Finding Grace

Andy POV

"Is that a hickey?" Jake asked, looking surprised as he sat beside me.
I covered my neck automatically. "What?"
"You have a hickey!" Ashley grinned at me. "You took my advice, didn't you?"
I flushed, sitting on the couch in the studio. Since we werent touring, our manager decided that working on our new album could fill up the vacant time. We'd worked on one song, but none of us were really feeling it today, still not rested up after Warped.
"What advice?" CC frowned curiously.
"I told Andy he needed to go and jump Leahs bones; pregnant sex is the best."
It was the best, I don't think Leah had ever enjoyed sleeping with me as much as she had last night.
Which made me question my skills.
I frowned down at my hands.
Was I that bad in bed?
"So!" Ash prodded me with his foot. "She liked to ripped your clothes off, right? couldn't keep her hands off of you?"
"After she stopped crying," I sighed, leaning back against the couch. "Which is all she does."
"Her hormones are wacked, cut her some slack," Jinxx told me, polishing his violin. "She's been through a lot."
"I know. And she's so sensitive about how she looks." I frowned. "She's still so small, even to be so far along."
It worried me, seeing her size compared to other women at her month. I knew she was built small anyway, but I'd expected her to balloon out some more by this time.
"I'm sure its fine, Andy," Jake assured me. "Leah has to be one of the toughest women I've ever met, especially with all that shit with her family."
That's true.
Everyone had read about her family abuse thanks to Ilana Kova, and Leah had never gotten over it, either. She hated the fact that everyone knew about it and felt bad for her, and she still had issues with me seeing her back, even after all this time of being together.
And I think she still had nightmares about Romochka.
As much damage as he'd done to her I wasn't surprised.
I fished my phone out of my pocket, worried about her.

Me: You doing okay?

This was the first time she'd been alone in the apartment since we'd been back, and she'd been reluctant for me to leave this morning. I hoped to God last night hadn't ... That it had been okay and I hadn't hurt her.
I'd tried hard to keep myself in check, it wasn't easy for me to be gentle. And she'd never minded the occasional bruises on her hips when we'd been done, either.
Just the thought of her under me like before all this, her green eyes daring me...
"I can't wait until she's not pregnant," I muttered thoughtlessly.
Shit. I hadn't meant to say that outloud.
"So you want a screaming diaper to keep you up all night?" CC raised his brows at me in surprise.
"I think he's feeling sex deprived," Jake chuckled. "Once the babys born you two can return to your rabbit stage."
"I'm pretty sure the rabbit stage is what got them in this situation," Jinxx chuckled, and I shifted, lips twitching.
That was true.

Leah: I'm fine, craving french toast, though.

I chuckled. When wasn't she craving something weird?
"She sent me to Wendys the other night at 3 AM to get frostys," I said. "And when on tour she actually ate M&Ms. She hates those. And Skittles."
"So you wont miss the cravings then," Ash grinned. "She always liked weird food anyway."
"I know, it's just worse now. I hope Gracie isn't like that," I ran my hand over my face.
I could just imagine a mini Leah demanding fried acorns or something.
"So it is a girl then?"
"Looks like it."
Jinxx looked pleased. "I told you it would be a girl."
Everyone rolled their eyes.
"Why did you have to do everything backward, Andy?" Jake chuckled. "You get married then pregnant, not the other way around."
"I never do things the right way." I shrugged.

Leah: Can you bring back chocolate pretzels?

I chuckled at her.

Me: sure babe
Leah: and some milk?
Me: we just bought some
Leah: you bought chocolate. I want white

I sighed; she didn't like milk.
"Is she being demanding?"
"She wants milk." I frowned, clicking my phone screen so it would go dark. "And pretzels."
"Where does she put all of it?"
"Honestly? I have no idea." I shook my head, and got to my feet. "But I better head that way before she has a crying fit."
"She has you whipped, huh?" Ashley laughed, crossing his cowboy boots at his ankles as he leaned back on the opposite couch.
"It's that or get screamed at," I muttered, saying my goodbyes and heading for the door.
I couldn't wait until she wasn't pregnant.


