Christmas morning arrived with snow falling softly outside the penthouse windows.
Aria woke to the sight of white flakes drifting past the glass, the city blanketed in quiet white. Beside her, Damien was already awake, watching her with that soft expression he got when he thought she wasn't looking.
"Merry Christmas," he said quietly.
"Merry Christmas," Aria replied, smiling. She placed a hand on her belly that is seventeen weeks now, and the bump unmistakably visible. "Merry Christmas, Emma."
"Think she can hear us yet?" Damien asked.
"The books say maybe. Her ears are developing." Aria shifted closer to him. "Either way, I like talking to her. Letting her know we're here, waiting for her."
They lay there for a while, just existing in the peaceful morning, before Damien finally sat
