand and leads the way out of the loft.
Dan picks Alex up off the bed and carries her into her dad's office. He chooses a random movie and slides into the DVD player. Alex snuggles closer to Dan and uses her monkey as a pillow.
"Your mom and dad will be here real soon Alex," Dan whispers to the toddler. Dan senses Alex nodding against his shirt and presses play on the movie.
Thirty minutes later, Lily and Rufus arrive back at the penthouse. Lily throws her stuff down on the counter and flips off her shoes, bolting up the stairs two at a time with Rufus on her heels.
"Hi mommy," Alex mutters softly, her eyes becoming cloudy with tears. Lily switches places with Dan and drops a kiss on Alex's head while the three-year-old cuddles as close to Lily as possible.
"She was fine until about dinnertime, she hasn't thrown up and her fever is very low," Dan informs his father who pats him on the back.
"Thanks Dan for watching her, I'll walk you out," Lily waves goodbye to Dan who waves back.
"Do you want to take a bath sweetie?" Lily asks Alex.
"Okay mommy," Lily scoops Alex up and takes her into the bathroom. Alex stands back while the water fills the tub. Lily helps her undress and eases her in the tub. Rufus heads back upstairs to find his wife and daughter in the bathroom.
"Hi daddy, I sick," Alex tells her father who shoves his hands in his pockets.
"I'm sorry Alex, we will get you better soon though, I promise." Rufus puts the toilet cover down so he can sit on it. Lily stretches out her legs on the bathroom floor and rests her back against the vanity.
"I pfink it was da cookie," Alex remarks, making her mother turn toward her father with her eyebrows raised.
"Cookie, huh?" The accusation flies out of Lily's lips and her husband blushes.
"It was a small price to pay to have her come grocery shopping with me." Lily rolls her eyes at him and grabs the baby shampoo bottle, squeezing a dollop into her hand in order to wash Alex's hair. They get Alex all cleaned up and into some new fresh pajamas before giving her some medicine.
"Daddy can I sweep in your bed?" Alex asks, jutting her lower lip out to further her cause. Rufus turns to Lily who shrugs; their romantic evening is already shot to hell, might as well have Alex sleep in their bed too. Rufus, Lily and Alex walk across the hall to the master bedroom. Alex climbs into their bed while Rufus and Lily go into their massive walk-in closet to change.
"Look at us, scrambling into our pajamas so we can sleep in either side of our sick daughter," Lily comments and slides out of her dress. Rufus' eyes flicker over to his wife, who is clad only in her black lace bra and panties. He suppresses the urge to have his way with her in their closet because he is aware Alex will be able to hear them. Rufus pulls his pajama bottoms up and reaches for a plain Kelly green t-shirt.
"Did you ever think that we would be doing this?"
"What? Being responsible parents?" Lily asks sarcastically as she fiddles with her lilac nightgown.
"I was thinking more along the lines of us having a toddler and you being pregnant with our third child." Rufus turns to face her, enveloping her in his arms. Lily sets her palms on his shoulder and stamps a kiss to his lips.
"Oh right…no I never did, but I am glad we are." Rufus reaches behind to unravel her bun, watching her blonde ringlets cascade down her shoulders.
"Me too, we do a pretty damn good job with our kids." Rufus nuzzles his nose against hers and presses a kiss to the tip of it.
"I think you are better at raising kids than you were making music." Lily teases, just to irritate her husband.
"Hey, I was a rock star once."
"Oh my god, you were? When?" Lily feigns a shocked expression and starts walking toward their bed where their daughter is already nestled under the covers. Lily gets in on her side of the bed and pulls Alex close to her. Rufus joins his wife and daughter, reaching over to kiss Alex's forehead and Lily's lips. Alex twines her fingers around her monkey and closes her eyes. Both Rufus and Lily pretend to drift off to sleep to until Rufus hears Alex start to snore softly.
"Lil, I think she is asleep now," Rufus whispers over to his wife, who still has her eyes closed. "Lily? Are you awake?" He uses the pad of his thumb to swipe gently across her cheek. Shit. Lily has actually fallen asleep, putting a damper on his plan to sneak out with her. He carefully scoots out of bed, picks Alex up, carries her back into her room and tucks her in under the covers of her own bed. Rufus gives her one final goodnight kiss and closes the door behind him.