I sat all the shit she wanted on the counter, including two boxes of oreos and ranch dip.
I didn't want to know where that was heading.
"Someone has a pregnant wife," the cashier commented as she rung up my purchases.
"Why do you say that?"
"Oreos and ranch dip?" she raised her brows at me. "You're not going to eat it, are you? And I could see your wedding ring glinting halfway down the aisle. She's a lucky girl."
"Yeah," I looked down at my ring, "she really is."
The cashier chuckled as I swiped my card and quickly left the store.
I was pretty sure not all guys would go wherever their woman wanted at whatever time it happened to be just to sate her food cravings.
Not everyone would set their career on hold to look after her, or let her move in, or marry her, or do a whole lot of the shit I seemed to be doing lately, including the laundry.
I sighed as I pulled up in front of my apartment, parking my new Mustang in front of the door and climbing out.
She just needed a delivery boy that wasn't me.
Then again, I didn't want another guy near her who wasn't me, not in her condition.
Ashley had me kind of paranoid.
Did a lot of guys really like a girl in her condition that much? I had never given it much thought, really.
I frowned as I opened the front door, seeing Leah sitting on the couch watching TV, squalling into her hands.
What was it now?
"What's wrong?" I asked, trying not to sound irritated.
"Dumbledore died!" she wept, mopping at her face. "Snape killed him!"
"What?" I looked at her blankly and then at the TV, sending the end credits for one of the Harry Potter movies.
I was gonna have to keep her away from all TV it seemed.
"I got you your things," I said, sitting them on the counter.
"Oreos?" she asked hopefully, tears drying, and I nodded. "And milk?"
"You want some?"
"Yes please!" she asked desperately.
I chuckled, pouring a glass of milk and grabbing a box of oreos, quickly making my way to the couch.
I handed them to her, watching how happy she was, peeling the top layer of the oreos off and dipping the one with the most cream in her milk.
Gracie would be just like that, I thought, slipping my arm around her shoulders.
She sent me a content smile, happily munching on her oreos.
I grabbed the TV remote and started flicking through the channels, finding an action movie and leaving it on there for some background noise.
"Did you have a good day?" Leah asked, and I shrugged.
"We worked on one song, but none of us were really feeling it. We've only been back a week."
"I figured you would be too tired," she nodded, a pile of her clothes on the other couch where it looked like she was going through them.
"What's that all about?"
"Oh, that's all the things I can't wear," she sighed.
"None of it?" That was a majority of her closet.
She shrugged. "They don't fit now. Gracie is taking up too much room."
I chuckled, letting my hand cover her belly. "Say Gracie is gonna have plenty of room once she gets out."
"I can't wait," Leah muttered.
"Why?"
"So I can wear my clothes again! This is such a hassle."
I could only imagine.
"It'll be okay, angel," I told her, rubbing her stomach.
"I hope so. I wonder what she'll look like," she mused. "If she'll have your eyes or mine."
I hoped hers, they were so beautiful.
"Hopefully yours," I told her, kissing her cheek.
"But yours are so pretty!" she argued, smiling. "It's like looking in the ocean. And sometimes they kind of glow, and mine are just green."
"A bright green," I corrected, setting her glass of milk on the table so she wouldn't have to lean forward. "A beautiful, iridescent green."
She rolled her eyes at me.
I chuckled, and turned her head to mine, pressing my forehead against hers.
"You know I love you right? Otherwise I wouldn't be buying oreos and ranch dip."
She chuckled, kissing me lightly. "I know that. You're handling this very well."
I was trying.
I shrugged, and cupped her cheek, kissing her again. She sighed against my lips, lightly leaning into the kiss, and I felt an uncomfortable tightening in my jeans,
But I didn't want to press.
"Leah?" I pulled away from her before I got ahead of myself. "Can we...?"
"Yes." she nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I actually called my doctor today, and she said it would be okay, as long as it wasn't, um, too rough."
I grinned.
Me, rough? Never.

Notes