Like a princess

After hearing the full reason for Noah not wanting her to drive while she was pregnant, Laila stared at Noah's side profile with a gentle smile. As she squeezed the hand that was holding hers, she said in a comforting and understanding voice, "Thank you for always looking out for me. If me not driving during these months will help you feel more reassured and less stressed about it all, I am happy to not touch a single steering wheel unless I am forced to or until our son has been born, safe and sound."

As her voice took a more energetic and cheerful tone, she added, "Fortunately we are blessed with drivers and when we are together you can drive for me. To me it sounds like this will simply allow me to be treated like a princess every day. So, why shouldn't I go along with these plans of yours with a big smile on my face and my feet lifted in the air. Better yet, I will do whatever I can do to help you feel at ease with this pregnancy. You name it and I will consider it because I can tell you right now mister, this might be my first pregnancy but it won't be the last. You and I both grew up as an only child, although we had each other, it is not the same as having an actual sibling. It was still lonely at times and I think it is better for a child's development to have a sibling to fight and play with. So, I don't want our child growing up like we did. I want our child to have a little sister or brother and I won't take no for an answer. Fortunately for you, you have plenty of months to sink that into that handsome head of yours and find a way to deal with it."

Noah chuckled and kissed the back of her hand before he said, "You sure have a way with words hmm. A compliment, a compromise, a threat and a factual statement followed up by a sentence that has all of the above." After that he gave in a little but not without building in a bit more time for himself. "For now, let's take this one pregnancy at a time. We will get through this one first and after that we will talk about having a second baby. But at least not before our son is two years old. I need to recharge my batteries before I can even consider going through all of this again."

Laila chuckled, "Well, I see that you aren't too bad with words yourself. Do tell me, how is that I am pregnant but you are the one in need of time to recover."

"That is something only other men who dote on their wives can understand."

With that mystery filled answer, which caused both of them to laugh, Laila and Noah postponed the discussion regarding a second child and focused on what was needed as the foundation for a second child, maintaining a healthy marriage. But even without finalizing the discussion right now, it was already clear who would be announced the winner. It was simply buying Noah some time but certainly not a way out.

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After two more hours passed, Laila and Noah finally arrived at the cottage that Noah had arranged for them for the week. Though it was labelled as a cottage, it was closer to a small villa than a cottage. The house came with a large estate and was surrounded by woods and mountains. It was nice and peaceful with a certain charm that could only be found so far from the city. The nearest neighbour was a five minute drive away and a few minutes further down the road, there was a small town where you could buy necessities. Other than a small diner and a single restaurant that served the catch of the day, that small town had not much else. It was a place for them to retreat from their usual busy lives and turn to each other, and retreating they would.

As Noah carried their bags inside, Laila looked around the cottage. She walked in the living room, through the kitchen and peeped inside each room and behind every closed door. She touched and admired the many beautiful details on the wooden furniture, that could be found all throughout the house. When she arrived at the wooden deck, she let out a gasp. It was perfect and the view they had was breath taking. She could see the small stream at the end of the estate, with tall snow covered mountains in the background. On each side they had large pine trees and the smell alone made her feel like she was in a winter wonderland.

Laila was already feeling excited for all that was to come and as she skipped through the living room and the hall into the bedroom, where Noah had just placed everything down, she jumped into his arms with a big smile on her face. Laila wrapped her arms around his neck and as the pleasantly surprised Noah put his arms around her waist, she placed a kiss on the tip of his nose, before placing one on his lips, and said, "Thank you for bringing me here. This place is absolutely stunning."

Though Laila's words were simple and to the point, any words can hold a different meaning based on the person, the tone and the situation. Something that Noah was about to prove.