The following morning, Rufus' eyes flutter open when he hears Lily groan. He suppresses a smile, as happy as he is that they are expecting again, he is well aware that morning sickness took a toll on Lily last time. He can't imagine what it is like to be throwing up throughout the day for almost three months. Rufus decides to be the best expectant father he can be and get out of bed to provide support for his wife. He pads into the bathroom and swings open the door, seeing only the top of Lily's head, the rest is buried in the toilet. She heaves and coughs a few times before flushing. Rufus sits down next to her, gently tucking her hair back while Lily rests her elbows on the edge of the toilet seat.
"I hate you," Lily whispers and leans into him, causing Rufus to loosely drape his arms around her. She can sense Rufus' laughing by the vibration of his chest and cracks a tiny smile.
"No you don't," Rufus says with confidence, extending an arm to grab a towel hanging over the counter. He hands it to her so she can wipe off her mouth and the sweat on her forehead.
"You are the one who got me pregnant, for the third time." Lily lets the towel fall to the floor as her face starts paling. She cocoons herself around the toilet, waiting for the next wave to crash over her. Rufus rubs soothing circles on her back while she heaves. He doesn't want to respond until he is sure she is done.
"I don't remember you complaining yesterday or while it was happening. In fact, all I remember you saying is 'oh god, Rufus, more'." Lily whips her head around to glare at him; she is so not in the mood to be mocked right now.
"We were in a confined space and you jumped me, I thought I might as well enjoy it."
"I jumped you? I'm pretty sure it was the other way around sweetheart." Lily shakes her head at him, a paper thin smile forming on her face.
"Regardless of who was the jumper and the jumped upon, your child is making me throw up again. I never had this problem with Serena and Eric." Rufus raises his eyebrows at her,
"Oh? Well I am so sorry for giving you two and soon-to-be three awesome kids, I will never do it again." Lily throws up again and flushes the toilet, casting a death glare at Rufus for laughing at her.
"Stop laughing at me or I will unleash my mother upon you and I promise you won't like that." Rufus' eyes widen, feigning fear.
"That's more of a punishment for you than me, Lil." Lily's shoulders slump, he is unfortunately right about that.
"Fine I will…" Lily is cut off by Alex crying and loses her joking attitude, instantly becoming worried about their daughter.
"I'll take care of it Lil," Rufus starts getting up, but Lily tugs on the hem of his green t-shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. "EW!" he squeals and pulls back.
"That is payback, now go," Lily uses her hand to lightly push him out of the room. Rufus forget to close the bathroom door behind him and swiftly walks into their daughter's room. Alex is on the floor crying, making Rufus think she fell out of her bed. He kneels down and picks her up, gliding his hand up and down her back until she feels better.
"Did you fall out of bed Al?" Rufus asks, using his special nickname for his daughter. Rufus senses a nod on his shoulder and a loud sniff stemming from Alex.
"I was sweepin and then I go boom! It hurt daddy," Alex pulls back to show Rufus the non-existent scrapes on her elbow.
"Oh no! Should we go to the doctor Al?" Alex's lips turn down, she has a feeling her daddy isn't taking her seriously.
"Daddy, dis is 'mportant! Don't be diculous." Rufus gives his daughter a close lipped smirk, impressed that his daughter can pick up the playfulness of his tone at such a young age.
"Where did you hear the word ridiculous from?" Rufus sets Alex down on her bed and sits down next to her. Alex crawls into her father's lap, grasping onto a clump of fabric.
"You tell mommy dat you work too much. She say don't be diculous Wufus." Rufus quirks an eyebrow, he had no idea that Alex was in the room for that conversation, let alone remember it word for word.
"Your mommy is mean sometimes," Rufus says and tickles his daughter to make her laugh. Alex's high pitch giggles reverberate around the room as she tries to get away from her father.
"I go look for mommy and tell her dat!" Alex threatens and bolts out of the room. Rufus hurries behind her, he sure that Lily doesn't want Alex to see her throwing up nor does she want to explain the reason why. That comes tonight when all of their kids come for a mandatory dinner.
