Unconventional Love

Christmas and New Year’s both came and went, but all was merry and joyful in the Biersack household. Ash was still growing accustomed to having his mother around, actually around, and he knew it hurt her when he called Amy “Mother” instead, but he couldn’t help it. Although he now knew she’d kept him locked away for his own safety, he’d spent too many years emotionally detached from her to call her “Mother” the very day she changed her tune, and even for a while afterward.

His illness had gone away completely as well, and he was feeling much better than he had before. His belly was still steadily growing as the child within did, and although he didn’t like the weight he gained, he was glad to know that his child was healthy. He’d much rather his child be healthy than care about his appearance.

Andy always made sure to be close at hand so that if his bride needed something, he could be there for him. Since he was nearly halfway through his pregnancy, moving around and doing things were a bit harder for him to manage. The young boy still managed quite well despite this, better than even both his mother and mother-in-law had at the same stage in their pregnancies, but he still sometimes needed an extra hand.

Only one visit was paid to the rustic, mountainside mansion by Logan, demanding the return of his wife, and it hadn’t ended well. Since he was a recluse of a farmer, the young man had seen no problem in shooting him when he’d refused to leave, even when threatened with a shotgun again. Ash hadn’t enjoyed seeing his father dispatched in such a manner, but considering the atrocities he’d committed against both him and Daisy, he was glad they no longer had to worry about him. Word had spread of his disappearance, but no one aside from them knew what’d happened to him, and that’s how it was going to stay.

“Mmmm,” Ash murmured one afternoon as he awoke. Ever since making the discovery that he was with child, he’d found that he needed a late-morning nap because he was so fatigued.

“Good afternoon, my love.”

“Good afternoon,” he said softly, rolling over to face his husband. Andy didn’t need the extra sleep, but often laid down with him since he liked to cuddle so much.

“How was your nap?” the young man asked, gently kissing his temple after pulling him into his arms.

“It was divine,” he answered, yawning. “I dreamt of our babe.”

“Oh, really?” Andy asked curiously. “Tell me about them.”

“It was a little boy who looked just like you, except he had my eyes and darker skin,” the young boy said. “He was a rambunctious little thing we named Thorne, always climbing and falling out of trees, making mud-pies after it rained, things like that.”

“Many of the same things I did as a child,” his husband chuckled. “I definitely kept the maids hopping when I was younger.”

“He was such a handsome little fella,” Ash told him. “And so were the three younger brothers he had.”

“Oh, really?” This definitely intrigued him because whenever his young bride had a dream, it often turned out to be a bit prophetic.

“Mmm hmm. Their names were Hawk, because a hawk lit on the windowsill as I was giving birth to him and didn’t leave until after both of us were safe and healthy, and Keegan and Kelly, because they were both warrior-like and born in late-July,” he answered.

“Sounds quite a bit like the last two had Irish names,” he said thoughtfully.

“That’s because they did,” the young boy told him. “Keegan is Celtic, and Kelly is Irish Gaelic. I like their meanings and besides, Purdy is an old Northeastern Irish surname.”

“Is that so?” Andy asked curiously.

“It is, indeed,” he chuckled. “Mother Daisy said that Logan’s family was Irish, which makes sense to me.”

“That it does,” the young man agreed.

“Keegan and Kelly were also twins, but they weren’t the last babe we had,” Ash informed him.

Curious, but unsure of what to say, he merely cocked a brow.

“We had one final child before your mother told me I was incapable of carrying more children,” he explained. “It was a daughter, the only one we would ever have, who looked like me with your eyes and fair skin. Her name…was Rylea.”

“Why Rylea?” his husband asked.

“Because it means ‘courageous’, and she was nothing if not courageous as she aged,” he answered. “She was always standing up to her brothers, and even others around her, and refused to back down, especially when she was right. She would even wear the clothes her brothers outgrew so she could try some of the same things they did without her skirts hampering her, or causing her injury.”

“Wow. Such a wonderful dream,” Andy told him, kissing his temple. “I can only hope that it comes true.”

“I certainly feel like it will, at least to some degree,” he said. “We may not have that many sons, or children at all, but I feel that the last child I will ever bear for you will be a daughter with that personality.”

The young man could only hope that he was right, that his young bride would survive the birth of the child he currently carried and be able to bless him with another child. Considering that this child was a blessing in and of itself, he’d never want for another child again if Ash survived this time around. He didn’t care if this child was a son or daughter; that was inconsequential to him, so long as his sweetheart survived.

It wasn’t long before the young boy got him to help him up from their bed, saying that he needed to make a trip to the water closet, lest he have an accident. Andy was all too eager to help him up, not because he cared if he had an accident since he could be cleaned up and their bedding laundered, but because he loved him. Doting on him in any form was something that he enjoyed doing, even if it brought his young bride a bit of embarrassment, but that was fine by them. He’d so long been locked away and had no one to dote on him that he rather enjoyed such attention now.

Once he’d relieved himself, Ash stood before the washstand as he scrubbed his hands before exiting the water closet. As he rinsed the suds off them when he was done, he gasped as he felt the life within him move, taking a sharp kick to his lowest rib. Without even drying his hands, he reached down to cup his belly, amazed at what he was feeling.

Concerned about him since he’d heard his gasp, Andy immediately knocked on the door to make sure he was okay. The young boy swung it wide, grinning as he embraced him tightly and reassured him that he was fine. A bit skeptical due to the volume of his gasp, the young man cocked a brow at him curiously, wanting to be absolutely sure. He chuckled as he took his hand and pressed it to his belly, unsure if his husband could feel their child moving or not, and told him what’d happened.

“Oh!” he gasped softly, his icy-blue eyes widening.

“You felt it, did you not?” Ash asked, chuckling.

“I did,” he answered, nodding. “This little one is definitely an active little rascal.”

“I have not really felt its movements until just now,” the young boy told him. “I thought it was flatulence, they were so gentle. But he kicked me in the ribs as I was washing my hands, which is why I gasped.”

“Ah, I see,” the young man agreed, nodding. “Even if it did not hurt, it would have been surprising enough to make me gasp, as well, if I were you.”

“Mmm hmm. This adds support to my dream from earlier, too,” he said.

Andy nodded as he led him over to their piano to finish the lesson they’d been working on before his nap. He didn’t want his young bride to be up and about too much, even though he knew he was young, strong, and healthy, while he carried his babe. His body seemed to be adapting accordingly, but they just weren’t sure.

The hours passed and before they knew it, one of the maids was knocking on the outer door to their suite to tell them that supper was ready. The young man told her they would be down shortly, and she responded with her assent before walking away. It was well-known that Ash moved slower these days and sometimes had a bit of trouble since his belly was now so big, but that was to be expected. Still, it wasn’t quite as bad as when Amy and Daisy had been at the same point in their pregnancies all those years ago.

By the time supper had been eaten and the china taken back to the kitchen to be washed, the young boy was fatigued once again. Since he’d been up since dawn, Andy was also growing fatigued, and they bid their good-nights as they excused themselves from the dining room to retire. Chris, Amy, and Daisy all gave them good-night hugs, the women kissing their cheeks, before they left the room, wishing them sweet dreams.

After washing up and getting changed into their night gown and nightshirt, the young couple crawled into bed to settle down. The young boy was still feeling the fluttering kicks of their unborn child, and smiled as his husband snuggled up to him from behind after blowing out the lantern on the nightstand. Andy wrapped an arm protectively and possessively around his waist as he kissed his temple, quietly murmuring “Good night, my love” into his ear as they settled down. It wasn’t long afterward that they both fell asleep, a smile on Ash’s face as he rested his hand on his belly in his sleep.

Notes