Arabella felt the car stop but she wasn't fully aware of it. She was still asleep and after being on a plane for over 9 hours, she was sure that she was just dreaming that her and Hunter were pulling up to their home. Arabella wiggled her nose and she cuddled closer to Hunter's leg, where she had rested her head. She felt something run through her hair and she moaned softly, slowly opening up her eyes. Arabella looked up and saw Hunter smiling down at her. "Are we home?" She asked him lightly.
Hunter ran his fingers through her hair again. "Yes, sweetheart. We're home. Let's wake up, so we can go to bed." He laughed a little and helped her up. He paid the cabbie and then got out, retrieving their bags from the trunk. They walked inside and Hunter set their bags by the door. Arabella was practically asleep at this point. She leaned on him. "Come on, Ellie. We're home."
Arabella lifted her head a little bit and looked around with a tired smile. "I'm glad" She said softly and she yawned. She pulled away from him just a little bit so that she could stretch. "It's only 10 at night.." She added, looking over at the clock on the wall. "I'm going to make some tea. Do you want some?" Arabella asked Hunter, placing a kiss on his cheek.
Hunter grabbed her and kissed her on the lips. "Mmm...No thanks." He said, humming against her lips a little. "I'll never sleep tonight if I have some." He kissed her again and finally let her go into the kitchen, but he kept close behind her. "Or was that the point?" He asked, walking over to the dog cages and peeking inside at the sleeping animals. He found a seat at the table and looked up at her as she made the tea. "I don't have to be back at work for a couple of days still, so what's the plan for tomorrow?" He asked with a small yawn.
Arabella shrugged as she moved around he kitchen, getting everything she needed and putting the kettle on. "I plan on sleeping as much as I possibly can. I didn't sleep at all the night before our flight home" She said with a small yawn and she turned around, leaning against the counter and looking over at Hunter. "I kept worrying that something was going to go wrong with the plane or we'd miss our flight or we'd lose our luggage or something" She said with a little laugh at herself.
Hunter furrowed his brow a little and walked over, putting his hands on her hips. She put her head on his chest and Hunter kissed her hair. "It seems that you worry about a lot. Why don't you rest that beautiful little head of yours sometimes and relax? I'm sure I could help you relax." He said, leading her over to a chair. He sat her down and then started rubbing her shoulders. "Everything is going to be just fine, sweetheart."
"Oh, Hunter..." Arabella said softly, closing her eyes. She moaned softly as Hunter rubbed out a kink in her shoulders and she smiled a little bit. "Thanks, for saying the right things and putting up with me" she said and she tilted her head back, smiling softly up at him. Arabella reached a hand up and she brushed her fingers down his jaw.
Hunter took her hand in his and kissed it gently before moving his hands up to her neck a little. "Well, that's why I"m here, right?" He laughed a little then bent down, placing a tiny kisses on her neck. "Well, how about this for right thing to say? Your tea's done." He said with a smile.
"Oh!" Arabella said happily and she hopped up, walking over to the counter. She poured the water into a tea cup with some sugar, milk and a tea bag then reached into the cupboard and taking out the Oreos. Arabella took one out of the bag, twisted it open, licked off the cream and passed the cookies over to Hunter. "Perfect" She said with a smile.
Hunter laughed softly and took the cookie, popping it into his mouth. "It really is." He said with a little smile. He sat down again and watched as she disappeared into the sitting room. Hunter followed, noticing Jolie stumble out of her cage and look up at him, slightly surprised at his presence. He barked once and Hunter picked her up, walking into the sitting room and taking a spot on the couch next to Arabella. "Look who's awake." He said, placing the small dog on her lap.
"Jolie!" Arabella said softly, quickly putting down her cup of tea. Holding Jolie steady, she pulled her knees up onto the couch and she held Jolie close to her chest. Jolie looked up at Arabella for a moment, barked softly, licked her cheek then put her head down on her shoulder like a baby. Arabella looked over at Hunter with big eyes and a smile, petting Jolie softly. "Oh...I missed my little girl" She whispered and she kissed the top of Jolie's head. "Is Ajax still sleeping?"
Hunter glanced back at the cages just as Ajax and Piggy emerged, immediately trotting to the sitting room, more than likely where they smelled the tea. "Nope." Hunter said as Ajax jumped onto the couch next to Arabella. Hunter reached down and picked up Piggy, holding him gently, scratching behind his ear. He handed the pig to her and then put an arm around her. "Looks like the whole family is awake."
