Island Dreams - Chapter 31

Hello everyone.

Chapter 31 is finally here. I am sorry it took me a bit longer to post it, considering that the story is fully written... I have started another Rowaelin and in the past few days I had much fun writing that one and almost forgot I still had this one to finish. I am not saying anything about this chapter because it's a surprise but it's pure undiluted fluff.

I hope you'll love it.

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It was the beginning of August and Aelin had convinced Rowan to let her stay in the shop. Her mother would arrive in a couple of days and she had been alone at home for most of the time during the day. Rowan would go home during his lunch break to check on her and Lysandra would be with her on some of her days off. After she begged and pleaded and told him he was cruel to leave a pregnant woman all alone, in the end Rowan had caved and took her to work with him. She was now happily sitting on the comfy chair at the end of the shop and flipping through a kids book “What would you do if Lys gets the job?” Lysandra had finally got an interview for a job at the hospital and that day she was not at work because she had gone to the interview. “I will find an assistant. Although no one is as perfect as you and Lys.” Aelin was about to reply when sharp pain spread through her belly. She had been feeling funny all day but now she was suddenly in pain. Rowan was at her side in a second “Are you okay, what is happening?”

Aelin was folded over, holding her bump and breathing through the atrocious pain. “Are you having contractions?” “No, no this can’t be happening…” she managed through gritted teeth. “I need to get the car as close as possible. Stay here please. I’ll lock the shop.” Rowan ran out of the shop and Aelin sat back against the back of the chair practicing the breathing exercises she had learned at antenatal classes. She was half way through a breathing session when she felt something wet trickle between legs. “Fuck.” She swore when she realised her waters just broke. She was not ready. They had the birth all planned in two weeks. That was not the plan. She grabbed her phone and dialled Malcolm’s number. “Hey stranger, checking up on me?” Aelin did not reply straight away. “Mal…” she breathed out heavily “tell Yrene to be ready. Rowan and I will be on our…” she folded in two as pain spread again through her belly “the girls are coming.” “Are you okay? Are you in labour?” “No, I am in pain for pure fun.” Another breath “Of course I am in labour.” In that instant Rowan came back “I did manage to get the car round the corner.” He noticed her on the phone “Is that Mal?” Aelin nodded, not being able to talk. Rowan grabbed the phone “Mal, I am taking Aelin at the hospital right now. Tell Yrene to be ready. Looks like the girls have other plans.” He listened to the man on the other side and closed the call and passed the phone back to Aelin. “Let’s go.” He helped her stand “I asked the traffic warden to let me park beside the shop. I explained to them the situation.” “Whitethorn, I don’t care.” She growled. “How far apart are the contractions?” “How do I know? I have other things in my mind right now. So get a move on unless you want your daughters to be born in your shop.” She managed in one go before bending over in pain once again. Quickly they made it to the car and Aelin collapsed into the seat. Rowan was at the wheel in an instant. It took them ten minutes to get to the hospital and Aelin thought she had never felt more horrible pain in her life. Malcolm met them outside the hospital with a wheelchair “Yrene has a room ready for you and she is expecting you.” Then he turned to Rowan “Go, park the car. I’ll take her to the maternity ward.” Once parked the car he ran all the way to the maternity ward and saw Malcolm at the reception “Where is she?” “In her room with Yrene. She is over there.” He pointed at the room “just… wait a couple of minutes, Aelin might want some… privacy.” Rowan started pacing. “Hey, I gotta go back to work. Just keep me posted okay?” Rowan nodded “Thank you.” Once the man was gone, Rowan went back to pacing. A moment later he noticed Yrene leaving the room and the woman walked to him “Aelin is fine. The three of them are fine. They are a bit early but it happens a lot with twins.” Rowan finally started breathing again “She is only 2 cm, so she still has a long way to go and it will be a long day.” “What can I do to help?” He ran a hand through his hair “she is in so much pain and I feel useless.” Yrene put a hand on his arm “Stay with her, is all you can do. Try and keep her mind off the pain. Massage her back.” “Okay.” “I have to go but I will be back in an hour to see how she is doing.” Rowan went into the room and sat on the bed beside her and leaned over for a kiss. Aelin replied and deepened it, pulling him close by grabbing his t-shirt. Rowan was about to pull back and say that it was not appropriate but she kept him close and when her hand grabbed his and placed it on her breast he pulled back.”We are in a hospital.” He protested. “Rowan, love of my life, I am in a fuck load of pain that you have no idea.” She almost growled “Endorphins help with pain and sexual stimulation is a way to release them. So unless you want to put your hand between my legs and give me a good time, you will keep kissing me and play with my boobs until I tell you otherwise. Is that clear?” He leaned forward and kissed her with passion while his hand sneakily palmed her breast and Aelin moaned in satisfaction. “Feeling better?” He asked when he pulled away. She fully collapsed on the pillow “Can you see babies shooting out of my nether parts? So no, I am not better.” And as she said that she groaned through another contraction. “Sit on your knees.” Aelin was about to lash out another snarky remark but he stopped her “Sit on you haunches and turn your back to me.” She did that and Rowan started massaging her lower back. “I am sorry for my nasty comments.” Rowan leaned forward and kissed her neck “Aelin, don’t apologise. I can’t even imagine the level of pain you are in just now. And if making snarky comments helps you let out the frustration, just do it. You are the one doing the hard job. I guess my ego can take a bit of bashing.” “I love you.” She whispered through the pain. “Just because I bring you food.” Aelin laughed and was grateful he was there with her “thank you for being at my side.” “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.” He continued his massage. “I have so many sinful ideas just now.” A moan escaped her as his hands massaged a very painful spot. “Do you?” He asked while placing chaste kisses along her spine. “So, so sinful…” “Tell me…” And so she did.

It was in the middle of the night when Aelin grabbed Rowan’s hand and pulled him awake. He had fallen asleep on the bed beside her. “Ro…” her voice strained “Call Yrene, please.” And soon after she folded in two in pain, trying very hard not to scream. It was the middle of the night after all. The man jumped off the bed and went to call the doctor. When they came in Yrene went straight to check for Aelin “you did it. You are 10 cm. Are you ready to become a mum?” She grabbed Rowan’s hand and squeezed it hard “I will be here, Fireheart. I am here.” And kissed her head “I love you.” A nurse came in as well and Yrene took her position at the bottom of the bed between Aelin’s legs. Rowan went beside Aelin and took her hand in his “squeeze as much as you need.” Aelin nodded as contractions kept wrecking her body. “Ok Aelin, at the next contraction I need you to try and push as hard as you can.” Aelin screamed as the next contraction came and Rowan helped by pushing her forward. She squeezed his hand hard but he ignored it. She was in far much more pain. He kissed her head and kept silent. He didn’t want to distract her. “Fuck it hurts.” She shouted as she pushed one more time. “I can see the head.” Rowan leaned forward and spotted a tiny head covered in very thin layer of silver hair like his and smiled “It’s a disgusting show but beautiful at the same time.” “Listen to him, waxing poetic about my nether parts being ripped apart by another human being.” Yrene chuckled “you got a few more seconds before the next contraction. Take a deep breath.” Aelin tried but the next contraction came far too soon and lasted to what felt like an eternity. “I can’t do this. Make it stop.” Her head leaned heavily against Rowan’s chest. “Aelin, I have the shoulders out. A couple of more pushes and your first girl is out.” Aelin groaned and pushed and pushed until Yrene said the magical words “she is out.” Rowan froze, he stared at the little bundle in Yrene’s hands and almost cried. “Would like to cut the cord?” Offered Yrene and Rowan accepted eagerly not removing his eyes from his daughter. He was in awe. A doctor took the girl away and Rowan moved closer to Aelin and kissed her deeply “you are amazing.” In the distance they heard the cries of their girl. “She has good lungs.” Joked Aelin, resting for a moment before it was time for round two. Rowan kissed her again, deeper this time and his thumb brushed her cheek.