"Alex, wait," Rufus catches up to her and scoops her off the ground, but their daughter already sees Lily puking in the toilet. Alex loses her joking demeanor, returning to a more alarmed expression.
"Mommy?" Alex squeaks out, prying herself out of her father's arms to inch slowly towards her mother. Lily's eyes flicker up to Rufus, wordlessly asking him why Alex is in here. Rufus shrugs, silently communicating to her that he had no control over it.
"I'm fine sweetie, I just feel sick like you did last night." Lily attempts to pacify her daughter while combing Alex's bed head into a recognizable part. Alex relaxes slightly and so do Lily and Rufus when they notice that their daughter bought her lie.
"I feel lot better now. I take care of you mommy! Tywer and I play doctor last night!" Lily immediately looks up at her husband whose mouth is agape.
"That's very sweet honey, I bet you and Tyler had a lot of fun." Lily loves the fact that Rufus is so uncomfortable with Alex being friends with Tyler. They are three-years-old, nowhere near dating age. Still, Rufus has his reservations about the adorable bright eyed boy.
"Yup! Oh, mommy I tell you secret," Alex steps closer to loudly whisper something into Lily's ear, which Rufus knows is about what he said in Alex's bedroom about his wife. Alex steps back, smiling brightly at her mother who seems like she is about to murder her father. Lily reaches over to feel Alex's forehead, which isn't warm. It looks like Alex was right about feeling better.
"Do you feel well enough to go to school today Alex?" Lily asks with concern.
"Yup! I go dress now," Alex leaves her mom and dad to talk in the bathroom while she goes to get changed.
"All joking aside, do you need anything honey?" Rufus asks Lily, bending down to be eye level with her.
"I think I am just going to go back to bed for a while. Do you mind picking up some ginger ale or tea? They helped with the morning sickness last time."
"Of course, I'll get you some crackers too after I drop Alex off at school." Lily gives him one of her 'you're wonderful' smiles and presses a kiss to her cheek.
"Thank you, I don't think I could throw up in a toilet without you." Rufus grabs both of Lily's hands to ease her to her feet.
"Aw, how romantic," Rufus says sarcastically and compresses a kiss to her temple. Lily laughs and starts to brush her teeth although she is sure that she isn't done throwing up for the day. Rufus reaches down to grab the bucket out of the vanity and wraps an arm firmly around Lily's waist. They slowly walk back to the bed, but Lily stops halfway and heaves into the bucket. Rufus is instantly combing her hair back and massaging her back until she is done.
"Ugh…" Lily grumbles and wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. Rufus takes the bucket from her and sets it on the floor. Rufus pulls back the covers and tucks Lily in. Lily feels weak, and for once doesn't mind being treated like a child.
"I'll refill the bucket and then I have to take care of Alex. I'll be back after I drop her off and run to the store okay?" Lily nods, her eyes already starting to close. Rufus sweeps his lips across her skin and takes the bucket into the bathroom. He empties it out and goes back to set it close to the bed. Lily is already fast asleep, coiling her fingers around Rufus' pillow.
Rufus heads into Alex's room after he gets dressed, expecting his impatient daughter to be irritated for having to wait so long, but she isn't there. He is confused, where could Alex have gone? Rufus walks back into the master bedroom, but she isn't in there. The only other place he could think of is the kitchen. Suddenly, Rufus hears a loud bang, confirming his thought. He rushes downstairs and sees Alex surrounded by pots and pans that fell to the floor.
"Alex, what are you doing?" Rufus asks out of curiosity, trying to show Alex that he isn't mad. Alex surveys the damage and points to a pan.
"I was tryin to make food, but it fall." Oh, Rufus gets it now, he is impressed, but Alex is too young to be cooking herself breakfast.
"That was a very nice thought Alex, but I would rather make you some breakfast instead. I don't want you to hurt yourself." The three-year-old takes a second to process what her father is telling her and then nods.
"Okay, I have waffles pwease?"
"Sure honey, I will make you some waffles before school."
Rufus drops Alex off at the preschool and then heads to the grocery store to buy some stuff for his wife. He comes back with ginger ale, herbal tea, crackers and cinnamon toast. Rufus makes some tea and toast to bring up to Lily.
