Sonia woke up to see Bryan grinning at her, and she turned away, feeling slightly embarrassed, "For God's sake, Bryan!" She scolded half-heartedly as she sat up.
"What did I do?" Bryan asked, amused by her display of self-consciousness.
"You can't just be staring at me with that creepy smile while I'm asleep," she complained, and Bryan raised a brow.
"Why not? And since when did my smile become creepy?" Bryan asked, and she shrugged.
"I guess it has always been creepy, but I've been too blinded by my love for you to notice it," Sonia said, and the twitch of her lips gave her away.
"Yeah, right! Let's freshen up and go down for breakfast. We should share the news with them this morning," Bryan suggested as he rose and held out a hand to her.
"Bryan?" Sonia called hesitantly.
"Yes, baby?"
"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, the moment we tell them, there is no going back, you know?" Sonia asked, and Bryan sat on the edge of the bed and took her hands.
"What can I do to convince you, Sony? Should I start shopping for baby stuff? Or building a nursery? I'm not changing my mind, babe. As long as this is what you also want, let's do it," Bryan said as he kissed the back of her hands, and she smiled softly.
"Alright. Let's do it," she said with a nod, even though there was a lot of stuff she still wanted them to discuss before making the big announcement.
"What is it?" Bryan asked, studying her face.
"Tell me what's on your mind. What are you thinking?" Bryan asked, urging her to speak.
"Well, I was just thinking that with this new development, we might have to reconsider our living arrangement," Sonia said, and Bryan nodded.
"Alright. I'm listening. Go on," he said, watching her intently.
"Do you still want us to keep living together?" She asked cautiously.
"Of course. We agreed to do that, right?" Bryan asked, and she nodded.
"Yeah. We did. But I might not be able to travel around with you when you start working again as planned, and I can't possibly live here when you're not here," Sonia explained quietly.
"We won't be here for long. Paul is already having problems, and soon, we will take over Golden Stars. Once we do that, we can go back to our home in Sogal. And if that doesn't work, we can just buy a property here in Ludus if you'd rather be closer to Lucy," Bryan assured her and smiled when her eyes lit up.
"We can do that?" Sonia asked, and Bryan nodded.
"Sure. We are starting a family, and your comfort is the utmost priority to me. You will need Lucy around you if I'm not around all the time. Besides, Tom and Jade are in Ludus too, so it makes visiting easier for my parents," Bryan said explained, and Sonia embraced him without saying another word.
"I take it you want us to settle in Ludus?" Bryan asked, and Sonia bobbed her head.
"Alright then. I will contact I-Global real estate director to find us a suitable property after we decide on the kind of building we want," Bryan said as he kissed the side of her head, and she sighed contently as she snuggled closer to him and kissed his neck.
"Sony," Bryan called in a husky voice as he pulled away.
"What?" Sonia asked with a slight frown.
"Let's freshen up and go down for breakfast," Bryan said, kissing her cheek.
"You don't want to have sex with me?" Sonia asked with a frown. She had made advances at him last night, but he had gently turned her down and just cuddled her to sleep instead.
"We both know I want to. But I'm trying to be careful right now. Once we have seen a doctor, and I know it is safe to do so without hurting you or our baby, we can do whatever we want," Bryan assured her, and Sonia sighed.
"I already told you it's safe. I'm not fragile, you know? I was sick, you refused to touch me, and now this," Sonia complained, and Bryan smiled.
"You are fragile, Sonia. And even if you're not, I'm not taking any chances. I know you have the hots for me…." The rest of his words drifted off in a chuckle when Sonia rammed her elbow into his side.
"Who has the hots for you, idiot?" She asked as she got off the bed and headed for the bathroom, and Bryan's laughter rede followed her as he joined her.
After freshening up, they found something decent to wear and went downstairs to join the elders.
