Lukas was adamant now that they go public and tell your family. You absolutely were not. You thought your father would have a heart attack if he found out you were pregnant while unmarried.

"But Ella..."

"No," Ella denied. "We can tell my family after the deal."

"At least move in with me then."

"After the deal."

He groaned, "You're so fucking stubborn."

"Okay," he sighed. "But what about you working so much? It's not healthy, Ella."

"I'll cut back. I promise," you said before pecking him on the lips.

And you got your way. Still, no one in your family knew about you and Lukas. The deal was expected to close in about two months though and you'd barely be in your second trimester. That was more than enough time in your pregnancy to then go and live with Lukas while also dealing with your family coming around to the idea.

You didn't worry about that right now though. Currently, you were happy. You went to go see a doctor for your first prenatal appointment. It was too early to see the sex or see it on ultrasound. But you got on all the necessary vitamins.

You kept up with your workout routine which was yoga. It was the only form of exercise that you'd been able to keep up with. It was because you could do it in bed. When you had been depressed a year ago just laying in bed, you didn't have the energy for anything and didn't do anything. But once you started to gain some after being put on meds, you started up yoga.

And you kept at it. It did become more rigorous as you tried more demanding forms. But because of it, you were extremely flexible which Lukas knew all too well. You hoped that it would help you with all the changes your body was going to go through and then going back to a normal body. You did not want stretch marks; the possible imperfection made you scared that Lukas would leave you.

You did good at keeping that paranoid thought out of your brain though. And you did take a step back from work. You let your assistant handle some things. It allowed you to do more planning with Lukas.

One day you were at his house in Sweden. One of the rooms was being redecorated to be a baby room. The floor was covered in plastic as it was being painted. You were painting on one side of the wall while sitting on a stool so you stayed off your feet for a long time. The window was open to allow ventilation. You were making it colorful and painting animals on the wall.

Lukas came in to help you. One side of the room was just going to be a solid color, a mint green. He painted that wall and you were still working on yours. He came over to you, watching how focused you were. You bit your lip as you painted so carefully.

"I think you should take a break," Lukas suggested.

"I'm almost done," you said.

"Ella," he scolded before he caressed your cheek, not realizing he had paint on his hands.

But you could feel it. You gasped and your hand flattened on the wall. You also had paint on your hands and it created a handprint once you removed your hand.

"Lukas!"

"Sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry."

He looked at you like a puppy that was scolded. You didn't notice as you stared at the handprint. You gained an idea as you grabbed his hand and placed it flat against the wall to overlap your own handprint. Then you removed his hand and stared at the two handprints.

You smiled as you did so. You didn't know what you liked about it. You supposed you liked it because it created an actual physical imprint that signified that they were always joined together.

Lukas stared at your smile. You smiled beautifully over something so simple and he was in awe over you. He swallowed before he gained the courage to tell you.

"Ella," he called.

You hummed in acknowledgement without looking at him.

"Look, I'm just gonna say something and I don't want you to get into it like you do. I'm just gonna fucking say it and we're gonna move on, okay?"

"Okay," you frowned slowly before turning your eyes to him. "But it's bad, isn't it?"

"Ella."

"You don't actually want to have a baby with me, do you?"

"What? No. Ella, I'm trying to tell you that I...I love you."

You had carried on rambling while he talked, "I knew it. I knew you wouldn't...wait, you...."

Your world seemed to slow down as you heard those words. I love you. You barely ever heard those words so when you heard them now it felt like a tidal wave of disbelief.

You breathed heavily, "Can you just....can you just say it again?"

He swallowed and hunched down before uttering as he stared at you intensely, "I really fucking love you, alright?"

"But why?"

He sighed, "If I told you I thought you were...fucking perfect, would you believe me?"

You shook your head.

"Then don't ask," he said. "But just know when I imagine life, I can't even see the rest of mine without you. If I even think about it, it's just...fucking depressing. Life without my girl, my Ella...it can't ever be a possibility."

"It won't be."

"No?"

"I'm too attached. I love you too much."

"Yeah?" he smiled.

"Yes. Yes. Always. You know how I said my father was like gravity," you revealed. "Well, you're like that to me now."

He stared before he kissed you quickly. His hands tangled in your hair and your hands grabbed onto his shirt. The two of you got paint all over each other as he picked you up to carry you out of the room. The paint would wash away but the stain of him in your heart like invisible ink would always remain.

____

Despite not telling your family, he did tell his. His mother knew, well, more like she found out. You were now meeting her as you made Lukas invite her over for dinner. He hated the idea but he relented for you. Lukas was tense before she arrived; you squeezed his hand and gave you a small, reassuring smile.

His mother was called Irene. You smiled once she entered and even hugged her because you were nothing if not a hugger. She barely formed a smile as she looked you over, analyzing you, with her beady eyes.

"Well, I see why my son couldn't resist getting into bed with you."

Your eyes widened.

"Mother," he chastised and his accent was strong as he did so.

Everything was tense after that as the three sat down to eat. You sat beside Lukas while his mother sat across from them at the table. And then the questions started.

"And where are you planning to stay when the baby comes?"

"With Lukas."

"And how do you plan to contribute when the baby comes? He tells me you're leaving work."

"She'll be the mother of my child. That's contribution enough," Lukas said. "Drop it."

"You're so young, dear. Are you sure you even want the baby?" Irene questioned. "Don't let that be the reason you stay with him if you don't want to be."

"I...I want to be with Lukas."

Irene clenched her jaw before looking at Lukas, "Did you have to tie yourself to someone so young? You couldn't have found someone your own age."

"It doesn't matter now."

"Of course it matters. It's still early. She can get an abortion...."

Lukas stood so fast that his chair fell over onto the floor, "That's it. I'm done. We're done. You can leave now."

Irene huffed before getting up to leave. Lukas followed her to make sure she left. You heard them arguing in the entranceway about you.

"She's too young for you."

"She's in her twenties. It's not like she's a fucking teenager."

"A girl like that has options. If she's the type to get knocked up without even being married, then she could very well get knocked up by anyone who gives her the time of day."

His voice was deadly as he spoke very calmly, "Don't ever fucking insinuate that she's a whore to me ever again."

"You've known her for four months, Lukas. You're moving too fast."

"Baby or no baby, it wouldn't change anything. That is my girl. I love her. I fucking love her. End of discussion," Lukas stated and your heart skipped a beat hearing him say those words. "Disrespect her again and we're done."

You heard the front door shut and close. Then moments later, Lukas entered the dining room again. You bit your lip as you made a joke, "The holiday dinners will be so much fun."

"Very," he chuckled as he righted his chair before kissing the top of your head. "We'll be okay."

You smiled before he caressed your cheek as he said, "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"You shouldn't be talked about like that. I don't like it," he scratched at his chest. "It...It'll never happen again. I promise."

"I don't care if your mother thinks that. I just care what you think," you muttered.

He leaned his forehead against yours as he looked into your eyes. Your dark blue eyes. You looked at him with such reverence.

"You'll always be my perfect Ella," he smiled softly before he kissed you while you blushed red. And dinner became a dinner for two.

_____

Three weeks had passed since you found out you were pregnant and Lukas was with you in London. You had gone to dinner with him. The two of you were being driven back to your apartment in your limo.

You were discussing possible names with him if it was a girl or boy. He had one hand on your stomach and the other was wrapped around your shoulders. You giggled at a name he came up when bright lights seemed to flood your window.

And then everything went dark.