BONUS CHAPTER (PART 1)

I slide down the door with the tears flowing down my face like a never-ending stream.

"No." I whisper to myself and bury my head in my knees.

I keep chanting 'no, no. no' as I rock back and forth like a maniac.

A knock on the door interrupts my thoughts that have been racing at a mile per second and I gasp, immediately covering my mouth.

"Liza, come out." Lillian's voice rings from the other side.

I swallow the huge lump in my throat and start to take deep breaths to calm my shaking body.

Nobody can see me like this.

With whatever strength I have left in me, I stand up and nearly gasp once at my reflection in the mirror. My hair were disheveled, my face was flushed, and my dress was crumpled from the hem.

Not making any effort to tame my appearance, I turn around and open the door.

"Oh my God, Eliza!" Lillian gasps as soon as she looks at me and stands up from her spot on the bed before rushing towards me.

"What happened?" She continued to assess my body to check for any bruises.

I open my mouth to speak, "I-I," I pause as I feel a fresh set of tears welling up in my eyes.

"Where is it?" Lillian continues to question.

I extend the white stick in my hand and she snatches it out of my hold to have a better look. Her eyes go round as she looks at it and then at me.

"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE PREGNANT!" She exclaims, loudly.

I slap my hand over her mouth and she continues to mutter gibberish which is muffled by my hand.

"P-Please don't sc-scream." I whisper and bring my hand back to my side.

"I AM SO FUCKIN' EXCITED!" She yells again and I glare at her trough my tears, trying to appear as intimidating as I can.

She quickly sobers up after seeing my tear stricken face and envelopes her arms around me, "I am so happy for you." She whispers and pulls back.

"I am n-not." I mumble and walk to sit on the edge of the bed.

"What?! Why not? You love kids!" Lillian huffs in frustration.

I shook my head and chocked out a sob, "I-It's n-not ab-about m-me."

"What's wrong, Eliza? You're scaring me now." Lillian says as she squats in front of me.

I gulp and shake my head, "N-Nick. I need h-him." I manage to whisper out.

Lillian's expressions contort into disapproval and I can already sense the oncoming refusal to my request.

"P-Please." I beg while clasping her hand in mine.

"Eliza, I can't. You know that you can't see him." she tries to reason but I am beyond the stage of understanding any rational reason she throws my way.

"Your parents are downstairs and his, too." She says softly.

"I don't care. J-Just tell him to come and see me. And where the heck is my phone?! I need it, I need him." I say while looking around frantically like a madwoman.

"Calm down, Eliza." Lillian grips my forearm and makes me look at her.

"Bring Nick if you want me to calm down." I snap.

Her face looks bored at my sudden outburst because she has gotten used to this side of mine popping out every once in a while.

Nonetheless, I feel guilty and immediately apologize, like always, "I am sorry."

"Shut up." She huffs and I look at her pleadingly. "Fine!" She slaps her knees in defeat and stands up.

"If you two get caught, I don't know you guys." She warns waving a stern finger in my face.

As much as I want to laugh at her antics, my current circumstances let me settle on a nod of my head.

"I'll send him up in ten." With that, she leaves my room.

The Avenetti's and the De Luca's have gathered here, at the beach house Nick's father owned, for mine and Nick's wedding.

We both graduated three years ago from Harvard with our respective degrees and Nick started his own business from scratch without any help from his father despite the old man's repetitive nagging.

He is now the sole owner of a successful stocks exchange company and is well known in Massachusetts. He's planning to expand to NYC after our marriage.

Me? Well, I am an average painter who has her own painting studio in Massachusetts and Moscow.

After college, Nick and I decided to permanently settle down in Massachusetts. The city was beautiful and you know, how just some places simply suit you?

Yeah.

I close my eyes and clench my fists in another attempt to at least not be a shaking mess in front of my fiancé.

I don't want him second-guessing the decision of our marriage because of this, too. The first reason being the test that is lying on the nightstand beside my bed.

Nick and I were having a casual conversation a few days back when the topic of babies was brought up out of nowhere.

I don't remember which one of us initiated the conversation, but I do remember looking at Nick's thoughtful face as he said and I quote, 'I don't wanna have a baby, yet. I want to explore this world with you before I finally take the responsibility of becoming a father. Children are not out of the equation for us but there's more to parenting than just making a child.'

Within a millisecond, tears pool in my eyes once again at the thought of Nick not wanting to be with me after hearing the news of my pregnancy.

A gentle tap on my window breaks my trance and my head whips around to see a silhouette in the dark.

I walk to my window and slide it open with shaky hands, might I add.

This is it.

My mind has already gone over a thousand possibilities of how this whole scenario could turn out to be and none of the outcomes was positive.

I am such a crybaby.

And I am thinking too much.

Maybe now I can blame it on the hormones.

As if Nick doesn't already know me.

The monologue with my inner self was cut short as Nick finally climbs in and turns around to close the window.

"I knew you couldn't go without seeing me for three whole days. Stupid fuckin' rituals." He curses and locks the window.

The next second, he turns around and pulls me in his embrace. His arms snake around my waist in a tight grip and his head finds the space between my neck and shoulder.

"God, I missed you so much." He mumbles and inhales, taking in my scent that he so very much adores.