Arabella smiled up at Hunter and she kissed his cheek lightly. "The most perfect family, ever" she said with a little nod and she gently put Jolie down on the couch by Ajax, where she curled up into a ball, resting her head on Ajax's back. Arabella giggled a little bit and put Piggy down on her lap. "I was thinking that in the summer, we could build a pen for Piggy. He's going to be getting bigger soon enough and he needs like...a spot of his own where he can roll in the mud and do other Pig like things"
Hunter nodded. "Oh, yeah." Hunter said, looking down at Piggy. "I think that would be really good. Gwen mentioned that the summer is busier, so we can work on it if we have time." Hunter thought about it a moment. "Tyler has stopped talking to me altogether. I'm going to ask him about it next time I see him. I've had enough of this." Hunter said, shaking his head slightly.
"I haven't really heard from him either.." Arabella said softly, her voice trailing away and she knitted her eyebrows together. "He used to tell me everything. I would texts and emails and calls from him daily, telling me what was going on in his life but now..nothing. I saw him briefly at our wedding but that was about it" She sighed and she looked over at Hunter. "Something's not right with him"
"I'll talk to him." Hunter said with a nod. "It could be a guy thing." Hunter shrugged a little and turned to Arabella. "Let's not think about it." He said, kissing her lightly on the lips. He pulled her a little bit closer and put his other arm around her. "Mmm...You're a pretty wife." He said against her lips, leaning his head against hers.
"You're a sexy husband" Arabella said, smiling against his lips and she kissed him tightly. She felt something wet against her cheek and she turned to see Jolie. Arabella laughed a little bit and she patted her head before she nudged the dog down a little bit and she rested her own head on Hunter's shoulder. "That was a pretty amazing honeymoon, Mr. Reed" She whispered.
"It's good to be home, Mrs. Reed." Hunter said, putting his head down on hers. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. They sat there for a while and Hunter finally pulled away a little. "So, how does it feel to be married to me? I know for me I just feel so much closer to you, but I'm not sure how you're feeling."
"I feel amazing" Arabella said softly and she smiled a little bit before turning her head to look up at him. She didn't really know how to explain how she was feeling. It was beyond anything that she ever imagined. Arabella took a little breath and ran her fingers down Piggy's back. "I can't imagine not being married to you. I feel like it's what I'm supposed to be doing...building a life and a family with you" She said softly
Hunter laughed a little and ran his hand up and down her side. "Good because I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, pressing his lips to hers again. "Ellie, I can't wait for you to be pregnant and huge and everything. I'm excited for it." He said, putting his hand on her stomach and feeling Piggy leave a little pig kiss on the back of his hand.
"Me too" Arabella sighed and she looked over at Hunter. She never thought that she would say that she wanted to be huge but now, she wanted it badly. "I hope I don't crave anything weird. I've heard stories of women craving some really messed up stuff when they're pregnant" She said and shuddered a little bit. "A lack of morning sickness would be nice too"
Hunter laughed a little and kissed her on the lips, pouring all of the love and all of the affection he could into it. "I'll be here to help you, every single step of the way." He said, looking into her eyes. She bit her lip a little and Hunter kissed her again, turning his body toward hers and pulling her legs onto his lap, Piggy adjusting so he was laying on where her shins.
Arabella smiled at Hunter and she yawned picked up her mug of tea, taking a big sip. "I have a feeling that you're going to be a really protective father, especially if we have girls" She teased with a small laugh. "I can see you making them go back upstairs to change their clothes before they go out on a date because they're showing too much skin or something like that"
Hunter smiled and shook his head a little. "You say that like they're going to go on dates." He said, raising his eyebrow. He took her hands in his and kissed both of them. "I can't wait for all of this, honey bunch." Hunter said, laying back and pulling her on top of him. "I really can't wait." he said, running his hands down her back.
Arabella smiled softly and she closed her eyes, snuggling close to Hunter. She didn't know what the next day would hold but she didn't care. All she knew was that Hunter didn't have to work and they could spend the day together. Maybe they would unpack their bags and order out for their food. They didn't have to do anything and Arabella liked it that way. "I love-" She started to whisper but she yawned and fell into a peaceful sleep before she could finish.