It was half an hour later when Aelin was ready again and Rowan took his position once more. Aelin started pushing again but Yrene stopped “wait.” “What?” Breathed an exhausted Aelin “get her out.” “She is breech.” “Of course she is.” Rowan brushed sweat off her brow. “It’s quite common in twins.” “What does it mean for the baby?” Asked Rowan worried. “I can deliver her safely, but it might take her a bit longer.” Explained Yrene “At least is the second one, which is a far better outcome.” Aelin went back to pushing following Yrene’s instructions. “I can see her tiny bum.” Said Rowan peeking again. “I feels anything but small, Whitethorn.” She growled through the pain. “She is a bit smaller than her sister and it’s helping.” Continued Yrene explaining what was happening “her feet and legs are now free. The worts part is gone. Again, a couple of pushes and she is out.” Rowan was transfixed, staring at his daughter slowly coming to life. Aelin gave a few final pushes and she eventually collapsed back on the bed, exhausted. Rowan was at her side in a moment after cutting the cord of his second daughter as well. “You did it, mo chridhe.” And kissed her forehead. “Are they okay?” Asked Rowan with apprehension. Yrene nodded. “We are doing some extra check since they are prematures but they are fine. The second one is a bit smaller but nothing to worry about. They are both healthy.” He sat beside Aelin and pulled her close to him, with his arm around her shoulders “You are amazing.” She leaned against his chest, a hand on his heart and he covered the hand with his “I love you.” In that instant two nurses came carrying a bundle each and Aelin was positive Rowan’s eyes were shining with tears. “There is someone who would like to meet you.” They passed one baby to Aelin and Rowan took the other one and Aelin almost laughed, she seemed even smaller in Rowan’s arms. He sat back down, the four of them all close. “They are gorgeous.” Said Rowan who was already in love. One of them cracked her eyes open “they have your green eyes,” then she lifted her tiny wooly hat and noticed the very thin layer of silver hair “they are your clones,” joked Aelin. “We need to decide who is Freyja and who is Morrigan.” Aelin looked at the twins and then at the girl in her arms “I think she is Freyja and you have Morrigan.” “How do you know?” “I just do…” He trusted her “Hi Morrigan,” he kissed the little girl “I am your dad and I love you madly.”

Once Aelin was in a better state, he passed Morrigan back to her and started taking photos of them three. “Your phone is going to be full of photos of our daughters very soon. Please don’t be the type of dad who shows picture of their children to every single person.” “I cannot make any promises. I have two beautiful daughters and I am a very proud dad.” He trafficked with his phone “I sent photos to Mal, Lys, your mum and my aunt.” “Look at you, before I came into your life you didn’t even have a phone and now you can even send pictures in messages and have at least five contacts.” He smiled “Mal says he is coming to visit as soon as he has a break, Lys is running some errands, your mum just said that she is looking forward to see her granddaughters tomorrow and my aunt said she is coming as soon as she closes for the day.” “Come back here with us.” Rowan pocketed his phone and sat back beside her, enveloping Aelin in an embrace. The twins were on her lap and he was playing with one of them “they are so tiny.” “They didn’t feel tiny when I was pushing them out of my nether parts.” Rowan kissed her temple “I am in awe.” Rowan played with Freyja who seemed the most lively of the two. Morrigan was content to be in her mother’s lap and stare up at them both.

Lysandra arrived a few hours later. Aelin was sleeping and Rowan was keeping an eye on the twins who went back to their small crib and they were both sleeping as well after they had been fed and burped. “Hi,” whispered Lysandra when she got in the room and noticed Aelin and the girls sleeping. She moved to the crib and almost squealed. “They are beautiful.” The man gave her an exhausted smile. “Hey, I am free. Go home, have a snooze or a shower. I’ll stay here.” “You don’t have to.” “I know, but I want to. Everyone is sleeping and it looks like you should as well.” Rowan nodded “I have to get clothes for Aelin and the twins anyway.” He stood and gently kissed both girls. Once he was away Lysandra leaned on the crib “you girls are lucky, your mum and dad love you madly.”