"Hi," Lily mumbles her voice still thick with sleep. Rufus opens the door wider with his hip and sets the stuff down on her nightstand.
"Hi, are you feeling better?" Rufus asks as Lily grabs the tea and sits up in bed.
"Yeah, but the same thing is going to happen tomorrow. Thank you though for the tea and toast, you are too good to me." Lily grabs his hand, pulling him down to sit on the edge of her bed.
"Don't mention it; is there anything you can take for the nausea?" Lily shrugs,
"I don't know I will have to ask the doctor at our next appointment. Oh, what time is it by the way?"
"A little after ten, It took a little longer than yesterday to drop off Alex. I had to convince her that you weren't dying before she went inside the classroom." Lily chuckles into her coffee mug,
"Our daughter is so sweet; I have no idea where she got that from." Rufus squeezes her hand,
"Are you ever going to get out of this bed?" Lily scoffs and sets her empty mug on the nightstand.
"Of course, I am going to pick Alex up from school and then…maybe take her out to lunch and shopping depending on how I feel. She has been so good these past few days; I think she deserves a treat." Rufus nods in agreement,
"Just don't spoil our little secret before tonight." He sets his free hand on her stomach over the sheets.
"I'll try not to; I want all the kids besides Scott to find out at the same time. I should attempt to get ready for the day."
"Okay, I am going to head to the gallery and be home in time to cook dinner. I will see you later," Rufus gives her a fleeting kiss on the lips and heads out.
By dinnertime, the kids slowly start to trickle in while Rufus is making their dinner.
"Hey, where are my mom and Alex?" Eric asks, wondering why her energetic half-sister hasn't greeted them yet. Rufus spins around at the sound of his step-son's voice, wielding a spatula.
"Lil took Alex shopping about…four hours ago. They should be back soon, maybe."
"What's with this mandatory dinner thing?" Dan inquires and walks over to the fridge to hand Rufus a potato. Rufus turns his head slightly to see Jenny, Eric, Serena and Dan staring back at him, eyes wide with interest.
"You will have to wait until Lily and Alex get back to find out. I don't divulge state secrets without approval from the boss."
"Oh, this sounds serious," Jenny comments and goes to the fridge to get herself a soda.
"It is does anyone have an idea as to where Chuck is? He should be here by now." Rufus normally wouldn't care, but he knows that it is important to Lily that he is here.
"I don't know, I think one of he and Blair's games resulted in a fight again, but I'll text him anyway." Serena snatches her phone off the counter while the other kids mull around the kitchen, waiting for Lily and Alex to get back or Rufus to finish with dinner.
About ten minutes later, the elevator door dings open. Everyone turns their heads to see who it is. Serena, Rufus, Eric, Dan and Jenny see Alex run into the kitchen, her bags flapping at her sides. Lily trails behind with her own purchases, setting them down on the couch before rushing over to greet her family. Alex is passed from child to child, until she demands to be put on the floor so she can put her bags in her room. Lily hugs and kisses each of her and Rufus' children. She rounds the counter to step into Rufus' arms. The kids divert their attention elsewhere while Lily and Rufus kiss each other. When they separate, Rufus drapes an arm around Lily's waist.
"Did you tell them yet?" Lily asks her husband, tilting her head up to smile at him.
"No, I thought we agreed to wait," Rufus mumbles back to her, making their kids lean in to hear their conversation.
"Tell us what?" Serena asks, her patience running thin.
"Well we wanted to tell you in person, all of you…wait, where's Chuck?" Lily frowns, questioning why she hasn't noticed her son's presence beforehand. Alex comes out of her room and rejoins her family in the kitchen, also wondering where her favorite sibling is.
"Mommy, where's Chuck?" Alex asks with a pout. Lily hoists Alex onto the kitchen counter while Serena checks her phone, unlocking her cell to read the text from Chuck.
"I'm sorry mom, Chuck isn't coming. He is probably wallowing in self pity after his fight with Blair last night." Serena tells her mother, watching a scowl overtake Lily's features. Rufus is disappointed in Chuck, the youngest Bass made Lily so happy yesterday when he said that he was coming to a family event and then he bails. Lily desperately tries to pretend that she isn't upset by Chuck not being here, she is still going to tell their kids regardless.