Hunter ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her head. "I love you, too, sweetheart." He said against her hair. He wrapped his arms around her and she put her head on his chest, snuggling against him. Hunter put his head down on the armrest and he grabbed the animals placing them on the ground. "Good night, Ellie." He mumbled again before falling asleep.
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Arabella had woken up early, which didn't really surprise her. She had slept on the entire plane ride, the whole drive home and she had fallen asleep earlier than she usually does. Hunter was still asleep and Arabella didn't want to wake him up, so she gently pulled herself out of his arms and she tip toed into the kitchen, where she started to make a pot of coffee. She looked in the fridge and sighed, seeing pretty much nothing to eat. Arabella looked into the cupboard and when all she saw was a bow of Oreos and a few other snack type items, she huffed and got out a pen and piece of paper so that she could write a grocery list.
Hunter felt Arabella pull away and he groaned a little, until he felt weight on his stomach again. He paused for a moment before he felt two tongues and a pig nose against his chin and neck. He opened his eyes and looked up at Ajax, Jolie, and Piggy all sitting on his chest. Hunter groaned a little and grabbed them all except Ajax and stood, walking over into the kitchen. He set them down on the table and then wrapped his arms around Arabella's waist, pulling her against his body. "Good morning, beautiful."
"You're not supposed to be awake, yet" Arabella said with a smile and she leaned back against Hunter, smiling a little bit. "How did you sleep?" She asked him and she turned around in his arms, resting her hands on his neck and smiling up at him. She was happy that they were home and she was making their own coffee. She would even be happy to do their own grocery shopping. Arabella stood up on her toes a little bit and she kissed him lightly.
Hunter put his hands on her waist and held her up a little as he kissed her. "I slept wonderfully. I always sleep wonderfully with you as a blanket." He said, kissing her again. She scoffed a little and Hunter laughed then kissed her again before pulling away a little. "So, why wasn't I supposed to be awake, yet?" He said with a little grin.
"I was going to make some coffee for you and then I was going to go out grocery shopping because we are in desperate need of food and I was going to surprise you by getting done early" Arabella said and she placed her hands on his chest. "And when you're awake like this, I can't surprise you" She laughed a little bit and she placed a quick kiss on his chin. "So that's why you're not supposed to be awake yet"
Hunter laughed a little and pressed his lips to hers. "Well, I hope me waking up didn't make things too bad for you." He said, pulling her a little bit closer. "I'll see if I can make it up to you today." He winked at her and then pulled away a little, stretching his back. "I think I'm going to grab a shower. Then we can go get the groceries. Sound okay?"
"Sounds perfect" Arabella said softly and she kissed Hunter tightly with a small smile on her lips. She watched him as he walked upstairs then yawned, fed the animals and slowly climbed the stairs. Arabella walked into their bedroom, smiling softly when she heard the shower running. Humming quietly, she stepped into her closet and pisked out an outfit for herself. She laid it all out on her bed and peeled off the clothes that she had been wearing the day before and fell asleep in.
Hunter let the water run over his face, waking him up a little bit more. It felt good to be home and he was glad that he would be able to just get back into routine. Hunter finished showering, shut off the water, and then wrapped a towel around his lower half. He walked out and blushed a little when he saw Arabella just as she unhooked her bra . "Oh, goodness, Ellie." Hunter said, hiding his eyes.
Arabella looked up, holding her bra up, with a slightly confused look on her face. "What?" She asked and she looked around the room then down at her outfit on the bed, wondering if there was something wrong with it. Arabella turned her eyes up to Hunter then looked down at herself and she laughed a little bit. "We really need to stop meeting up like this, hey? I mean...it's happened a lot now. I almost wonder if you plan it" She teased.
"I plan it?" Hunter sighed a little and grabbed a pair of boxers, walking back into the bathroom and quickly slipping them on. "I plan it? You knew I was taking a shower." Hunter walked to the dresser and grabbed some clothes out. "You decided to be incredibly sexy right after I get out of the shower. That's all on you."
"Incase you haven't noticed, dude, we share a bedroom" Arabella laughed and she turned her back to him, pulling off her bra from the day before and quickly putting on a new one. She turned around so that she was facing him again and she put her hands on her hips. "And another thing, this is coming from a guy that decided to come out of the bathroom all wet and sexy and in a towel. You started it, mister" she said and she grinned across the room at him, pulling on a pair of jeans.