***

During one of the first nights they had gotten back home with the twins, Rowan woke up all of a sudden and he thought he heard a sound coming from the baby monitor. Slowly he turned and got off the bed and smiled when he noticed that Aelin was still sleeping. She had been exhausted and needed sleep. He grabbed the baby monitor and walked to the nursery. Freyja was awake while her sister Morrigan was still sleeping soundly. He reached into the crib and grabbed his daughter. Freyja was definitely the one with fire in her and she reminded him a lot of Aelin. She was the loudest and most active. Morrigan had been much calmer and cried much less than her sister and she was the one sleeping the longest during the night. Aelin had joked that they had one each, saying that Morrigan was his clone. “What is it, my love?” He brought Freyja against his shoulder and the girl snuggled against him. He started walking while gently patting her back. He went to the the dresser and grabbed a book and started reading it while walking and holding his daughter. “Shhh… dad is here. Does your tummy hurt?” he kissed her tiny head and after a few more minutes she stopped crying. He put the book down and kept walking while singing her a lullaby in Gaelic. He and Aelin had discussed the whole Gaelic thing and Aelin had begged him to teach the language to their daughters. That had made him very happy. Desperation almost took him when she started crying again “No… shhh…” he went back walking but there was nothing he could do. The book suggested she might hungry as well. But that implied waking up Aelin and he didn’t want to do that but they had no spare milk left for the night, a grave mistake he was going to fix very soon, and he could not stand any longer the sound of his daughter crying. In that instant a figure appeared on the doorstep “I tried but I can’t make her stop.” Aelin stopped in front of him and took Freyja from him “because you don’t have boobs.” She sat on the rocking chair and a moment later Freyja was eating happily. He kneeled at her side and stared at his daughter having her late night snack. He kissed Aelin’s shoulder “I tried not to wake you.” Aelin gave him a sleepy smile “I know, but as I said, I am the one with the boobs and she needs me.” Aelin rocked back on the chair and shifted to a more comfortable position, Rowan still kneeling at her side, restraining himself to caress the baby. Aelin had told him not to disturb the girls while they were eating, so he was juts happy to watch them. “Sing again.” Aelin asked him. His face went pale white. “I heard you and I loved it. Please.” His arm went around Freyja and he leaned his head against Aelin’s arm and started singing the lullaby he had been singing to his daughter. After a few moments Freyja detached from her mother and gurgled happily “my little greedy guts is happy now?” Aelin’s hand brushed the baby’s head. “I’ll burp her,” said Rowan picking up the baby again. Then he went to grab a bib and placed it on his shoulder and let Freyja snuggle against him again “Now, let’s say thank you to mum for dinner.” He grabbed the little girl’s hand and waved it toward Aelin “thanks mom. Dinner was amazing.” He said in a tiny voice and Aelin laughed. Rowan had been just as amazing as she had thought. He had offered to take the night shift for her, he had taken some time off from the shop. They had hired Malcolm’s sister who had proved to be a blessing and allowed him to stay away for a while without worrying. He had been doing all the chores in the house, the cooking and anything else it needed done just to allow her to rest. She had been feeling constantly exhausted and she was still a bit sore. It had only been five days since she had the twins and Yrene had told her it was perfectly normal. So Rowan had reached a new level of fussing and she had let him. Seeing him with his daughters filled her heart with joy. He had been walking back and forth in the room and had started telling Freyja a story filled with dragons, mythical creatures, the usual warriors and the amazing badass female character. She leaned back on the chair and listened to him when she noticed that Morrigan was awake as well “hello my darling girl, do you want to listen to dad as well?” She picked up the girl and hugged her close to her chest “did your sister wake you?” And she kissed her thin layer of silver hair. The baby cooed in response. “Looks like Morrigan wants to listen to the story too.” It was much later when the twins finally went back to sleep and Rowan carried an exhausted Aelin in his arms back to their bedroom. He placed her gently on the bed and followed her. Aelin snuggled close to him and hid her face in the crook of his neck inhaling his scent. His arm wrapped around her and one leg draped over hers, enveloping Aelin in a cocoon that she seemed to enjoy very much now that they could snuggle closer again. “Will you finish telling me the story?” Rowan laughed “it was just a silly thing to create white noise for Freyja.” “But I liked it.” She complained kissing his neck in a sexy way. Sex would be off the table for a while but she needed the closeness with him. He shifted his head and she looked up at him “I had a crazy idea.” “Tell me.” She looked into his green eyes. “I was thinking about writing a book. A Fantasy.” “Will I be in it?” Rowan laughed loudly and kissed her on her lips “And who would you like to be, mo chridhe?” “Well, the queen, of course.” “Of course.” “And there has to be a silver haired knight who is a grumpy old man with an ice-like heart who is amazing with a crossbow.” She continued, brushing his hair with her hand. “And I can assume that the above mentioned queen is interested in the warrior?” “Oh yeah. She wants to bang him night and day but he is her captain of the guard. And he hates her because he is common born and her father killed loads of innocents, his family included. Such a tragic past.” “But he still serves her? Fireheart, that doesn’t make sense.” “Well, you are the writer, you fix it. But I am picky about my future man and as a queen I want the best.” He kissed her again, smiling against her lips “I will do my best, your highness.” Her hand sneaked under his t-shirt and brushed his chest and he stopped her hand when it started to wander south “Aelin…” “Just as thank you…” He crushed her to him, her arms blocked between them “there is no need.” She pushed free from him “you don’t find me attractive anymore.” Rowan grabbed her hand and placed it on his heart “I still do. Very, very much.” And he gave her a very deep kiss to prove to her just how much he was attracted to her “When the time is right, I will show you again just how much. But not now. You need to heal and desire might be… lacking.” “Yeah but my hands or mouth do not need to heal.” Another kiss “when we will be able to be together that way again I want all of you. And although I appreciate your… ministrations… I want the whole thing. Which means I can wait.” Aelin chuckled “you are such a strange man” she told him “another male would have taken anything. You on the other hand…” “You should know by now that I am weird.” “And I love you even more for that.”she kissed him “just don’t hog the shower too much.” And she winked at him. Rowan pulled her closer again, feeling the need for contact with her “I still find you as stunning as the day you walked into my shop and took my breath away.”

A couple of week had passed since the twins had entered their lives and Rowan never felt more tired in his life. Sleep had become a luxury and he did his best as well to be useful in the house and also help Aelin with the girls. It was a Saturday and he had let Aelin go with Lysandra and have a girls day the two of them and Aelin wanted to go and started to get her wedding dress ready. The wedding was only a month away and they had been busy. He had offered to take the twins for the day and now he was strolling through the Lews castle grounds with the pram and the twins in it. Both girls were awake and cooing happily. He took the path along the coastline and got away from the town and sat down on a bench the pram in front of him. “Do you want to see the sea?” He asked them. He grabbed Freyja, the girls had a blue dress with a big sunflower on, courtesy of Lysandra who had been spoiling the twins with cute clothes. He took the girl in his arms and she leaned against him. Rowan laughed, she had been dribbling all over her dress. He grabbed the bib and dried her mouth “you are messy, are you? Dribbling all over Aunt Lys’ dress.” He kissed her head and the little one gave him a tiny smile. Then he put her back down and grabbed Morrigan and the girl gave him a big toothless smile “you like it, eh?” And he kissed her as well. He put Morrigan back in the pram and kept walking enjoying the lovely day. Summer had been lingering a bit longer that year and he was hoping that it would resist a bit longer so they could have a dry wedding. Walking along the coast he started telling the girls stories of pirates and epic battles at sea until the twins fell asleep, entangled in each other arms as they had been doing every single day. A couple of passerby stopped to talk to him and have a look at the twins and he felt a swell of pride in showing off his daughters. Until he noticed a figure in the distance. She was running. That was new. The woman recognised him and stopped and walked toward him. “Hi, Ro.” “Hi Lyria.” “Is that your new job? Babysitting kids?” She asked, removing the headphones from her ears. “I am taking my daughters for a stroll.” Lyria’s face froze “your daughters. As in yours and hers?” “Her name is Aelin and yes, they are our daughters.” “What were you thinking?” “Excuse me?” Rowan’s temper was rising. “You have known the woman for what, a year? And you already have kids?” She brushed a hand through her brown hair “are you that desperate for affection and a family that you would settle for the first woman who was willing to take you?” Rowan breathed in. Never hit a woman. Never hit a woman. His hands fisted on the handle of the pram “I am happy, Lyria. I finally have a woman who truly loves me. And now I have two daughters as well. I have all I need.” “Gee Whitethorn, since when you are such a sappy romantic, boring old man? What happened to you?” Freyja started crying and he lifted her in his arms and rocked her gently until she stopped. Lyria finally looked at the girl “she looks like you.” “Yes, but Freyja is fiery like her mother. Morrigan is more like me.” “Morrigan? Do you hate your daughter that much?” Rowan ignored her and concentrated on his daughter “shhh go back to sleep. We’ll keep walking in a second.” He kissed her head and put her back in the pram with her sister. “So how is fatherhood treating you? Any regrets?” Rowan glared at her “why would I have any regrets? Aelin and I did not plan this but we were both happy when we found out. No regrets. We wanted this. Both of us.” “Are you mad at me because I did not want kids?” Rowan groaned “No. It was your choice and I respect it. I am civilised enough to know that this is not something all women want and I respect it. But I did. And I am glad that things ended the way they did because in the end we wanted different things and forcing the other to take a road against their will would have ended badly. I loved you, but it was not meant to be.” He concluded and felt relieved all of a sudden it was as if he was finally reaching closure. “Well, I have a man now. He is a lawyer and happy to spoil me to no end. We have a big house and we travel a lot. And he does not want a family.” “Well, good for you. If that’s what you want then it’s fine. I am glad you finally have the right man and right life for you.” She took a step toward him “I loved you, you know?” Rowan shook his head “I think you loved the spotlight more.” He added “after my injury you changed with me.” “You became difficult to deal with.” “I was in pain, Lyria. Rehab was hell and I had lost my shot at competing in the Olympics. Forever.” He almost shouted back “not once I got a bit of support from you. We were engaged and not once I had support from my fiancee.” “What did you want, a red carpet?” She snapped back. “No. Just you. I wanted you.” He brushed a hand through his hair “You know what? It doesn’t matter. It’s all in the past. Fighting now is pointless.” Both girls started to cry and Rowan rocked the pram “I need to go.” “Fine, go, have your perfect life with your perfect woman.” “I wish you all the best, Lyria. I wish you the life you always wanted.” And he walked away. Lyria was stuck on the spot staring at him walking away with the pram and his words rang true in her ears. Yes, they had wanted different things and in the end it had been for the best.