I swallow the ball of nerves in my throat but another one starts to form in its place.

Give me a break, please. I don't wanna collapse on the night before my wedding.

He pulls back and finally looks at my, definitely horrible, face. His lips part and his eyes cloud in worry as soon as he registers my state.

My lips turn down in a frown and I can feel another crying attack making its way to my eyes and of course, my heart.

The first hiccup escapes my lips and his eyes widen in panic, "Bambi." He takes a step forward but I take three back.

He probably wouldn't even want to see me after I tell him what's got my face all messed up.

He freezes for a second, processing the fact that I had backed away from his touch.

My favorite touch.

His touch.

Wait- isn't this all because of his touch in the first place?

Wow, Eliza. Go ahead and blame him.

But shouldn't he had used protection or something? Did he think my plan B had some sort of superpowers?

Did I even take the morning pill?

Why am I freaking out so much? I love babies.

But it is so selfish of me to think only about myself.

God, Eliza when will you grow up?

A hand wave in front of my face effectively snapping me out of my crazy inner thoughts and I look at my fiancé.

He is wearing a full-sleeved dark grey sweatshirt with black sweatpants. My mouth waters at the sight of him and I mentally slap myself for having... inappropriate thoughts about him right now.

"I am pregnant." I blurt out.

He freezes once again.

Is he made of ice or something?

I bite my lip and cast a look his way to see his face void of any emotion.

I decide to pull up my big girl panties and swipe a hand under my eyes, "Look, I know you don't want children. We went over it and I swear I didn't know that I was pregnant back then. I completely understand if you don't wanna marry me, now, because this isn't what you signed up for, right?" I pause and let out a nervous chuckle.

"S-So, this is where we part?" I whisper while fiddling with the hem of my dress.

The air around us turns thick as soon as I say that and I don't dare look up to meet his eyes.

A loud scoff reaches my ears and my head snaps up, on its own, to finally meet the midnight blues that has turned completely black.

"I don't know if I wanna take you up against that wall or knock some sense in that thick skull of yours." Nick speaks in a tone so calm that it sends chills up my spine.

In the past almost eight years, Nick has never talked to me like that no matter however difficult I would be with him.

He'd always listen patiently and make me understand things from a different angle.

Never once had Nick scolded me or made me feel stupid like he did just now.

"Are you crazy, Eliza? When have I ever made you feel like I will run for the hills and leave you alone the moment we face a challenge?" He asks.

Thinking it's a rhetorical question, I keep my mouth shut and rock back and forth on my heels.

He takes two long strides and is in front of me in no time, "Answer the goddamn question, Eliza." He grits out and takes a hold of my chin.

The evident anger in his eyes makes me want to curl up in a ball in the corner of my room.

"N-Never." I whisper, shakily.

"Then what is it? My love isn't enough for you to trust me to confide in me rather than making stupid fuckin' assumptions." He beseeches.

I lick my lips and his eyes shift to them for a brief moment before connecting with mine, once again.

"You're fighting with me." I whispered, my eyes drinking in his much mature features.

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair, "Of course, I am fighting with you, Eliza. Are you even hearing yourself?"

It was our first official fight.

A night before our wedding.

I was royally screwed because of my overthinking.

"I love you." I blurt out.

"Do you?" He's quick to retort.

My eyes widen in surprise, "Nick."

"Don't 'Nick' me. You couldn't even trust me enough to discuss it with me before sending your mind into a frenzy. I know I said that parenting is a huge responsibility but I also said that it doesn't mean I don't want kids of my own someday."

"But it's too soon for you."

"Nothing's too soon or too late, it's always on time."

I bite my lip, "So does that mean that we're still on for tomorrow?" I question looking up at him, innocently.

Nick looks like he wants to laugh and cry, both out of frustration though. But then he decides to pull me flush against him and capture my lips between his.

It took me half a second to melt against him and I wasn't foreign to the feelings, gripping my insides, which only grew stronger with time. He still held the same power over me.

Why was I overthinking, again?

Oh, it was my first time dealing with a situation of such a nature.

I pulled back enough to look at the blue in his eyes returning to its original color.

"So, I am going to be a father?" He asks and tucks my hair behind my ear.

I couldn't suppress the grin that made its way on my lip, "Uh-huh." I nodded my head.

"Are you happy?" He asks.

"Ecstatic, and you?"

"I'm thrilled. Can't wait for a mini you."

"Mini you." I argue.

"Look at us arguing like a married couple already." Nick comments making me blush.

"So this is how it's going to be, huh?" He questions in bewilderment.

"What?"

"You, Mrs. Eliza Renee De Luca, are going to be the life of me. I love you and I am not going to love you any less when you become the mother of my children. I will love them equally too, if not more. I got you, bambi."

"How did I get so lucky?"

"Nuh uh, missy, don't take my luck away. I am the one who got lucky."

"I am so sorry for thinking like that. I really had no control over it. I love you and I don't doubt your intentions for a second but it's a big step and I... I just needed to know if you're with me." I whispered looking into his eyes.

And then he said the four words that gave me all the reassurance I needed

"Always and forever, bambi."

A/N: This is part 1 guys. Y'all will get wedding chapter in part 2, don't worry. Enjoyyy! ❤️