Hunter slipped into his jeans and then sitting down on the bed. "Well, I assumed that I would be alone here." He said, reaching over and pinching her butt. She squeaked and Hunter winked at her a little before pulling on socks and slipping into his green converse. He grabbed his shirt last and shook out his hair a little bit before slipping it over his head as he stood at the foot of the bed. "You know, how is that I'm ready before you, every time?"
Arabella shrugged. "I probably think about it too much" she said and looked over at him with a small smile as she pulled on her cardigan and smoothed it out over her stomach. Arabella looked down at herself, checking to make sure that she didn't miss anything or forget anything. She looked up at Hunter and smiled a little bit, playing with her ring lightly. "I think I'm ready to go" She told him.
Hunter smiled and walked over to her, putting his arms around her softly. "Well, let's get going then, shall we?" He said with a grin as he kissed her softly on the forehead. He smiled down at her, putting his head on hers. "Well, don't think for too long. You look beautiful no matter what." He held her closer for a moment and the pulled away, taking her hand. "I do mean really beautiful."
Arabella smiled shyly and she pushed a piece of hair behinf her ear. "Well..thanks, Hunter" She said softly and she kissed him lightly. Arabella grabbed her purse and with Hunter, she walked out of the bedroom and out of the house. "I wrote down a bunch of fruits and veggies and things for us to get. I figured that if I start eating healthier foods that don't have all kinds of gross additives and chemicals, I'll have a better chance at getting pregnant, you know?"
Hunter looked at her for a moment and then shrugged. "Is that how that works? I honestly have no idea if that would help." He said, getting into the driver's seat after opening the door for Arabella. "Yes. Sure. That's how that works. That sounds like a good idea." Hunter laughed a little. "That makes sense." Hunter nodded and pulled out of the driveway, heading for the grocery store.
Arabella sighed and she looked out the window for a few moments then turned to look at Hunter. "I just...I want to do everything I can to make sure that we can get pregnany" She said with a little nod and she reached over, placing a hand on his thigh. Arabella smiled a little smile at him before looking out the window again.
Hunter nodded softly. "Maybe..." Hunter sighed a little. "Maybe we should get tested or something? I mean, it wouldn't hurt would it? We can just go to the Doctor and he can say we're both fine and then he'll give us some tips or something." Hunter put a hand on hers. "It can't hurt to check." Hunter said quietly, more to himself than to her. "I'm sure it's fine."
Arabella nodded and she slid over in the seat so that she could rest her chin on his shoulder. "I was kind of thinking the same thing, actually" She said and she looked up at him with big eyes. She brushed her thumb down his jaw and she smiled a little bit before closing her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine" She breathed, as if she was reassuring herself.
Hunter pulled into the grocery store parking lot and got out, trying to get his mind off what they had just talked about. He was walking toward the store when he quickly turned around and ran to her door, opening it. "Alright. What's the first thing to get at the store?" He asked, smiling down at her, her hand tightly in his. "I hope we can do this quick. Being back home sounds nice."
Arabella passed him the list and she yawned a little bit. "We need more milk and cheese and things like that. I got rid of a bunch of stuff in our fridge before we left because I didn't want to come home to chunky milk" she said with a little nod.
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Arabella was chewing on her lip nervously, her stomach was tight and her heart was racing. The doctor's office felt very cold and empty but maybe that was just because she was so nervous. Her fingers brushed over the rough skin of Hunter's hand, which she held tightly in her lap with both of her hands. They had gone to the see the doctor right after finishing the shopping and they were anxiously waiting the results. Arabella turned her eyes away from the window and she looked down at Hunter's hand in her lap, trying to calm herself down a little bit. It would be okay. It had to be okay.
Hunter could barely breath. His entire body seemed to be shivering and the only thing that was keeping him sane was Arabella holding his hand in her lap. Hunter took a deep breath just as the Doctor walked back into the room. He found his place behind his desk and set a folder down on. He took a breath before speaking. "I have the results here." He said with a nod. "Mrs. Reed, you're in perfect health and fully able of having kids. Mr. Reed..." The way the doctor said his name made him cringe. His heart shot up into his throat and he couldn't breathe. "Sir, there are options for people with your condition." Hunter couldn't be there anymore. He couldn't be in this office. He needed to be somewhere else.