Rowan kept walking, the twins had gone back to sleep as soon as the pram started moving again and he was deep in thought. “That was Lyria,” he sad to his girls “your dad once loved her. But don’t worry, now I love only your mum.” Freyja spat out her her pacifier and Rowan put it back before she started crying again. He saw the afternoon ferry coming in and he stopped looking at it while it got closer to the port. Freyja was awake again and he lifted her in his arms and the little girl snuggled against him “You mum took that ferry,” he said pointing at the big boat and she looked at him “She travelled from far away and arrived here and then came to see dad.” He kissed her tiny head “She was beautiful. She still is. Don’t listen to her when she complains. She still makes dad’s knees go jelly.” And he laughed “she is fierce, intelligent and stubborn and she makes me so happy. Just as you and your sister do.” Gently he bounced his daughter and the girl cooed happily. His phone pinged and awkwardly he grabbed it from his pocket “look, mum is checking on us.” Freyja made a cute noise and then decided that eating her hand was more interesting. He lifted the phone and took a photo of him and Freyja and sent it to Aelin then added that Morrigan was having an affair with the pillow and sleeping happily. Holding his daughter, he kept walking pushing the pram. The phone pinged again but this time it was Aedion. The man was free and since Lys was with Aelin he had asked to meet up. Rowan had explained where he was and now was waiting for the man to join him. He noticed Aedion’s blonde mop of hair half an hour later. “Look Freyja, uncle Aedion is coming.” Aedion joined them and kissed the little girl “hello gorgeous.” Then took the girl from Rowan’s arms. In that instant Morrigan decide to wake up and Rowan picked her up “look who has decided to join the party.” Morrigan smiled to her dad and she snuggled in the crook of his neck. “Any news from our girls?” “Aelin texted me saying she and Lys are having fun shopping and that her wedding dress is now officially in the works.” “Good,” said Aedion bouncing Freyja “I think they needed some time together.” “Aelin needed to get out of the house.” Freyja made some noises and Aedion laughed “you are wonderful.” Aedion kissed her head “Uncle Aedion will spoil you rotten.” Rowan laughed. They were both leaning against the wall when they noticed a few women throwing glances in their direction and smiling. Some of them even stopped talking and playing with the girls. “Ro?” “I know. They are chicks magnets.” He joked. They both laughed “we are both men in two very committed relationship and with two very jealous partners.” “Hey, I love Lys. It took me ages to get her, I am not letting her go.” “Good, Lys is a great woman.” Rowan added. “She is incredible.” And he smiled “Your aunt is super awesome, you know? Just as fierce as your mum.” Freyja replied with a soft noise “Do you think I should ask her to marry me? What do you think, Freyja?” Rowan’s eyes popped in surprise “Really?” “Maybe in a bit but yeah, why not?” “If you are sure, go for it.” Replied Rowan lifting Morrigan to his face “Lovely. We have a code brown.” He declared. “Now, that’s a part of fatherhood I am not looking forward to.” “There is no escaping it.” Rowan put Morrigan back in the pram and took Freyja back as well “let’s go to my aunt. Text our women and see if they are done and want to meet us there.” “Yes sir.” They started walking back into town where Aelin and Lysandra had agreed to meet them. They arrived in town and went straight to Maeve’s and Rowan ran for the bathrooms. Morrigan was now sobbing heavily. Aelin and Lysandra arrived in the cafe not long after and both went straight to the pram “I am missing a man and a daughter.” Said Aelin looking around the place. “Code brown,” explained Aedion. A moment later Maeve joined them and went straight to her great niece “hello my darling.” Rowan returned ten minutes later with a Morrigan who had finally stopped crying but her eyes were still puffy. “No, my love, come here.” Rowan passed the girl to her mother and kissed Aelin. “Did you have a good time with them?” She asked him. “Wonderful, didn’t we girls?” And he grabbed Freyja’s hand. Their order arrived and they began eating and chatting away and Aelin started telling Rowan all about the dress without going into too many details. Until Freyja began fussing and Aelin knew she was hungry again. Apparently her daughter was a bottomless pit like her. She took a small blanket and draped it around herself and brought her daughter against her chest to feed her. She knew Maeve had no issues with her breastfeeding and the woman had made it abundantly clear. But on a few occasions she had encountered some resistance. “The blanket is stupid.” Growled Lysandra “they all love a pair of boobs, but if a child is attached to them, all of a sudden is outrageous.” She said a bit too loudly. “Lys, please. I know, but I am too tired to argue.” “Well, I am not.” And Lysandra crossed her arms around her chest. Aelin loved her friend. They could be both stubborn and fierce at the same level. Aedion took her hand “calm down.” “No.” She replied stubbornly “Society sucks. Breastfeeding is natural. And it infuriates me that a woman has to hide her child under a blanket as if it’s something to be ashamed of.” Aelin laughed at her friend’s rant and it took her down to memory lane. To a time when they were much younger and still med students. When they would join marches in London for human rights, for women’s rights. They also attended a few gay prides. Aelin had to stop once she started going out with Chaol. He had mentioned to her that he could not afford to have a girlfriend attending marches and protests. For a while she rebelled then when once they almost got arrested they had decided to calm down. “Lys is just reliving her old days as a proper protester.” Joked Aelin and Lysandra’s eyes shined in joy. Rowan and Aedion looked at them with concern. “When Aelin and I were still students we loved to join marches and protests in London. Anything that had to do with achieving equality and more rights, we were there. We have also a few gay prides under our belts.” “I had no idea…” said Aedion who had known both of them for a long time. “I think I am falling in love all over again.” Admitted Rowan kissing Aelin. “I think we shocked our two men.” Added Aelin. Rowan took Freyja from her and went for a walk to burp her. “He is adorable with the girls.” Commented Lysandra staring at Rowan walking around the cafe to burp his daughter. “So did you get the dress?” Asked Aedion curiously. Aelin nodded and took out her phone and showed him some pictures “this is just a drawing, but it gives you an idea, and they are Rowan’s colours.” “You are going to look wonderful.” He commented then turned to Lys. “I have a dress but I am not showing you any pictures. It’s a surprise.” “You are not the one getting married.” He protested. “Still, I am not showing you.” “She is gorgeous.” Added Aelin, patting the man’s hand “just please don’t leave the wedding too early to make me an aunt.” The couple laughed. A few minutes later Rowan came back and once Freyja was down they had to do everything all over again as Morrigan woke up for her lunch. The four of them spent the afternoon together. Rowan and Aedion took the two women for ice cream and enjoyed the summer day down at the park until it began to get a bit late and Rowan and Aelin declared it was time for them to get back home and tuck the twins in bed.

