panted and breathed heavily as he rested his forehead on mine. "Did I hurt you, baby?"

I pecked his swollen lips. "No. I loved it."

He smiled against my lips and kissed me very softly. "I fucking loved it too."

And then he slowly pulled out of me making me wince and I realised that...he didn't use a condom and I wasn't on birth control.

Fuck.

"What's wrong?" He asked seeing the scared look on my face.

"You didn't use a condom..."

"I'm clean."

"But I am not on birth control!" I whispered yelled.

He raised a brow nonchalantly. "So?"

"So? I can get pregnant, Calix!"

I can't believe he is so freaking calm about all this. He didn't even look startled on hearing that. "So...?"

My eyes widened. "P-R-E-G-N-A-N-T." I spelled it out for him. "As in we will have a baby. I will get pregnant, you idiot."

Instead of looking startled or anything, he looked very excited. "I don't see a problem in that."

"Calix..." I was shocked by his reaction, by his calmness. "You want to be a father?"

"Yes..."

"But...I am just twenty five, I can't get pregnant now!"

"Do you not like kids?"

"I do...but...being pregnant means getting a maternity leave, to stop playing cricket for 12 months max."

"But you can always go back to it. No one will stop you and I will always support you."

I pushed him away and sat up straight. "You don't understand, Calix. Cricket is my life and I can't just leave it in the middle. Not yet. Maybe when I am thirty or something."

His jaw ticked and the excitement vanished from his face. "I always wanted to have my own family, Althea. And you are the only person I want to have a family with. I want to have kids with you."

"I can't..." I whispered. "...not yet. I am not ready. I am not ready to put my career on hold."

"I want kids, Althea..." He whispered back in a vulnerable tone.

"Calix...I... I..." And a tear trickled down my cheek. "Please..."

Seeing me crying, his features softened immediately and he wiped away the tears and cupped my face. "Hey... don't cry..."

I shook my head as more tears fell from my eyes and he pulled me over his lap and stroked my hair. He sighed deeply. "I am sorry. If you don't want kids, we won't have kids. That's it. I am not going to force you. I am sorry, baby. Just don't cry, please."

Feeling relieved, I placed my head on his shoulder. "I don't know why I am crying...I..."

"Shh..." He kissed my forehead. "You are just overwhelmed, it's okay."

"I'll get you a pill tomorrow morning, hmm? You are not getting pregnant, you can play for however long you want. I will always support you." He added.

I nodded and kissed his shoulder. "Thank you."

He gently lowered my back on bed and he cleaned me in between my legs with a wet cloth which he brought from the bathroom and pulled me into his arms as we laid down to sleep.

My head rested on his chest and the feel of the steady beating of his heart lulled me to sleep slowly but not before I felt him kiss my head. "I love you. And I am sorry for being an asshole."

But I soon drifted off to sleep not able to ponder upon his words.

The only thing I did ponder upon was the dream I saw. Me and Calix having a small family, two kids. A boy and a girl. And me pregnant with a another baby, my face glowing and Calix gazing at me as if I gave him the whole universe.

.

.

.

The next morning I woke up with a killer headache due to the concussion. Calix wasn't in bed with me but soon the bathroom door opened and he walked out, drying his hair with a towel.

There was a gloomy expression on his face but on seeing me awake, he seemed to force a smile. "Goodmorning. How are you feeling?"

"My head's aching badly."

"Do you want me to call the team doctor?"

I nodded. "Yes, please."

"Okay." He kept the towel down and went out of the room and I took that time to brush up my teeth and take a shower and I kept it quick.

By the time I walked out, there was a plate of breakfast waiting for me on the nightstand and so was Calix and the team doctor.

I greeted him and he proceeded to check me and gave me some medicines which I took after having the breakfast. And Calix walked him out of the doctor, thanking him.

Once I was done, I glanced at him and gasped on seeing a huge, dark hickey on his neck. "You went out with that?!" I pointed to his neck.

"So?"

"Everyone must have seen that!"

"Does it look like I care?"

For Calix, hardly anything mattered. He only cared about a number of things and people and I was lucky enough to be in that list.

"You are unbelievable." I shook my head.