"For a moment, I thought you were not going to come down for breakfast. The table is so empty this morning, and I can only imagine how it's going to be tomorrow morning when Janet and Andrew go over to be with Lucy at her apartment," Evelyn complained with a sigh as Sonia and Bryan sat down.
"We have been eating alone for years since the kids left the house, and soon we will go back to doing that. Why are you suddenly worried now about an empty table?" Desmond asked under his breath.
"That is different! I didn't leave my house only to come to be lonely in Ludus!" Evelyn snapped at her husband.
"That can't be helped, Mom. Everyone is busy right now. Anyway, we have important news to share with you all," Bryan said, and Evelyn looked at them wearily.
"Nothing bad, I hope?" Desmond asked as he looked from Bryan to Sonia.
"It depends on how you take it," Bryan said with a shrug, and Sonia stepped on his foot.
"You are not breaking up, are you?" Evelyn asked, and Bryan raised a brow.
"They don't look like they want to break up. They look chummy," Andrew pointed out.
"Go on. What is it?" Evelyn asked impatiently, but Bryan said nothing as he placed some muffins in front of Sonia.
"You want to tell them, or should I do it?" Bryan asked, realizing they had not talked about who was going to break the news.
For reasons Sonia could not understand, she suddenly felt nervous as she looked from Evelyn's concerned gaze to Desmond's expectant gaze, to Andrew's amused gaze, and then Janet's curious gaze, and then she looked back again at Evelyn.
"The stuff you saw in Lucy's handbag is mine," Sonia blurted out to Evelyn.
"That's not how I was going to say it," Bryan murmured, disappointed by Sonia's undramatic announcement.
"What is she talking about?" Desmond asked his wife, who was just staring at Sonia speechlessly.
"What did you see in Lucy's handbag?" Janet asked Evelyn curiously.
"Oh, my God!" Evelyn shrieked happily, startling everyone, and in the next moment, she was out of her seat, tears gleaming in her eyes as she went to embrace Sonia.
"What is going on?" Desmond asked with a frown, not liking the fact that he didn't know what was going on.
"You're going to be a granddaddy soon," Bryan said with a grin, and Desmond's eyes widened in disbelief, while Andrew grinned happily as he slapped Desmond's back.
"Congrats, Buddy!"
"Sony dear!" Janet cooed as she went to embrace Sonia was now crying softly against Evelyn's shoulder.
"This is so beautiful, Sonia. Thank you," Evelyn whispered against Sonia's hair.
"I'm going to be a grandfather," Desmond cried in disbelief, and to the shock of everyone at the table, he broke into an unexpected sob.
"C'mon, Dad! You shouldn't be crying?" Bryan said as he rose to join his father.
As he sat beside his father on the seat Evelyn had vacated, he placed his hand behind Desmond to comfort him, and Desmond turned to him.
"Congrats, son. I'm so proud of you," Desmond said as he pulled himself together while Andrew shook Bryan's hand.
"You're welcome to the League of Fathers, boy. I hope it's a girl," Andrew said warmly.
"Sony, can I get a hug?" Desmond asked as he rose to meet Sonia, remembering that he was yet to congratulate Sonia.
"Sure, Desmond," Sonia said as she rose to embrace Desmond.
"We should let Tom and Jade know...."
"They are aware," Bryan said, and Evelyn frowned.
"I see. We are the last to know," Evelyn said with displeasure.
"Does it matter? What matters is that you're going to be a grandmother, right?" Desmond reminded her, and Evelyn beamed once again.
"You're right."
"This calls for a celebration. I should take out my cigar, and then we can drink," Desmond said as he walked away to get his cigar, ignoring Evelyn's disapproving stare.
"I suppose you haven't visited a doctor yet, have you? Get dressed. Let's go to the hospital," Evelyn suggested excitedly.
"If we do that, everyone is going to know," Sonia pointed out, glancing at Bryan.