"What's dat mean Sewena?" Alex asks her half-sister. Serena glances down at Alex,
"What does what mean Alex?"
"Wawowing in sef pity," Alex repeats the best she can. Serena looks up at Lily and Rufus, silently asking them if she can explain. Rufus shrugs and turns back to the stove.
"Um…it means that Chuck is sad that he and Blair aren't getting along right now," Serena explains to Alex.
"Oh! Well he say he sowwy like daddy and mommy do when day fight!" Alex tells Serena with confidence, thinking that she has Chuck and Blair's complex relationship figured out at the tender age of three.
"What happens after mom and dad say they are sorry Alex?" Dan asks, well aware that he is playing with fire. Alex doesn't seem to care because she continues on.
"Den day kiss…a lot and smile too. Sometimes day go upstairs to pway, but day don't have toys." Serena, Eric, Dan, Rufus, Lily and Jenny's mouth drop open at Alex's observation.
"It's always interesting to get a three-year-olds perspective huh?" Eric asks uncomfortably. Jenny high fives Alex after her comment on Lily and Rufus' relationship. The little girl has stones, even though she is blissfully unaware of what she is implying.
"On that note, dinner is ready." Rufus carefully dumps the steaks onto a giant plate to bring into the dining room. Everyone grabs a dish and goes to find their seats. Rufus grabs his wife's hand, tugging on it slightly. He furrows his eyebrows when he realizes Lily isn't walking with him. Lily stays rooted to the ground, chewing nervously on her bottom lip. Rufus senses her trepidation and walks over to her, putting a hand on each of her hips.
"I am scared Rufus, what if they don't take the news well?" Lily whispers to her husband.
"They might be caught off guard at first, but they will be happy for us, I promise," Rufus cups her cheek and stamps a kiss to her lips. Lily nods and clasps Rufus' hand in her own, taking them to the two empty seats next to each other.
The kids are already conversing amongst each other, trying to figure out what the big secret is. Serena thinks she already knows, but wants confirmation from her mother.
"Okay, everyone is here, will you please tell us what is going on?" Jenny asks Rufus. Lily and Rufus wink at each other, each telling the other person to go first.
"Lil's just shy, so I guess I will have to say it. We are having another baby," Rufus exclaims, relishing in the astounded look on his and Lily's kids.
"Yes! I win, pay up losers," Serena gloats. Rufus and Lily look at each other with confusion as Eric, Dan and Jenny slide twenties in Serena's direction.
"You guys bet on us?" Lily turns to Rufus, he had no idea about this either.
"Well, we were tipped off when you guys ordered us to come to the penthouse for dinner tonight especially given that we all saw each other yesterday." Dan defends his step-sister.
"So…we thought it would be fun to bet on what the announcement was." Jenny picks up where Dan left off.
"Exactly, I bet on you two having another baby, Eric had…uh…family vacation, Jenny was thinking divorce, and Dan was…what was your guess Dan?"
"I was guessing either death in the family or Lily's supposed cancer was back since she fainted last night."
"Huh…" Lily says and leans back in her chair, casting a glance at Rufus who is staring at Alex. The toddler has been silent and frantically gazing around the dining room as if she is searching for something.
"What's wrong Alex?" Rufus asks. Alex rolls her eyes as if it is obvious.
"Where is the baby?" Alex wonders, ducking her head to look on the floor.
"The baby is in mommy's belly," Rufus tells his daughter, putting his hand on his wife's stomach for emphasis.
"Why?"
"The baby has to grow inside of mommy first so it is healthy. The baby should be here in May before summer." Rufus says, taking his hand off of his wife's abdomen to throw over her chair. Lily can tell Alex isn't convinced so she stands up and walks over to her Prada bag.
"Darling, do you still have the ultrasound picture?" Lily asks while taking out various items in her purse.
"Yeah, I put it in my wallet on the counter," Rufus calls back. Lily huffs and puts everything back in her bag. She goes into Rufus' wallet and takes out the folded piece of paper. Then, Lily returns to the dining room and bends down next to Alex.
"The baby is right there," Lily tells her daughter, pointing to a whitish blob in the middle of the screen.