He gave me a slight smirk. "Whatever. Are you okay now?"

"Yeah... much better..."

"So...um..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'll get you...the pills...I'll be back soon." He sounded so disappointed.

My heart was in a turmoil. "One of my teammates might have it...I will ask them. You don't need to go."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

He then busied himself with his phone and I left the room and walked to Cassie's and rang the bell and she opened ten seconds later.

I moved inside and closed the door. "Do you happen to have...a morning after pill?"

She found that very amusing and raised a brow. "Someone got freaky last night."

"Shut up. Just tell me, do you have one?"

"I do." She rummaged through her handbag and handed me a pill.

"Thanks."

I was about to move out when I paused and turning around, I asked her, "Would you rather have a family with a man you love or continue playing cricket forever?"

"Huh? What kind of a question is that?"

"Please, just answer it."

She ruminated for a moment and said, "Obviously I would have a family." He shrugged.

"Really? What about your career then?"

"Babe, I will take a maternity leave, duh. And then I will come back. What's the big deal? Getting pregnant doesn't mean your career is going to end."

I gulped suddenly feeling very baffled. There was this part that wanted to get pregnant with his baby and then there was this part which was scared about my career.

She came closer and placed her palm over my shoulder. "Look, I know you are asking it for yourself. It's your decision to make in the end because you will be the one carrying a freaking baby inside you for months but I'll tell you one thing. Cricket is your passion and you are an awesome player and that's amazing but cricket doesn't have to your everything. Remember you have a life outside it. All this will end once you reach your mid thirties...maybe even fourty but after that? It's your family that will be always there for you."

I lowered my gaze. "I don't know..."

"Maternity leave is just for twelve months, okay? That twelve months are not going to end your career. You get pregnant, you give birth, spend sometime with your baby and then you come back. That's it."

"What about the team?"

"You worry about team too much. I am going to handle the team in your absence and when you come back, I will happily give you the reigns again."

"I am scared..." I admitted in a low voice. "He wants to have a baby and all this time he has been so good to me and now I can't give him the only thing he wants."

"No." She grabbed my face and lifted it up. "Listen to me, I will say this again, your body, your choice. You are not obliged to give him a baby."

"But I think...I want it too..."

"Then what's the problem?! You have such an awesome husband and I have seen how much you both love each other. You should go for it. Just for once stop thinking about cricket. Cricket isn't everything."

Her words slowly settled in and I nodded slowly and she gestured to the pill in my hand. "You still have that. You don't need to rush into things, give it a long thought and then make any decisions but don't ever let him decide if you will have a baby or not."

I don't need to. I know how he is, he would never do anything to hurt me. If I don't want a baby then he is not going to force me but I guess...I might want a baby now...

I thanked Cassie and walked back to our room and Calix opened the door. "Did you get it?"

"Y-yeah..."

He looked kinda hurt but tried not to show it. "You took it already?"

I shook my head and opened my palm showing him the pill. Humming, he handed me a glass of water.

I glanced between him and the pill for a quite sometime and then, I dumped it in the dustbin.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, glancing inside the dustbin.

I placed back the glass of water and held his hand, "Do you promise to take care of me at every stage?"

"Um...why are we repeating our vows?"

"Please answer me."

"Of course, baby. I will always be there for you."

"Do you have a problem if you will have to take care of our baby while I go play?"

"B-baby...?" His eyes widened. "What do you mean...?"

I placed his palm over my belly. "If I get pregnant then I want to keep this baby. I think I would love to have a family with you, Calix."

Tears welled up in his eyes. "We are going to have a baby?"

"If I get pregnant, yes."

"Y-you don't have to...I was being a jerk last night...you don't have to sacrifice your career for me--"

I cut him off my placing my lips on his. "I want this, Calix. I was just scared but not anymore."

Tears fell down from his eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

And then he crushed his lips to mine, his tears making our kiss salty but I didn't care as he picked me up in his arms and I wrapped my legs around his waist, kissing him back passionately.

"Thank you, Althea." He whispered in between the kiss. "Thank you so much, baby. You make me so fucking happy."

I just kissed him again, letting my emotions show through the kiss.