"Thanks for letting us know, doctor. Goodbye." He said, standing up slowly, his voice emotionless. It felt like something broke inside him and he just didn't know how to feel. He didn't want to look at Arabella's face. He couldn't look at her and see how much he let her down. They weren't going to have the family that they both wanted and it was all his fault. He couldn't stand the idea of being with her only to not have what the both wanted. Hunter got to the parking lot and got into the car. He didn't start it. He just sat there. Staring out the windshield.
Arabella pulled her feet up onto the seat, holding her knees close to her chest. She was staring down at her lap, trying to make sense of what the doctor had just told them. Her eyes were red and sore from holding back tears and her heart was tight. Everything that she had been dreaming about, everything she wanted was just thrown out the window. She could feel Hunter sitting beside her and she didn't know what to do. What was she supposed to say to him? Arabella wanted to comfort him and make him feel better but how could she do that when she desperately needed to be comforted herself? Arabella took a small breath and her eyebrows knitted together. "It's not fair..." She breathed, shaking her head. "It's not fair and it doesn't make any sense"
Hunter simply started the car and pulled out of the parking spot. He drove away from the hospital and towards his house. He could hear Arabella talking and whimpering slightly and he wanted to tell her that everything was okay and that everything was going to be alright and they were going to figure it out, but he couldn't bring himself to speak let alone look at her. He wished that he could just go back to this morning when they were blissfully ignorant as to why they weren't getting pregnant. Now, it was all gone. Their dream of having a family and growing old together with their family slipped through their fingers in a matter of seconds. Hunter took a shallow breath and tried to focus on driving enough to stop when the light turned red. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled breathlessly, hoping he could only hear it.
Arabella looked over at Hunter with a heartbroken look on her face. She just couldn't get her mind wrapped around the fact that they weren't going to have kids. Arabella took a little breath and she reached over to touch Hunter's hand but when her skin touched his, she felt him flinch and she took her hand away again. "Hunter...it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong" She said softly, deciding in that moment that she needed to be strong for him. No matter how badly she needed to breakdown and sob, she needed to be strong and she needed to be there for him.
Hunter blinked slowly. He was tempted to look over at her, but if he did then he knew that he might just become even more depressed. He just drove. Things that Hunter enjoyed before were now reminding him of everything that was wrong with him. Hunter took another shallow breath as he turned onto their street. He saw the houses and he knew that there would be kids in them all, but never in his. Returning home made it feel all too real and now he just wanted to sleep. For a long time. And hopefully, he wouldn't wake up to the nightmare that became a reality.
When Hunter parked the car at their home, Arabella sighed softly. She looked out of the window, pulling herself together for a moment before she turned towards Hunter. He was still staring out the window, looking broken and hollow. Seeing him like that broke Arabella's heart but she didn't know what she was supposed to do. "Why don't you go inside and lay down for a little bit." She said softly, starting to reach over to take his hand but she remembered the way he had flinched the last time and she took her hand back.
Hunter, without a word, got out of the car and walked into the house, not bothering to open Arabella's car door or letting her go in first. He held his keys in his left hand and shuffled into the living room where he sat down on one end of the couch, keys still in hand, his eyes unmoving from a spot on the wall. He wasn't sure why he was behaving this way, but it felt like his entire motivation was swept out from under him. He felt a head on his leg and he glanced down to see Ajax put his chin down on Hunter's thigh, letting out a little whimper, almost as if he could sense Hunter's despair.
Arabella watched Hunter as he walked to the living room and she closed her eyes, biting her lip. She wanted to go into that living room and curl up on his lap and kiss him and tell him that everything was going to be okay, but she got the feeling that he needed to be alone. Besides, her hands were starting to shake from the effort of holding back her tears. Arabella bent down and she picked up Jolie and Piggy then turned towards the stairs, going up to her bedroom. Gingerly, she placed the animals on the bed and then turned towards her closet. Tears started to slide down her cheeks and she stepped into her closet, going through her things and pulling out all kinds of clothes, cleaning it out. Arabella was desperate for something to distract her.
Hunter sighed a little, but didn't move. He didn't want to move. He felt bad for ignoring Arabella like this, but he he knew that it couldn't be anywhere as bad as how he disappointed her. Hunter looked down at his hands a moment and then put them back at his sides on the couch. Maybe if he ignored her then it would be easier to find someone better. Someone who she could raise a family with. Not Hunter.