It was much later in the day and Rowan and Aelin were in the nursery. They had just put their daughters to bed after being fed, burped and changed. Aelin was standing near the crib and Rowan had his arms around her waist, her back pressed against his chest and kissed her behind the ear “they are perfect.” She squeezed his hand on her belly “I love them so much.” Rowan kissed her again and then both stayed in silence staring at the twin sleeping peacefully. Rowan sighed “I met Lyria today.” It had been nothing but he did not want to hide anything from her. Aelin turned to face him “where?” “At Lews castle grounds. I was walking with the twins and she appeared.” “And?” Rowan sighed again “she called me crazy for having children already. And then same old story, my fault she stopped loving me, I changed after the injury. And she bragged that she finally has a man who spoils her and is not obsessed with family.” Aelin hugged him “her loss, my gain.” “She always makes me pass like the bad guy.” He said angrily but whispering not to wake the twins. Aelin grabbed his hand and dragged him to their bedroom. “Go on, let it go.” Rowan paced back and forth and the groaned in frustration “I proposed because as a bloody moron I thought we were in love. Once we were over she told me that I only thought about having a family and she felt trapped in something she did not want.” He kept pacing “I never ever pushed her. We had the discussion once. One time and at the time she told me she wanted it too. Then all of a sudden I am this oppressive ogre of a man.” Aelin let him pace, she felt that he needed to get that put of his chest. “And then she had the guts to tell me I settled for the first woman who was willing to give me the affection and the family I craved like the desperate man I am according to her.” “She said what?” Shouted Aelin outraged “How dare she? Who made the bitch the fucking queen of the world, giving her power to judge people like that?” Aelin was now shouting and when she turned to Rowan she noticed pain in his eyes and it enraged her that that horrible woman still had the power to break him. She walked to him and folded her arms around him “I wanted all of this, Ro. With you.” She felt him shudder in her arms “My parents loved each other,” she heard him whisper against her neck “they loved me and they did their best to prove it every single day. I lost them a long time ago but I still miss them. I lost my family early.” She kissed his head “why do I need to feel bad for wanting my own? And to have kids to love the same way my parents loved me?” His confession almost broke her heart “there is nothing wrong, mo chridhe, and I am positive that your parents are very proud of how much you care for your daughters.” She squeezed him tight and she felt his shudders slowly stop “Next time I see her, nothing will stop me from punching her. I swear I’ll kick her arse so badly she won’t be able to sit for a week.” Rowan finally laughed “my Fireheart.” He lifted Aelin in his arms and he walked to the bed where he put her down and then stretched at her side and Aelin curled up against him. One arm draped over her side and with the other he pulled the blankets over them. “I am curious to see you in your wedding dress.” She kissed him “all I can tell you is that I am still hot.” “I have no doubts.” “I got cute dresses for the girls. I forgot to show them to you. They are purple and blue as well, so they follow your tartan colours. They are adorable.” “Tomorrow.” He added squishing her to his chest “now we need to sleep. We don’t know when out two terrors will wake up again.” “That is a great plan, my love.” She kissed his nose and within ten minutes they both were asleep in each others arms.

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@rowaelinismyotp

Island Dreams - Chapter 27

Welcome to chapter 27.

So, we are still in Glasgow. Our two lovebird are having a tourist day and Rowan is showing Aelin some of his favourite sites of Glasgow.

Later on there is a moment that has a warning: your ovaries might explode because Rowan is just... let's just say that he will be such an amazing dad.

His accent has a bit of a transformation and he goes into Glasgow mode and in my head Rowan with a Glaswegian accent is so sexy that I want to cry.

In this chapter they cover quite a lot of ground and all the places I mentioned they do exist. These are the cloisters: https://i.redd.it/mxant25n4zh01.jpg. Glasgow uni is a truly amazing site but I particularly adore the cloister and the image does not do any justice at all to the place. This is Kelvingrove: https://peoplemakeglasgow.com/images/Things_to_do/Museums_and_galleries/Kelvingrove-995.jpg. another place that has a special place in my heart. Because it's free, every time I am in Glasgow I go in.

The Hunterian Museum is one of those hidden gems that when I was still working in tourism I used to recommend to everyone visiting Glasgow. It's incredible and the medical section is my favourite.

The Korean restaurant they visit is called Bibimbap and it's a place I adore a lot. Glasgow has a Lego store and like Aelin I always want to spend my entire salary in it.

I adore Glasgow. Deeply and as Rowan said, it's a very underrated place. I worked in tourism for almost 9 years and 95% of the people wanted to go to Edinburgh and bypassed and ignored Glasgow altogether. It's a shame. Its people are amazing and the city has so, so much to offer. I am waiting for lockdown to be over so I can go back.

Ok, I finished playing tourist office for Glasgow.

I leave you to the chapter <3

(If there are typos, as usual I am sorry, but after a long day at work my brain does not cooperate anymore)

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The following morning it was Aelin to be the first one up. Her stomach was grumbling loudly and she was starving. Slowly she disentangled herself from Rowan and went to the bathroom to get ready. She grabbed her phone and the forecast said another day of high temperatures so she dressed lightly. She was finishing getting ready when Rowan finally woke up. “I woke up before you for once.” She gloated. Rowan rolled on his back and stretched out his limbs “did you three sleep well?” She walked to the edge of the bed and sat beside him. He took her hand and kissed it, then sat up and kissed the bump and then Aelin “morning, my darlings.” “I slept beautifully. I was so tired that it did not take me long to pass out.” “And how do you feel this morning?” “I need to eat and then I am ready to explore.” She admitted while finishing packing her bag for the day. Rowan laughed “let me get dressed.”

