I look around me and see a sweet life

You're getting me, getting me through the night

Pregnancy is such a beautiful part of life. It's pretty amazing if you think about. The female body houses, literally grows, a little human being within it. There's nothing better than that.

It is also exhausting, especially with a toddler running around. Already in my last trimester, as much as I loved having the beautiful blessing in my belly, I was ready to get our princess out. I struggled as I tried to put my shoes on, groaning in frustration. A chuckle from the door broke my train of thoughts. Glaring at the man in front of me, I took the nearest throw pillow in my hand and effectively, threw it at Lucas with all the strength I could muster.

He laughed.

"Can you even see your feet?" He asked, kneeling in front of me and putting the shoes on my feet. I leaned back on the sofa, tired just because of the effort.

"No. But that's none of your business."

"Jesus... I'm not sure how Alex puts up with you. You get all moody and I would even say even a little bit-"

"Don't say it," I warned him. "Besides, bitchy is Addie's job," I said, raising an eyebrow.

A slow grin formed on Luke's face. "I like pregnant bitchy you," he said proudly.

"You won't like it if I'm still this way when the baby is born," I replied, taking his hand while he helped me stand up. As soon as I was on my feet, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. I sighed, returning the hug. My best friend and brother; that's what Luke was.

So many things had happened, horrible, cruel things and Luke's comfort and support had been unconditional. I loved him and I knew he loved me too. There was still so much I needed to learn about him, things that he wouldn't let other people in on, but I trusted that soon he would. Soon I would be able to see that weight lifted off his shoulders and we'd be able to help him as much as he helped Alex and I.

"You okay, Leenie? You seem thoughtful."

"I was just thinking how lucky we are to have you," I said, looking at him straight in the eye.

His playful blue eyes softened and he gave my arm a gentle squeeze in reply.

"Let's go get Angel ready for wherever we're going," I said.

Changing him usually took much, much longer than anticipated.

I was lucky that I had help around most of the time with all the family, from my dad to Alex to Luke, everyone was always there to help. But living quite a distance away made it harder for them to be there. Part of me wished that we could move back, but I knew it was hard for Alex to be around the area when Angie wasn't here anymore. My heart constricted when I thought of how it had been the first time around, with Angie.

It had become a bit easier to breathe... Easier to get through the day. But it's not like the pain had disappeared, it was there but I had learned how to live with it. I knew it was never going to go away.

"Thinking of the princess, aren't you?"

"Always." I placed my hand over my belly, feeling the little one in there move as if sensing my sadness and letting me know everything would be okay.

I knew it would.

"Let's go get-"

"Nope. I'm watching my little nephew today."

"What? Why? I don't understand."

"You're going out," Luke said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.

I narrowed my eyes on him trying to figure what the hell he was planning. With Alex out of town helping a friend, I had no clue what was going on. Until the door opened.

My husband walked in with a smirk, that teasing, sexy smirk that still melted me every time. He brought up his hands that were behind his back, showing a large bouquet of red and white roses. "Guess who's back?" He said with a raised eyebrow.

I couldn't help but smile. He had only been gone two days but I missed him with everything I had. We had become indispensable to each other like the air we breathed. I walked up to him and he met me half way, pulling me into his arms and hugging tightly. I stepped on my tippy toes, kissing him long and hard, feeling his immediate reaction to me.

"I missed you," I breathed.

"Mmm, me too baby," he replied, kissing me back again.

"Yeah, okay. I can handle listening to my free porn because, well, I can cover my ears but I sure as hell don't want to fucking watch it," Luke said.

Usually I would have been embarrassed, but... pregnancy hormones didn't let me care. "Go to your room, Luke," Alex muttered waving him off with one hand while he set the roses down on the sofa.

"Jesus Christ," I heard Luke mutter as his footsteps faded away.

"I like these hormones," Alex murmured, tracing his lips down my jaw and neck. My eyes closed savoring him, his touch.

Perhaps we didn't have many years together, but we'd been through so many things, things no one should ever go through. And we'd made it through, together.

"Dammit," Alex murmured. "I was only going to pick you up but I think we're going to have to go upstairs."

Without a single word on my part, I took his hand and we went upstairs where he made love to me slowly despite the intense need we had for each other. His magical hands never ceased to amaze me despite the time we'd been together. Every time was different, sometimes rough and passionate, sometimes slow and tender but there was one constant in all of them; love.

No matter how intense or how sweet, Alex would always show me how much he loved me in every touch. The lust in his eyes couldn't hide the love that shone through them; neither of us could hide it. We savored every moment we were together, every kiss, every soft whisper because we both knew how easily that could be taken away.

