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✌🏾 💜🤟🏾

☙☙

"Nathaniel, how have you been?"

It was a simple question. Yet that simple question held so much weight to it.

This is the first time that we are sitting together like old times in over a month. I had not anticipated ya being apart for so long, but I was understanding of the situation. Nathaniel needed the time. At times I had felt selfish about the situation. I wanted him to hurry the hell up and come back to us already, me.

But you can't rush the healing process. You can't rush anyone's progression. We progress, we heal at different paces. What might be so easily brushed off by one may be totally devastating for another. So I waited patiently and here we are today.

"I'm fine", he muttered, his eyes boring into mine.

I did not trust his words. Those were the same words he told me everyday until he crumbled completely before my eyes. Even then he would lie and say 'I'm fine'.

My face must of portrayed my distrust of his words.

"Really, baby. I am fine now", he assured.

I still did not fully believe him, but I would not force him to confess how he was feeling if he did not feel like doing so on his own. He still looks a bit pale, but he also looks healthier than the last time that I had seen him.

Looking at him right now makes me want to cry. He was holding the new puppy he had bought for the family, Spot. He was smiling and his smile actually reached his eyes.

"I missed you so much, Neil", I whispered, my emotions beginning to get the best of me as my eyes began to brim with tears.

He cooed reaching out wiping at my fallen tears with the pads of his thumbs.

"Don't cry, baby. I missed you more", he cooed.

"You were gone so long. Don't tell me that it was just a month because you had already checked out, Neil. You may of thought that I had not noticed but I had. I noticed from the very beginning, but I had chose to wait for you. I wanted you to come to me on your own accord, but you slowly got worse and you never did", I muttered.

He remained silent staring into my weird with a look of sorrow.

"You're back now and that's all that matters. You can be to us and yourself. That's more than I could ever ask of you", I finished turning my head breaking the eye contact between.

It hurt looking into his eyes right now. This should be a happy occasion. Instead, there is still this sadness lingering between us.

"Mi dispiace, piccola", he muttered gently grasping my chin turning my head towards him again.

I closed my eyes.

"Apri gli occhi, piccola. It's okay, Omi. I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere", he assures.

I sniffed, "These damn hormones won't allow me to keep anything to myself anymore", I mumbled in exasperation.

Nathaniel chuckled leaning forward placing a kiss to my both of cheeks.

"I'm sorry", he chuckled.

I playfully glared at him.

"You better be, mister", I sassed.

"Well, only just a little bit, miss", he retorted playfully.

I smiled.

I had missed this. Those times where we would have little playful conversations and banter with one another. We are both passionate people and at times we become passionate and our banter prolongs itself until we are giving on another the silent treatment and the other admits defeat. I always win though, at least when let's me win. Nathaniel is sometimes too competitive.

"A little? I'm a lot of pregnant, Mr. Vitro", I chided.

"And I love and appreciate you even more for it, Mrs. Vitro. Which is why I am taking you away on a weekend getaway for the just the two, well three, of us. I missed you so much, Omi. I have a lot to make up for. Your due date is almost here and I have missed out in the time that we were apart. Though I can't make up for the lost time, I can remedy your heart and mind, body. I love you, Naomi", he muttered taking my hand into his intertwining our fingers with one another's.

"I always down to go anywhere with you if possible. And I love you more, Nathaniel my baby", I said cooing at the end.

He giggled. He had blushed. I found it so unbelievably cute and endearing.

"Stahp", he whined.

I chuckled placing my free hand on my bump caressing it.

She kicked. I let out a small 'ah' taking Nathaniel's hand placing it atop my bump where she had kicked. He looked at me in question but he did not verbalize any. We waited and a few seconds later our hands jolted from the impact of her strong kick.

We share a smile.

"That's our baby girl? That's my baby girl", he whispered, his eyes beginning to brim with tears.

I smiled softly cooing at my emotional husband.

"The hormones must of gotten to you too, honey", I said letting out a little laugh.

I understood why he was being emotional. This was his first time experiencing such a phenomenon. We have been apart for nearly two months. This is our first child through pregnancy. So this is all a first for the both of us and it feels amazing to witness it together.

"Maybe", he muttered placing spot aside on the couch cushion so as to not harm the pup in any way.

Leaning forward he placed a kiss to my bump before resting his head against my stomach. Our baby girl kicking one again. He smiled brightly caressing my bump. His smile having been so contagious made my smile brighten as well.

"Has she kicked before?", he asked.

I shook my head in denial.

"No, this is the first time that she has ever kicked", I whispered carding my fingers through his blonde hair.

"I'm glad that I hadn't missed this", he whispered nuzzling my bump.

I giggled. It tickled.

"Me too, Nathaniel", I said quietly.

I was content in that moment. We sat in a comfortable silence.

"So, we need to talk about this Nathaniel? Who the fuck is he, because my name is baby?", Nathaniel said ruining the comfortable silence we had fallen into.

