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***Dek's POV***

I have been in bed for a week. I'm done. I swear I have turned into a couch potato. Elik fawns overe. I love that. He hasn't left my side, working from home.

I can't lay here anymore though.

"Baby, please let me get up. I'm tired of being still." I have asked everyday since they released me from the hospital. It's torture.

"Only if you promise to be careful." Elik slides his reading glasses off and stands. He carefully helps me out of bed like I am fragile.

"I will be careful but, we are leaving this house." I grab my shirt and slip it over my head. I slip on sweats. Fucking staples get caught on everything.

"Where are we going, hmm?" Elik bends down and puts my socks and tennis shoes on.

"Food. Coffee. Mall." I make out my list. I have been planning this since day one.

"Why the mall? You know I hate shopping." Elik whines. He whines every time we go shopping.

"We need to look at baby stuff." I shrug my shoulders. Isn't it obvious?

"It's too Early. We have like 36 weeks to go." Elik kisses my lips but, continues getting ready. We're going. He won't say no.

"So, I'm excited. Don't take this from me." I pull him into a real kiss. We haven't had one in a while. Like nine days. I'm dying.

I accept his tongue into my mouth and enjoy reacquainting myself with his taste.

"I can't wait until they clear you. I miss being inside of you." Elik groans as we pull apart.

"Me either babe. I love you." I grab his hand and we take small steps to the door and down the stairs.

I wince as the incision burns under the pressure. It's a lot to heal. They gutted me.

"You sure you are up for this?" Elik presses his hand to my hip and stops me. He looks at me wearily.

"The doctor said I needed to move around. I haven't. It's going to be sore. I will take the Percocet, okay." I have to agree to this because I haven't been taking it, at all. I usually wait until I can't breathe to finally accept the pain medicine.

"Deal." Elik leaves my side and grabs a glass of juice and two pain pills. I really hate these things. They make me goofy.

"Dek!" Yani smiles as she brings her arms around to hug me. She acts like she hasn't been sitting in my bed for a week, keeping us company. They all have been, around work or school.

"We're going shopping and for coffee. Everyone is welcome to join." I kiss Yani on the head and run my fingertips over her flat stomach. I know it's too early. I don't care. One of our babies is in that tummy.

"We have an ultrasound in two weeks." Chance kisses Yani as he snuggles up to her.

"I can't wait. I do feel bad though." I can't help it. I worry she won't be happy giving away her child. It is half hers.

"Deklyn Reese. Enough of that shit. I know what I'm doing. I want to give you something that no one else is. Let me have my cake and eat it too. I get a god child and you get a child. It's really a win win." Yani smacks my stomach softly. She gasps when I double over.

"Oh fuck. Sorry. Sorry." Yani hops up and down and fans her hands rapidly over her face.

"I'm good." I grit out the lie. I turn and go to the bathroom. The pain is more than I care to burden her with.

"Gonna pee." I lie again. I close the bathroom door and stretch out against the wall. My abdominal wall feels like I got hit with a sledge hammer. I breathe quickly trying to get rid of the pain.

"Baby." Elik grabs my hands and kisses my fingertips.

"THAT hurt." I heave the truth out. Tears are swimming in my eyes. Holy fuck.

"Next time. Tell her to hit me in the balls." I splash cold water on my face and spit the pooling saliva from my mouth into the sink.

"She forgot. Yani feels like shit. She's crying." Elik kisses my lips and I nod. I can't let her feel bad.

I flush the toilet to make it seem like I used it. I hurry out of the bathroom, walking as normally as I can. I wrap my arms around my bestie and kiss her head.

"All better. Shhh. Sweetheart. It's fine." I kiss her head and wipe her tears. She didn't mean too.

"I'm sorry. God. What was I thinking?" Yani cries into her hands while me, Chance and Elik try to calm her.

"Hush. You're going to push a baby out of your body for me. We're even." Yani giggles and nods as she straightens up.

"You can make fun of me." Yani giggles while the tears dry.

"You scream out a curse word and it's on." I kiss her head and grab her hand to drag her to the door.

"Let's go." Elik places his hand on my back and helps me forward. You know, like an old lady who has broken her hip. I roll my eyes, he is so ridiculous.

"Don't roll your eyes at me." Elik grips my face and pulls me in for a sweet kiss. I wrap my arms around his neck and delve in. My stomach may be sore, but lips are just fine. He should change that.

"Patience baby. I'm saving it all up for you. Get ready." Elik kisses my nose and opens the passenger door. He does have to help me in the SUV. I am not even planning on getting these staples replaced. Hard pass.

"Coffee." I clap my hands and close the door. God, I love coffee.

"You speak my language." Yani smiles and I wink her way.

"Where are we going?" Cali asks. She should know better. Wait for it.....here it comes.

"Shopping." Elik groans. "For baby stuff. We have like nine months. But, my husband demands we go now."

I chuckle. I do.

"He's excited." Broady leans over the back and towards me. He first bumps me. Always has my back, my man.