Aelin sat on the bed and stared at him while he was getting changed “nice ass, Whitethorn.” In response he wiggled it and Aelin burst out in laughter “now get a move on. I am hungry.” “Fine.” He was ready in five minutes and together they walked downstairs for breakfast which turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. Aelin had not been impressed by it and claimed that the option of continental breakfast was not exceptional so Rowan promised to take her to a nice place for a proper nice breakfast. Once they got back to their room Rowan prepared his backpack, which was now much lighter since all the snacks had disappeared. “Give me your hoodie.” “It’s a lovely day.” She protested. “Yes, Fireheart, but you have lived in Scotland long enough to know that it might not stay like that.” She gave him the hoodie and he packed it away, leaving Aelin with just her small bag. He grabbed their two water bottles “remind me to ask the hotel if they can fill these up for us.” Ten minutes later they were outside the hotel and Aelin was giddy “come on, old man. I want to explore.” Rowan took her for breakfast as promised and she was very satisfied with the place and declared that for the next few days that’s where they were going. Later on they arrived at Kelvingrove and entered the museum and noticed the sign saying that the following day they were going to close for a wedding reception. Aelin smiled at him and pointed at the sign “it’s the first time I go to a wedding reception inside a museum and a wedding inside a university. It’s so cool. I feel so special.” Inside the main hall they noticed the staff was busy at work setting up the tables and chairs for the following day. Aelin was stunned. The place was a dream with incredible architecture and at the end of the main hall there was an organ and Rowan explained to her that from time to time it was used and they had concerts. Rowan dragged her around the museum and they had great fun in the technology section were they fought off kids for a chance to play with the installations “they should stop hogging the displays, it’s not just for them.” Whispered Aelin. “Such a lovely maternal instinct.” “I want to play too.” She protested. Wondering around, Aelin had no idea where to look. There were plastic heads hanging from the ceiling in one of the halls, whereas in another one there was what she thought was a Spitfire. She had listened enough of Aedion’s talks about planes to have a general and very basic knowledge of some famous models. She took a photo and sent it to him. His reply came quickly and she laughed. “What?” “Aedion is jealous that I have a Spitfire hanging from my head.” “You need to tell him about two airshows we have every year in Scotland. The Red Arrows and the Typhoons are always there. I bet he’d love to be there.” “I’ll tell him straight away. He did three years in the Red Arrows. He probably performed in them.” “No way.” “Oh yeah, he is that awesome as a pilot.” It took them a few hours before they left the museum. Aelin loved it so much that Rowan had to literally drag her out with the excuse that there was so much more they had to see. They continued their walk inside Kelvingrove park and sat down for a while allowing Aelin to rest. “It’s amazing that there is such an incredible park near a university. I love it.” He pulled her close “On a sunny day I used to come and study in the park instead of the library. This area is my favourite part of Glasgow and it has some fantastic places where to eat.” “Are you okay for another walk or shall we sit a bit longer?”Aelin turned and leaned her back against him. Rowan, moved as well and placed his legs at each side of her and pulled Aelin against his chest. “Let’s relax a bit longer. It’s so nice around here.” “I was in student accommodation the first year,” he started telling her, “but then my friends and I found a flat just around the corner on Argyll st. I used to come for morning runs here, the park is very extensive.” “This is the only corner I have seen so far but it seems like a beautiful city.” She felt Rowan nod “It’s quite snubbed and very underrated. People tend to flock to Edinburgh and ignore Glasgow. Yes, it’s much more industrial, but that’s its heart and its identity. Glasgow was an industrial city famous for shipbuilding and, if you feel like it, we can walk a bit along the Clyde and you will see what I mean.” He kissed her ear “Its people are incredible and very friendly. It also has one of the best musical scenes in Scotland. I used to go to so many concerts.” “Did you regret going away?” “I…” he paused “I adore Glasgow. It has a special place in my heart, but I missed the islands. I could not see myself living in a big city no matter the advantages.” “You accent has changed a bit.” Rowan laughed hard “I ken. After four years of uni here I had lost my islands accent and I did sound like a proper weegie.” “A what?” “A weegie is someone fae Glasgow.” And in that moment she heard the heavy shift in his accent. Aelin finally sat back up “come on weegie, let’s go and see this uni of yours.” Rowan stood and pulled her to him for a kiss “it means a lot to share all of this with you.” She smiled “I am just trying to imagine a younger you in this environment.” He took her hand and slowly they started walking towards the university. “One step at a time, the road goes uphill.” Aelin had to stop a lot “drat, this is painful.” She said breathless. “Take your time.” Eventually they made it to the university main building and Aelin sat down on one of the benches in the main courtyard “Let me take a breath and then I will be ready to admire this beautiful place.” He kissed her head “all the time you need.” He stood in front of her “I have a few ideas for the rest of the day. It’s still quite early so we can do the uni. Then how do you feel about the Science centre? We can go there by public transport.” “In London I was obsessed with he national science museum. So, yeah, I am all for it.” “Then we can have a short walk along the Clyde just to show you and then take the bus back into town.” He brushed her hair “We can have lunch. Are you still craving Korean?” Aelin nodded vigorously. “Good, a restaurant might not cause any issues because I assume they know how to cook it. There is an incredible one in the centre.” “Done. What else?” “There are a few options and it all depends on how you feel.” “Unless I have to climb another mountain I am fine.” “So no Necropolis, then. We can stroll around Buchanan st. you can also do some shopping if you’d like. We can visit the merchant quarter which is quite charming and very central as well and if we are lucky we can catch a tour of Glasgow City chambers which is basically the HQ of Glasgow city council but it’s a spectacular building.” He offered “or we can go to Waterstones.” “Whitethorn, you are setting foot in a chain?” Aelin had quickly learned that Rowan was a great supporter of independent shops. Tesco was the only chain they used and just because it was handy for grocery shopping. He was a strong supporter of the community and hated mass produced stuff. “I know, but I love it. I must admit it’s a guilty pleasure. But it’s still books. Uh, I forgot, there is also a Lego store in one of the shopping centres.” “Ok, let’s visit the uni, then go to the science museum and take a walk along the river. Once we are in the centre we’ll have lunch and we go from there. But I definitely love the bookshop idea and the lego store.” “Good.” She gave him her hand and he took it and helped her get up “are you sure?” “Yes, I am rested enough.” They started walking along the uni quadrangles and Aelin had a feeling of being back in time. The building was magnificent and Rowan was playing cicerone and telling her all about every single building they were meeting. Then he stopped and placed his hands on her eyes. “What are you doing?” “Surprise.” He pushed and she started walking under his guidance. Once he was in the spot he wanted, he removed the hands and Aelin gasped. “Welcome to the cloisters.” The cloisters were nothing but low arches, but surrounded by the rest on the ancient building, they appeared like a wonderful and magical place. “This is gorgeous.” She walked around in a daze admiring he site “this is such a magnificent place where to get married.” Aelin took a few pictures and Rowan took a few of her while she was wandering around. She had the most amazing expression of delight in her face. She moved to him and folded her arms around him as much as the bump allowed it “dance with me.” He kissed her and his arms reached around her back and started swaying a little and humming a song in her ear. Luckily they were alone and they were not giving anyone a show. “It feels like the perfect place from a fantasy novel. I don’t know why.” “I always thought it like the main path to the house of an old wizard