"It's a dot mommy," Alex says bluntly while studying the picture. Lily kisses Alex's cheek and stands up, passing the picture to Serena who is sitting next to Alex before going back in her seat next to her husband.
"That's crazy, the baby is so tiny," Serena comments as she is looking at the picture. Rufus shrugs and takes a sip of his beer.
"Where are babies from?" Alex asks, making the older kids laugh and Rufus choke on his drink.
"Um…well…you see Alex…babies…come from…" Rufus fumbles on his words, desperately looking to his wife to answer the question. Lily bites on the inside of her cheek, somehow she was expecting this question from her inquisitive daughter; she just didn't have an answer prepared.
"Babies…come from mommies. You have to be a mommy to have a baby, that's why Serena and Jenny don't have babies because they aren't mommies yet," Lily explains to Alex, although her explanation doesn't make any sense. Alex seems to accept this answer and the table goes back to normal chatter about the impending arrival.
After dinner, Alex insists on everyone coming upstairs to her room to play with her new toys. Serena and Lily hang back to clean up the dishes since Rufus cooked.
"Babies come from mommies? Is that what you and dad told me when you were pregnant with Eric?" Serena asks Lily, enjoying the fierce blush forming on her mother's cheeks.
"You never asked." Lily rinses some of the dishes and puts them in the dishwasher.
"Mom, why are you cleaning? I have never seen you clean before." Lily shrugs and leaves the rest of the dirty dishes in the sink. Serena and Lily transition over to the couch and Lily watches her daughter fiddle with her cobalt necklace.
"Is something on your mind Serena?" Serena averts Lily's gaze,
"No…why would you think that?"
"According to Rufus, I fidget with my jewelry too when I am nervous about something." Serena nibbles on her lower lip, mentally debating whether she should confide in her mother or not. It's not something she has done in the past, but it might help now.
"Can I ask you a really cheesy question that I can't even believe I am asking?" Lily smirks at her eldest daughter, amused by her nervousness.
"Of course my darling, what is on your mind?"
"How did you know that Rufus is…um…'the one' I guess…?" Lily didn't expect this question from Serena; her daughter usually seems hesitant to open up, a trait Serena acquired from her.
"Well…" Lily trails off, baffled by the fact that even after almost twenty five of being in love with Rufus, she can't put it into words. "I don't think you know per se, it's more being in love with that person and accepting them for who they are."
"And does he, accept you?"
"There are things about me that I am sure he would like to change and vice versa, but it's about compromise. Rufus makes me want to be a better person and I love him for that." Lily can't believe that she just said those words to her daughter whose azure eyes are staring at her in shock. This is probably the biggest heart-to-heart they ever had.
"Wow…I have never heard you talk like that ever." Lily ducks her head at Serena's remark.
"Yeah…well…why did you ask?"
"I think I might feel that way about someone, but I don't want to give details away until I know for sure."
"I understand shall we go see what the rest of the family is doing?" Lily asks, respecting her daughter's need for space.
"Actually, I am going to head off, I need to play peacemaker for Chuck and Blair. Thanks for the talk though and congratulations mom," Serena hugs her mother and takes the elevator. Lily walks upstairs into Alex's room to find her family engaged in a tea party.
"Hey mommy, you sit by daddy," Alex points to an empty spot next to Rufus. Lily accepts her empty tea glass and sits on the floor next to Rufus. He gives her a quick kiss near her ear as she nudges her shoulder against his.
"Where did Serena go?" Rufus asks Lily.
"She had some business to take care of with Chuck and Blair. How is the tea party going?"
"It's…going I guess, our daughter has a need to be in control…I wonder where she got that from."
"I never hear you complaining." Rufus scoffs and pulls his wife closer to him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. The older kids and adults indulge Alex for a little while longer until they have had enough. Jenny, Dan and Eric sneak out, offering congratulatory hugs to Lily and Rufus.
"I'll put her to bed and see you there?" Rufus proposes to his wife.
"Okay, night Alex I love you," Lily gives Alex a huge kiss to the cheek, causing Alex to giggle.