As his hands roamed my body, I felt the tingling sensation run through my spine, letting me know that I was close. He encouraged me, hands touching places that belonged to him and to him only.

My eyes fluttered close as I felt myself surrender to the pleasure my husband provided me and with a moan, my arms almost giving up on me. I felt him lean down, kissing my back as I came down from the high.

"I love you, Eileen Moretti," he said, running his hand down my back. I hummed, unable to speak. I didn't need to say the words though, he knew exactly how I felt. He was the only man I loved, the only mad I would ever love.

After cleaning each other up and changing, we went downstairs to find Luke with our son, our precious little angel. Alex held our son, kissing him and talking to him while our son tried, to the best of his ability, to reply.

"I'm so thankful for headphones," Luke mumbled.

Alex chuckled, shaking his head at Luke's comment. Their friendship remained strong and I hoped nothing would ever change that. "You taking her already?" Luke asked.

Moretti glared at Luke, a silent communication passing between them and leaving me in the dark. "What's going on?" I asked.

"You two should get going, actually," Luke said, taking Angel from his dad's arms.

Still confused, I said goodbye to my son and Luke and let Alex help me into the new SUV we'd recently bought. With another baby on the way, we would need the space, especially considering that I also had two little sisters now.

"Have you talked to your dad?" Alex asked, taking my hand in his while he drove.

"Yes, he'll be taking over the shelter after the baby is born," I said.

Alex had been worried about me stressing too much during the pregnancy. I felt like I finally had a purpose and working at the shelter was fulfilling. Helping women who had lived through similar situations made me feel like everything I'd been through had been worth it. I knew those traumas were hard to overcome - I still had nightmares - but I also knew that with proper help and care, it was possible to lead a normal life.

"Where are we going anyways?" I asked, when I saw that we were roaming through an unfamiliar part of the city.

"You'll see," Alex smirked.

I let my eyes close for the rest of the drive, the quick nap proving refreshing when we arrived to our destination.

A house.

"Where are we?" I asked Alex, who was smiling at me.

"Come on," he said without answering. He opened the door for me and helped me out of the car, holding me against him the whole time. The house was fairly large with a beautiful yard and from what I could tell, a spacious backyard as well.

It also had a large 'SOLD' sign at the front. "What's going on Alex?" I asked him as we began walking towards it.

Once we were in front of the door, he pulled some keys out of his pocket and placed them in my hand. "We moved away from the city because I was having trouble dealing with what happened with our little Angie," he murmured, cupping my face in his hands. "But this is home. Luke is here, so is Ray and Nicole and your sisters, Marty... I know you miss it here, baby. I know you miss seeing everyone often."

"So... we're buying this house?" I asked him, searching for an answer.

He shook his head. "It's already ours."

"... What?"

"It's our home, love, as long as you want it to be, this can be our home."

He nodded towards the door and with a shaking hand, I unlocked and opened it. My mouth fell open in complete awe of what was before me. It wasn't luxurious but it was elegant and homey. It was considerably larger than where we lived now but with two children and the large extended family we had, it was perfect.

"What do you think, Eileen?" Alex asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"I love it," I said. "And I love you."

He showed me the various rooms to the house and we began planning where everything would go. I admired the man in front of me. I had gotten so lucky meeting someone like him that loved me despite my insecurities and the baggage that I carried.

Except now, he carried some of the weight. The load wasn't as heavy anymore because he helped me with it. He was my support system and I was his.

I had to believe that my Angie was looking down on us with pride and love, admiring the way that we'd risen from the ashes that her departure left.

We went out to eat, his loving hazel eyes always locked into mine with so much devotion it made my heart swell. And as we went to bed that night and he held me tight in his embrace peppering kisses all over my skin, I understood that everything happens for a reason. Maybe without that troublesome journey, our paths would have never crossed. I would have never met him, never would have been in his arms. I couldn't imagine my life without Alex Moretti. He was the part that completed me, the person that had brought light to my darkness. The person who taught me how to start living.

"It's been worth it," I sighed, snuggling into his chest while his hand rested over my belly. "All the pain, the heartache... everything has been worth it."

Tears welled up in my eyes, happy tears. Love tears. That's all that surrounded me now, love and peace.

"You're my everything, amore mio," he murmured, bringing my lips to his.

I now understood that sometimes, you have to fall in order to rise up, stronger than ever.

Sometimes, walking through hell is the only way of finding your piece of heaven on this Earth.

And that sometimes, you have to fight your way through a dark maze, lost and lonely, before you can find your final destination, the place to call home.

Feel free to check out my other works:

The Lesson (TJH #2) - Ongoing

Below The Surface - Completed

The Return of Delilah - Ongoing

Thank you so much:)