secretly living in the uni grounds. The kind of place where you would see people in dark cloaks strutting about or a couple of knights.” “I love that your mind wanders in the same places as mine and that we are weird together.” “I love my weirdo.” He said while making her twirl. Then he stopped and bowed to her “my Queen.” Aelin giggled “I really need to find you a sword. One of those fake ones people use for cosplays and such.” He grinned and took her hand “come, there is a place that I am positive you will adore.” She followed him and took a final look at the cloisters and tried to imagine it with a wedding happening under them. “Ok, there are steps unfortunately, but it will be worth it.” “Is it a collection of your pictures when you were a student. Naked ones perhaps?” Rowan laughed “no.” “That’s disappointing.” “It’s my favourite museum of all times. It’s called the Hunterian and there are two rooms that as a doctor I am positive you will adore.” At the top of the stairs Aelin stopped, breathless “I know it’s an historical building, but a friggin lift would be lovely.” He passed the water bottle to her “drink a little.” Once she was done they entered the museum and Aelin gasped. Rowan took her hand “Let’s go to the cool parts first then we’ll do the rest of the museum.” She followed him in silence. They reached a section and Aelin noticed it was all medical based. “This area is basically the history of medicine.” “No way.” Aelin started to walk around, amazed at what she was seeing “I did an elective on the history of medicine and it was fascinating.” “Ro, this is incredible.” Aelin left his hand and started wandering around in a daze “This is how it all started. How doctors started to discover how to cure diseases, although methods in the past might have been at times a bit unorthodox. This is it.” She kept walking along the cases admiring displays of ancient medical tools. This time it was Aelin’s time to be the guide and she was giving him a run through of what they were seeing. Rowan stared at her in fascination. Her face lit up in a joyful expression while she was admiring the collection. Once they finished the room, Rowan took her to the next surprise. “If you loved the other room, I have a feeling you will adore this one. Mr Hunter had an incredible collection of anatomical and pathological specimen and they were donated to the museum. The others are in the anatomy museum down the road.” “Can we go there, please?” “Of course. I have never been there so it will be a novelty for me too.” Aelin left him at the entrance and stepped into the room. Large glass cases stood all around and in the middle and inside she could see jars with formaldehyde and what she was positive were body parts. “Hunter was a pioneer anatomist and obstetrician. That’s why there are so many foetuses. He studied them and all the pathologies connected.” “Like all interns I had to take anatomy classes and we had to dissect cadavers. I was the only one who actually enjoyed those classes and never puked. I found it always so fascinating and for a while I had even contemplated becoming and pathologist and do post mortem and all that stuff.” “What made you change your mind?” “The rush that I would get in the A&E. I specialised in cardio thoracic and applied it to an emergency setting and I fell in love with it..” She kept walking “This collection is something incredible. Aelin stopped and stared at an heart without any blood in it. Rowan put his arms around her and his chin on her head. “A heart without blood looks so weird.” He commented. Aelin chuckled “I will never forget the day I held a beating human heart in my hands for the very first time.” “Tell me.” “I was assisting my mentor and he left me perform the surgery under his supervision. We knew there was damage but there was so much blood that it was impossible to see anything. So very gently I took the heart in my hand to try and find the damage. It was warm and beating, albeit slowly, against my palm. I literally had someone’s life in my hands.” “You are such a badass.” He joked. Aelin was explaining something to Rowan when a group of teenagers came beside them and the girls started to complain that the displays were disgusting. “What is this.” Asked one of the teens pointing at the jar with an empty heart that Aelin had just finished to admire.” “Looks like a lump of flesh.” Said one of them. “It’s a heart.” Aelin corrected him “That’s how a heart looks when there is no blood circulating.” She explained. “That is not a heart.” Aelin was on the verge of loosing her patience and Rowan placed a hand on her lower back “I am a doctor. I know how a heart looks like.” “It’s disgusting.” Aelin sighed and luckily the group moved away. “What?” She asked when she noticed Rowan’s stare “they ruined my enjoyment of this museum with their stupid comments.” “They were teenagers.” “So what? They were fucking stupid.” Rowan sighed and pulled her to him trying to calm her down “Come, let’s go and see the piece of a meteorite that landed near Glasgow.” They went to see the meteorite and then finished the rest of the museum but did not spend as much time on the displays as they did for the medical part. Aelin was fretting to go to the Anatomy museum so they headed out and Rowan took her there. If she had been impressed by the collection inside the Hunterian, Aelin had been definitely in love with the anatomy museum and Rowan allowed her to take all the time she wanted. Aelin also ended up chatting away with one of the staff members at the museum and Rowan had enjoyed seeing her so animated. “Did you had a nice chat?” He asked when she finally came back to him. “The guy is a retired doctor and we had the most fascinating conversation, sorry.” He kissed her gently “don’t apologise. It was actually quite amazing to see you in your element and there are conversation I can’t have with you because I don’t have the knowledge so it’s nice to see you so involved.” “I like our conversations,” she leaned forward and kissed him back “very much.” Once outside the university they went to take the underground again and they headed for the science centre. Once they arrived Aelin squealed “what is that?” She asked pointing at the metallic dome near the entrance. “That’s a cinema. They also have a planetarium.” “Shall we go?” “If they have a show while we are here, we can definitely do that.” “Come on.” Aelin took his hand and dragged him inside and she bought the tickets for both. They ended up spending a few hours inside the centre, playing with all the installations and once it was time they also did manage to catch a show inside the planetarium. “This was so fun. Who said that these places are just for kids?” Rowan threw an arm around her “can you walk a bit? I was thinking of taking you along the Clyde up to the squinty bridge and then catch a bus into town.” “Squinty?” “Yes, as in not straight. You will see why.” The day was hot and nice and Aelin lifted her head up to catch the sunshine and she felt amazing. They stopped in front of a massive crane. “This is the Finnieston crane.” Rowan added pointing at the massive construction “It’s the last vestige of Glasgow’s shipbuilding past. It’s quite iconic.” Aelin lifted her head. “It’s massive.” “It was used to load cargo on the ships. It had to be.” “I love it.” Then she looked around and noticed the bridge “Is that the squinty bridge?” Rowan nodded and they walked there and Aelin took a lot of photos. They walked to the bus stop and on the bus a lovely woman stood and offered her seat to Aelin since the bus was packed and Aelin was incredibly grateful. She wanted to keep exploring but her back was killing her and welcomed the chance to sit down. Rowan stood at her side and his hand brushed her hair “you are tired.” She shook her head “Please, let’s not go back to the hotel, I am having so much fun.” He sighed “are you hungry?” “Starving and really thinking about Korean food now.” He smiled back at her. After ten minutes he helped stand “That’s our stop.” Aelin turned to the woman “thank you so much for the seat.” The two got off the bus. The city centre was completely different from where they had been all morning. She could definitely tell they were in a busy city. “Let’s get you fed.” Rowan crossed the street and she noticed that the restaurant was just opposite them. They entered and asked for a table for two. Aelin looked up and noticed colourful umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. They sat at their table and Aelin went for the menu. She was ready to eat an elephant. She eyed some of the dishes the waiters were holding and she was tempted to steal one. They all looked so delicious. They ordered and then Aelin put a hand on Rowan’s “thank you for today. I loved all we did so far.” “I am glad you are having fun.” He squeezed the hand back “how are our two girls doing?” Aelin