I rolled my eyes.

"You are almost always ruining the moment", I groaned mushing his head.

He chuckled sitting upright.

"I'm hungry", he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"You know where the kitchen is", I told him.

He pouted, again I rolled my eyes.

"But it's so far and there's no food in it", he whined.

"You better be playing, Nathaniel", I mumbled.

He smiled nervously.

"I forgot to go-"

Thud!

That was the sound of Nathaniel's body hitting the floor.

"Get up and grab your wallet. I will not be bringing my babies back into a house with no food in it. Chop, chop! Get that ass up", I chided slowly rising from the couch with a bit of a struggle.

The trip to the grocery store had been a tiresome one. I do not feel like going into a full recap of events so I will just tell you a brief summary.

Everything had been normal up until we had gone down the snack isle to pick up some more snacks for the family, Nathaniel and I mainly. Nathaniel had gotten into an argument with a teenage boy over the last box of Strawberry Swiss Cakes and they had nearly had a fight until I had intervened. The boy had hit on me, told me that he like his women thick and he had something thicker for me to sit on when I get tired of Neil. I had never been so appalled and flattered at the same time.

Of course, this did not go pass Nathaniel and he chased the boy off the isle with a box of Twinkie that he had thrown at the boy hitting him in the head. Then proceeded to tell said boy to 'taste the deliciousness, bitch'. From there everything had gone fine. Nothing else had happened until we were walking to the car.

I do not know what possessed this man to be so childish, but Nathaniel had gotten on the back of the cart and rolled down the parking lot towards our car. It was all fun and games until he crashed into someone's parked car denting it. I have never loaded up groceries so fast in my life. So do not be expecting for me to take any grocery trips with my husband anytime soon. I would rather deal with two rowdy children first before even considering the thought.

"Baby, I said that I was sorry", Nathaniel whined for the hundredth time.

No, he literally has whined that for a hundred times. I counted out of boredom.

"K", I stated.

He let out a groan placing the groceries that went on a higher shelf in our kitchen cabinets than I was able to reach at the moment.

"Omi, don't 'k' me. You know I hate that shit", he grumbled.

I rolled my eyes placing the fruit inside of the fridge in their designated containers.

"Okay", I muttered uncaring of his statement.

"Baby!?", he whined.

I remained silent. This is his punishment. There is nothing wrong with having moments of childishness, but you also have to take responsibility for your actions.

"Please, don't ignore me", he muttered dejectedly, wrapping his arms around my shoulders hugging me from behind.

"Please?", he whispered.

I bit my lip turning in his embrace hugging him too. I felt him sigh, his hold tightening slightly.

"I'm sorry for crashing into that car earlier, Omi. I shouldn't of even rode down hill in such a heavily car populated area anyway", he muttered placing a kiss to my head.

"Is that really all that you are apologizing for?", I tsked.

I felt him shrug.

"I am not apologizing for that little shit in the store. He's lucky that you was holding me back or I would of given him the ass whooping of his life", he bit out.

I rolled my eyes.

"He was not a kid. He was a young man. He was at least eighteen, and I was not holding you back", I retorted.

"You were figuratively holding me back, baby. I didn't want to embarrass you too much. The boy was way out of his league anyway. You have me, so what the fuck would you want with him?", he said.

"I mean, he was kinda cute", I muttered teasingly.

He scoffed, "Tell the truth and shame the devil, Lucky. You're a liar. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, Naomi Vitro. That boy looked Sid from 'Ice Age'. He looked like Roofus from 'Kim Possible'. 'A what is that? That freaky thang? That freaky thang is a naked mole rat', lookin' ass", he snidely retorted.

I buried my face into his chest to hide my snickers. Nathaniel is so mean sometimes. I pulled away tilting my head upwards to meet his eyes.

"You sound so jelly", I taunted.

Again he scoffed.

"The day that I am jealous of another man is the day that you grow a beard", he dismisses.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"I mean, I do, but won't ever see it. So?", I retorted.

The look of utter disbelief on his face. Priceless.

"You telling me that I married a man, Naomi? Were you a dude? You a dude that look like a lady?", he fired his questions quickly.

I rolled my eyes for the hundredth time.

"I'm pregnant, you damn idiot. You have been down there plenty of times, more than plenty to know that I am a woman", I hissed smacking his chest.

"It's okay, baby. I love you no matter what. You're my manly wife that I love very much. You're my Omi one still", he cooed.

I mugged him.

He peppered my face with kisses until you sour mood broke. I laughed and smiled.

Then his lips were on mine.

It still felt like the very first time. That spark was still there. The warmth and love still radiated with Tim our shared kiss. Again, I felt at home. Because though before him my home had been with my family, now my home is wherever he and our children are.

It felt good to be home again.

🗣

I'm sorry, baby.

Open your eyes, baby.