"Night mommy I wuv you too," Alex hugs her mother's legs briefly before letting her go. Rufus ushers Alex into the bathroom to brush her teeth and go to the bathroom one final time before bed. He has her changed into fresh PJ's and tucked in bed rather quickly. Rufus walks over to Alex's bookshelf, but the toddler stops her. He sits on the edge of the bed, watching Alex twirl her monkey.
"What's up Al?" Rufus asks his daughter.
"Wanna talk daddy." He anticipated this and knows exactly what she wants to talk about so he readjusts to stretch his legs across the toddler bed.
"About the baby I am guessing." Alex nods her head and folds her monkey under her chin. "What do you want to know?"
"Can she sweep wif me?" Alex smiles up at him with hope.
"Not for a long time," Rufus tells her. He hasn't thought about where they are going to put the new baby until now. "When the baby is born, it will probably end up sleeping in my office."
"She not an it, Daddy," she informs him.
"Alex," Rufus realizes this is going to be unpleasant, "the baby might not be a girl. You might be getting a little brother instead."
"No way, Daddy," Alex refuses to entertain such a horrific possibility. "I need a sister."
"Sweetie, your mom and I don't get to choose though. In fact, mommy wanted you to be a boy, but just because you are a girl doesn't mean she loves you any less right? I promise, even if the baby is a boy, we will be happy." Alex taps her chin, deciding whether to accept what her father is telling her.
"I guess a boy is okay, but I want girl." Rufus stands up and brushes a blonde ringlet out of her face before kissing her forehead.
"I know Alex, I do too, goodnight, and I love you." Rufus shuts the door behind him, hearing Alex's high pitch giggle follow him as he makes his way to the master bedroom. He sees their bed untouched so he goes into the closet.
Rufus hovers in the entrance of their walk-in closet, spotting Lily in her scarlet bra with matching underwear, scrutinizing herself in the mirror. He has a feeling he is the only person who is privy to this side of Lily, the insecure side of her. She is never one to speak of her flaws, preferring to keep them locked away.
He watches his wife toss some golden tendrils aside to palpate the miniscule scar on her forehead, moving her fingers down to the wrinkles in the cervices of her eyes, the brackets around her mouth, down her neck and chest, finally splashing her hand across her flat, creamy stomach.
"How long have you been standing there?" Lily asks, her way of giving him permission to join her. Rufus advances toward her, crossing his hands over her abdomen.
"Not long, you okay?" Lily nods, evading Rufus' question. "I'm sorry Chuck wasn't here today." She tilts her head back onto Rufus' shoulder, placing her hands over his.
"Don't be, I kind of knew he wasn't going to come. As much as I love him, Charles has some family issues he needs to work out on his own. I think I pressured him without meaning to."
"Lil, don't blame yourself for Chuck's shortcomings." She does though, she takes her children's mistakes as her own, which is something he loves and hates about her. Lily twists in his arms, already peeling his olive polo off of him, throwing it towards the back of the closet. Rufus doesn't ask her anymore about Chuck, he realizes that she isn't going to divulge her feelings about her son to him right now.
He leans into the kiss, tasting the desperation ebbing from her lips from their two day fast. Lily drapes her arms around his shoulders, blindly walking them towards their bed as they lob kisses back and forth. Rufus lowers onto the bed more careful than usual and then turns them over, wanting her to be on top to be safe.
"Wait, I didn't get your pants off yet," Lily flips them over again, focusing on the task of getting Rufus undressed while he buries himself in the curve of her neck, assaulting it with kisses.
"Hurry up," Rufus mumbles, his words bouncing off her skin.
"Stop…distracting me," Lily loops her fingers around his belt loops, yanking his pants and boxers down to his ankles. Rufus kicks them off and twists so Lily is on top of him once more. He unclasps her bra, his hands going to the front of her to gently caress her breasts. Lily whimpers slightly and Rufus withdraws his hands, not sure if that was from pleasure or pain.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asks while gliding his hands down her torso.
"No, sorry I didn't mean to scare you," Lily captures his lips, swallowing his response to her mea culpa. She lifts her ass up slightly so he can inch her crimson panties off of her, tossing it with their other articles of clothing. He skims his finger over her peaked nipple, marveling in the surprised grin sweeping across Lily's mouth. He wraps his arm around her back, bringing her down to his lips, being sure to skate his tongue across her teeth. Her arms wrap around his neck, hearing a soft moan when Rufus enters inside of her with one smooth stroke.
