tell there was no room to negotiate.
“Fine. But I promise you, I’m going to go crazy.”
“I’m counting on it,” he said, trying to hide his I-got-my-way grin.
Drake agreed to let me take a bubble bath before sending me off to the bed for the evening. He made sure the water wasn’t too hot before pouring some soothing bath oil in.
“I’m going to tuck Stella in and come back to check on you, okay?” he said quietly as I sunk deeper into the tub.
I nodded weakly, eyes closed, enjoying this little bit of Heaven. I rubbed my hands over my stomach, trying to will the fear away. As upset as I was about being put on permanent bed rest, inside I was a complete wreck. I couldn’t help but fear the worst. One of my babies wasn’t developing on track, which could mean a hundred different things. I didn’t want to be ignorant; I knew it meant I could go into preterm labor, but I was still going to hold on to as much hope and faith as I could.
“Doing okay?” I heard Drake whisper in my ear. I hadn’t even heard him come back in I was so lost in my thoughts.
“No,” I whimpered, keeping my eyes closed as I leaned my head back against the tub.
“Let me help,” he demanded. I heard him wrestle out of his clothes before making his way into the tub behind me. I leaned forward, letting him in. He wrapped his arms around me, pushing me against his chest.
I leaned my head back against as he rubbed his hands over me, soothing the pain right out. It wasn’t physical pain this time, but rather emotional pain. I was blessed with a near-perfect pregnancy with Stella. I wasn’t sure I was mentally prepared for this. So much has already happened to me in the last few years that I feared this would be my breaking point.
Drake’s lips grazed over my ear and just below the lobe. He placed light kisses down my neck as he massaged my shoulders. It felt amazing to be touched like that, to let the stress and anger be rubbed right out of me.
“How does that feel, baby?” he whispered against my ear.
“Amazing. Perfect,” I mumbled, keeping my eyes closed. I wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as possible. I kept my hands on my belly, making similar soothing motions with my fingertips that Drake was making on me.
We soaked in silence as Drake caressed my body, rubbing the soreness and fear out of me. It felt great to have Drake take care of me when I needed it. I knew he must be feeling scared and worried as well, but he was always attentive to my needs first.
“I’m scared,” I admitted, breaking the silence.
“I know.”
“What if…what if something awful happens?” I asked guarded.
“I’ll be right here, baby. I’m not going anywhere. We’ll do this together.”
I could feel him tighten up around me as he said his brave words. I knew he only wanted to comfort me, but I didn’t feel confident that I could get through this if something horrible happened.
“We haven’t thought of names yet,” I said, changing the subject. If I were going to get through this, I had to pretend as if everything was just fine. I didn’t want to psych myself up to the point where I overstressed about it. I knew I had to take care of myself and remain healthy for the babies’ sake.
“Have anything in mind?” His voice sounded lighter now, as if he happier.
“Well, since we don’t know the genders, I guess we have to come up with at least two for each—two boy names and two girl names.”
Drake’s lips make their way to my neck, suckling and kissing the water off. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to enjoy the moment and forget everything. Drake could easily make me forget the pain, the fear, and anxiety that usually overcame me. His lips were like magic, erasing all the bad and replacing it with an incredible, happy feeling.
“You’re making it very hard to think when you do that,” I muttered, arching my neck to give him easier access.
“I was thinking, Henry if it’s a boy.”
“Are you trying to
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