"They're going to know in a couple of months either way. Let's just go get a proper test at the hospital and see a doctor," Evelyn said, patting Sonia's shoulder.
"Yes, Sonia. You should see a doctor," Janet encouraged as she returned to her seat beside her husband.
"You don't have to worry about it, Mom. I will take her myself," Bryan said, but Sonia quickly shook her head.
"It's bad enough that I'm going there. If we go together, it's going to be a major scandal…."
"It's my career. Let me worry about it. Eat for two, and then we can leave when you're ready," Bryan said, jerking his head towards her untouched muffins.
"You should eat up, Sony. Tell me whatever you want, and I'm going to prepare it for you right away, alright? I no longer feel comfortable about leaving. Maybe I should stay a bit longer. Will you come with us back to Heden so I can take better care of you?" Evelyn asked, and Bryan scowled at his mother.
"She is not going anywhere with you. I can take care of her, okay? But you're welcome to stay with her in my absence after we get our own place," Bryan said, and Evelyn's eyes lit up.
"You are getting your own place here in Ludus? This is so lovely, Bryan!" Evelyn cried happily as Desmond returned carrying his box of cigars, which his kids had gifted him on his birthday.
"I'm feeling generous today. Want a cigar, Andrew?" Desmond asked, and Andrew grinned.
"I don't mind. Leave the women and come hang out with us men, Bryan. We need to celebrate, and you need to learn a thing or two about being the partner of a pregnant female and fatherhood," Andrew suggested as he and Desmond headed for the bar.
"Call me when you're done with breakfast," Bryan told Sonia before walking away with the men, leaving Evelyn and Janet to fuss.
"Tell us, Bryan, how did it feel getting the news from Sonia?" Andrew asked when they got to the bar.
Bryan shrugged as he took out wine glasses and did the honor of pouring the wine. He could hardly give them the details and how mad he had been about being left in the dark, "Awesome. I've not been able to think of anything else since yesterday," Bryan said with a grin, and both Desmond and Andrew chuckled.
"You know, earlier, I remembered the day Evelyn told me she was pregnant with Bryan. And I got so emotional thinking that my little boy is going to be a daddy," Desmond said, and Andrew chuckled.
"He is not so little anymore, seeing how he managed to impregnate her," Andrew pointed out, and they all chuckled.
"How did Mom break the news to you?" Bryan asked curiously, and Desmond chuckled at the memory.
"It was on a weekend. I was sleeping in. She tapped me gently. I woke up, and she said, 'Tommy is so lucky to have you, you know? You have been such a wonderful father, so I decided to give another child the privilege of being fathered by you. Baby two is on the way' Can you believe it?" Desmond asked as Bryan and Andrew laughed in disbelief.
"What was your response?" Bryan asked in amusement.
"I said, 'That's great!' And then I pulled her against me, kissed her, and made love to her," Desmond said, and Bryan scrunched his face up in disgust, not wanting to imagine his father releasing inside his mother while he was in the womb.
He made a mental note not to subject his baby to such emotional torture. If he was going to make love to Sonia, he was just going to work harder on his pull-out game.
"What about you, Andrew? How did you feel when Janet told you about her pregnancy?" Desmond asked curiously.
"How did she break the news to you?" Bryan added.
Andrew chuckled, "It was our first anniversary. We agreed not to have a baby until after a year. It was her idea, not mine. So after we got back from dinner, I handed her the gift I got her, a gold necklace. And she gave me hers. It was an envelope. I opened it, and there it was—a positive pregnancy test result. I looked at her with all my love in my eyes, and she had a wide smile on her face. I smiled back, swept her off her feet, and made love to her as gently…."
"Save the details. I'm sure your kids won't appreciate knowing that you did that with their mother while they were in there. I know I don't," Bryan said, and both Desmond and Andrew roared with laughter.
"Ignorant boy," Andrew said with a shake of his head.
"Teach him, Andrew. Teach him," Desmond said with a chuckle.
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