patted her bump “Just swimming about. I can feel them move and they kick from time to time which is a good sign.” He winked at her and in that instant the waiter arrived with their food and Aelin almost howled in joy “Finally.” “It looks much better than what I did.” “Yours was really good too.” His face saddened “So good that made you unwell.” “Ro, we don’t know. Stop moping. I loved it.” They went back to eating and Aelin was enjoying the food greatly “I think the only thing that I miss in the islands it’s the choice of ethnic restaurants. That’s my only issue.” Rowan chuckled “I agree. I was so used to the massive variety here in Glasgow that when I got back home it took me a while to get used to it. That’s why I learned to cook.” “And you are amazing at it. Just less veggies.” Rowan laughed “no chance.” “Spoilsport.” They finished eating and hand in hand Rowan led Aelin through the street of the city centre and they ended up in the merchant quarter and Aelin took in the magnificent architecture. “There is a big shopping centre, fancy doing some shopping?” “A bit.” He kissed her cheek “Let’s go.” They walked a short distance and eventually arrived at the Buchanan galleries. “You don’t like shopping centres…” “Shhh.” He said kissing the back of her head while on the escalator “There is the lego shop in here. Plus it makes you happy, so I don’t care.” They reached the first floor and they started walking and Aelin stopped when she noticed a baby shop “Ro, look.” She took his hand and dragged him inside “We don’t have anything for the twins. I know we are waiting for the bigger items until we are in the new house but look…” and she picked up a onesie “isn’t this adorable?” Rowan was too busy playing with a soft toy in the shape of an elf. With a big smile he turned to her “what about this?” Aelin stared at that giant of a man holding a soft toy with a tenderness that almost made her cry. Aelin went to grab a basket “make it two” she went browsing around the shop and her heart melted at watching Rowan picking up clothes for their girls. He came back with two tiny bathrobes that had cute ears and a dragon’s back ridge “I am so in love with you right now.” Aelin moved to him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek while Rowan replied with a big toothy grin. She was positive they could get stuff for the girls at home but that shop had the cutest stuff and Aelin had every intention to splurge a nice whack of money on their daughters. She wandered around and got some essential stuff while Rowan was still looking at tiny dresses. He went to her with a big smile and two lovely dresses in his hands “I know they will outgrow them very quickly, but look at these.” His voice was the one of a father already madly in love with his daughters. He was holding two lovely dresses in green. “Add to the basket.” Was Aelin’s response at the clothes. Rowan took the basket from her hands which was slowly getting fuller and fuller “I’ll carry it.” “We have a green and blue theme going on here.” Added Aelin looking at the range of stuff in their basket. “They are lovely colours.” “I agree. And I am not buying pink just because they are girls. It’s a horrible colour.” Eventually they made it to the till. “You have a nice selection here.” Said the woman behind the counter “And two of each.” “Yeah, twins.” Added Aelin patting her bump. Rowan was about to pay but she stopped him “this is on me.” He reluctantly put his wallet away. Rowan grabbed the two bags and they left the shop, and Aelin was beaming and placed an arm around his waist. Then she spotted the lego store and Rowan knew he had lost her. She was inside the shop and was looking at the different set “Ro, am I crazy if I say that I want to spend my entire salary in here?” Rowan laughed “no you are not, but remember that we have to get back to the hotel and we already have two bags full of stuff.” “Look.” She pointed at a plastic container in the middle where you could create your own lego figurine. “Let’s build ourselves out of lego.” Aelin did manage to find the face, the hair and the dress she liked and she went for the queen style. Once she was finished she started creating a Lysandra and then an Aedion. And while she had already created three figurines, Rowan was still creating his. He had gone for the warrior look and also added a sword to his little character. “I love it.” She said, then placed the four figurines in the plastic container to protect them. She went to pay and he finally managed to drag her out and she sat on one of the benches exhausted. “We should go back to the hotel.” He commented when he noticed how tired she looked. “I agree. I don’t think I can walk any longer and my back is killing me.” “Sit five minutes then we’ll go and take the bus back and I am going to explain the situation to the hotel and ask if they let us order in.” His hand brushed her hair “we can stay in bed, watch tv and enjoy the evening in peace.” Then he looked at her exhausted face “ Or, I have a better idea. The station is right behind us. We’ll take a taxi.” “I love you.” Slowly they made their way to the station and got a taxi and once inside Aelin sighed relieved. She had tried to be brave but she knew she could not fool him. Rowan had been keeping an eye on her all day and she was positive he had noticed her exhaustion. They arrived at the hotel and Rowan grabbed all the bags “go upstairs, I’ll be with you in a minute.” She nodded and left him. Back in the room she removed her trainers with a sigh of relief and then changed into her pyjama and sat down in bed. It was only five in the evening and she felt bad at being back in the hotel already but she was wiped. Rowan arrived ten minutes later, he dropped the bags on the corner of the room and sat beside her “tell me what you fancy and I’ll order dinner later. I explained to the hotel your situation and they are okay. They offered to let us one of the table downstairs but I explained that you were probably already camped in bed, with little chance to move you again.” She kissed him “can we have Japanese?” “You can’t have sushi, you know?” He added, browsing for a place on his phone. “I know, smartass.” She lightly punched his shoulder. The food arrived an hour later and Aelin ate in bed, with Rowan sitting on the armchair beside the bed. “This is the perfect ending to a lovely day. I am sorry we had to cut it short.” She apologised. “Hey…” he said, grabbing her hand “I am impressed that you lasted that long. “I wanted to see more.” He placed his food on the nightstand and sat beside her in bed, pulling Aelin to his side “We’ll come back with the twins and do much more.” “Promise?” He kissed her “Pinky promise.” And he gave her his pinky, remembering the day they did that in his shop. It just felt so long ago. Once done eating, Rowan cleared the containers and changed into his pyjama and joined her in bed. Aelin was looking at the photos of the day on her phone. She flipped through them and found one of Rowan she liked “I guess I found my new home screen picture.” He leaned over and noticed his photo “When did you take it?” “When you were not looking. And I love it.” Aelin leaned against him and she grabbed his hand and moved it on the bump and sighed. “What?” “I was thinking.” “That’s very dangerous.” He chuckled. “Look how much difference a year made. A year ago I was just an annoying customer that you hated and kicked out of the shop. And now we are in this situation.” She said pointing at the bump “and a part of me is still scared. With Chaol we had no kids, yes it was a mess but at least we had no kids to suffer in midst of everything. If—“ He stopped her with a kiss “No ifs. No.” He kissed her again “I am going to be cheesy, so be prepared.” And Aelin laughed at the comment. “You are it for me. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I know that all I want is to spend it with you and our girls. It’s all I ask for. I want a family and I did not realise just how much until you told me you were pregnant. Fine, it happened earlier than probably both of us had planned, but I don’t care. We are in our late thirties, we both have jobs, we can afford a family.” Aelin caressed his face. “I lost track of what I was saying.” He grabbed her hand a pushed it against his cheek “Oh yes, I am a boring monogamist old man who feels very fulfilled at the idea of having a family with the woman he loves.” Aelin started crying “You can’t…” she sobbed “You can’t say things like that to a pregnant woman.” Rowan laughed and hugged her close “I am a sappy old fart when I am in the right mood.” “So sappy.” She added with a wet laugh while Rowan kissed her head “but I have a feeling you will be a super dad. Loving and caring.” “I can only try.” “We’ll try… together.” “To whatever end.” He added, kissing her.

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