"Oh…Lil," tumbles out of Rufus mouth as their lips part causing Lily to roll her hips so her mouth heads towards her husband's collar bone.
"Damn Rufus," Lily whispers into his soft skin, sensing his hand diverting from her back down her ribs to her hip. Lily pops her head up, locking eyes with her husband. He smiles and rakes his fingers through her hair, gently forcing her to interlock their lips.
As if reading her mind, Rufus angles his hips in a different direction, pumping in and out of her in a natural rhythm.
Lily counters his movements by flexing the muscles deep inside her pelvis, watching with delight as Rufus takes in a sharp breath.
"Oh Lil...I love it when you do that." He confesses to her with a rugged voice, keeping his gaze locked upon her while holding nothing back in his adoration of how truly amazing she is to him.
The toned biceps in his arms flex as rolls his hips towards her once more with her pushing up her pelvis to meet him. The palms of his hands staying planted firmly on the mattress below them as he lifts himself up a bit more from her body and entered a little deeper inside of her, causing Lily to grip onto his shoulders tightly while arching her back.
"Oh yes, right there." She whispers up to him, tempting him with soft kisses to his chin.
Rufus lowers his head and captures the next kiss from her with a deep moan escaping from his throat. He lowers his eyes, drinking in every feature of his wife's salient face. Her thin lips, gorgeous blonde hair whipping against her shoulders, and strong cheekbones are enough to undo him.
Lily gasps and feels her legs, locking at the ankles as she begins to unravel around him. She lets herself go, her only concern right now is making sure her husband accompanies her in this blissful state.
It doesn't take long after Lily climaxes that Rufus follows. He shudders slightly and grips onto his wife's hips harder, creating half-moons on her flesh. Lily collapses onto Rufus' upper chest, swaddling herself in the scent of his cologne. Rufus is caught off guard for a second, but brings his hand up to adoringly squeeze her shoulder.
"Wow…that was…" Lily trails off and moves off of him, reaching for her pillows.
"Amazing? Yeah I thought so," Rufus laughs as he drops a kiss onto his wife's forehead.
"What did you and Alex talk about? You were gone for a while." Rufus turns his head to look at her, watching the moonlight dance across her features.
"She insists that she needs another sister. I had to inform her that the reality is we have no control over the gender of our child."
"You know Alex is going to have an absolute meltdown if the baby is a boy right?"
"Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less. I think we can talk of her off a cliff though."
"I find it funny that the older kids bet on our secret today. I didn't think one of the options was us getting divorce though." Lily muses, switching topics away from their daughter.
"Yeah I found that amusing too, did it upset you?" Rufus is interested as to why Lily brought this up.
"A little, I just our kids would have faith in us sometimes. I mean, obviously I know it's hard for them, especially Serena and Eric, because I have been divorced so many times, but...sometimes I feel like they are just waiting for us to screw up." For some reason, that confession makes Lily feel embarrassed, she didn't mean to voice her darkest reservations about their relationship. Rufus rolls a strand of her silky hair between his fingers, needing a second to think.
"I can agree and disagree with that statement. The kids get skeptical about us surviving together when we fight, which they have a right to. However, I think after all this time, especially after we told them about the baby; they are starting to come around. In fact, your daughter sent me a text after she left earlier tonight."
"She did? What did it say?" Lily didn't know about this and is hoping that Serena didn't repeat anything of what she said to her to Rufus. Rufus fumbles for his phone on the nightstand, pulling up the text and hands it to Lily.
Rufus, this text probably won't make sense to you, but thanks anyway.
-S.
"Do you know anything about this?" Rufus puts his phone back and gathers Lily into his arms.
"Can we talk about it tomorrow?"
"Sure, in the bathroom tomorrow morning?" Rufus asks, realizing that she is going to have morning sickness again.
"It's a date," Lily reaches up to plant a kiss on Rufus' lips before resting her head onto his shoulder.
A/N 2: That's all I got for now, I really hope you guys enjoyed it and want more. Next chapter, Rufus and Lily celebrate their anniversary…kind of. Reviews are always appreciated and thanks for stopping by!