"I get it. I mean it's your first kid. You are going to be a family. I would be excited too." Cherry co-signs. I smile. He's outnumbered.

"Y'all win. I won't complain anymore." Elik shakes his head and smiles at me.

"Mmmhmm. Sure. Are we taking bets?" Cali cackles when Elik glares at her through the rear view mirror.

We get Starbucks in the mall and I slowly make my way towards the baby sections in all the stores. I'm not necessarily looking for anything in particular. I just want to get an idea.

"This. We have to have this." Elik excitedly grabs my forearm and pulls me to a car seat and stroller combo.

"It's too early." I laugh.

"Shut it, Dek." Elik pulls on the fucking box and starts dragging it straight to the register.

"Um, what just happened?" Chance watches with wide eyes as we all do.

Elik grabs a cart and starts piling anything and everything inside of it.

A baby sling, swing, diapers, socks, bottles, wipe warmer, massaging lotion; all of it ends up in the buggy.

"You gonna reel him in?" Zaya points as Elik starts grabbing a damn rocking chair.

"What do you think?" I roll my eyes and enjoy the elation on my husbands face. He's worse than a kid in a candy store.

"We need furniture. Black or white? Oooooh, cherrywood. That's neutral. Oh my god did you see those dresses? I hope she's a girl." Elik starts flipping through the clothes.

"Jesus, it's the size of a mustard seed." Chance goes to grab Elik, an attempt to stop the madness.

My husband growls, like a fucking dog. I just stand there.

"Did he just growl?" Yani giggles and covers her face.

"Maybe we should find you a seat." Chance comes over and sets me down in the display rocker of the box that is at the front waiting for us to pay for it.

I rock for a moment while imagining our child swaddled one my arms.

It's perfect.

"Baaaabbbee." Elik draws out the word as he picks up teething toys.

Okay, now we gotta end the madness. He will be picking out a graduation gown next.

"Honey. I love you. I absolutely adore that you are excited. However, save something for people to bring to the baby shower." I kiss his lips and pry his fingers from the little Nubs banana.

"Baby shower? Fuck yeah. Get me a scanner. I want to register." Elik runs over and starts talking to an associate.

"Lost cause. Pick your battles." I wave our friends over to sit on the rest of the display furniture.

"I thought he hates shopping." Broady chuckles.

"Apparently, not when it involves the baby." Cherry grabs a baby book. I stand up and start looking at them too. Yeah, okay. I will pick this out. I mean, we have to fill it out starting now.

I find the most gorgeous book. It's plain and I just fall in love. The words The Story of You are embossed in gold on the white leather. I flip through every page and find myself absolutely captured.

Length, weight, minutes, hours. It's perfect. Places for the tiny pictures from the ultrasound.

I just run my fingers over the pages as I imagine them filled with details of our baby. A new life that we will have created, with Yani's help. I can feel my heart squeeze at the thought.

"Can I buy that for you?" Cali pulls the book from my hand and smiles while she thumbs through the pages.

"Sure." I smile as she takes the book up to the front.

"That look you just had, that's why I'm doing this. You are going to be such a good Daddy." Yani hugs me softly. I am. I have to be.

I look around for Elik. He's still zapping bar codes like a bride. I chuckle. He's a pure mess.

"Hey Papa? You almost done?" Broady chuckles as Elik throws him a bird.

"Babe, I'm hungry." I whine on purpose. That should do the trick.

"Okay. Last thing." Elik comes over to me and pushes the button on his little gun. He beams the light on my chest. I bust out laughing.

"How much?" He asks. I look down at my heart where the red laser is beaming.

"For you?" I give him my bedroom eyes. He's really fucking making me melt. I lean down and whisper across his lips. "A kiss."

Elik raises his eyebrows and smiles widely. He pushes his lips against mine softly. I go to pull away but, his tongue licks across my lips. I moan as he threads his fingers in my hair and takes my breath away.

When we pull apart, I am absolutely star struck.

"Kiss me like that again and you can have the whole fucking store." I wrap my arm around his waist and pull his body flush to mine. I give his ass a tight squeeze and kiss his temple.

"We done here?" I ask softly. The look in his eyes makes me want to rip this incision wide open if it meant plowing into his back side.

"Yeah, baby. We can feed you." Elik pecks my lips and I follow him to the front. We arrange to have his haul delivered. We have no car big enough for that amount of stuff.

"You went a bit crazy." I chuckle as I look at the mile long receipt.

"I just got so fucking excited. We're going to be parents Dek. Me, you and a baby. We're going to be Daddies." I can't help the smile that lights my face.

He's finally pushing past the fear. They joy is clear and evident. I'm right there, over the moon, with him.

"Yeah babe. We are." I take his hand in mine and intertwine our fingers. I push the baby book towards him and pull him towards the exit.

"It's perfect. Just like you." Elik smiles and rubs his hand over the book.

We're perfect. We're ridiculously perfect.