At least there wasn’t a fight about keeping her job, although Rhys seemed true to his word that whatever she wanted to make this easier, he would do without complaint. Being at the shop also meant she could see her family more often than not, which eased something in her gut because the very idea of moving in and suddenly living with Rhys was jarring. And then adding a baby into the mix? It was terrifying. “Oh well… That’s ok.” Zinnia wasn’t sure how she felt about Rhys working a lot… an amalgamate of relief and wistfulness that she’d have space to adjust, but it would make the adjustment all the more difficult when he was around.

She huffed a quiet laugh, offering him a soft smile. They had a lot to figure out, but at least they’d have time to get to know each other before throwing a baby into the mix. He just needed to be at home for that, and well… Zinnia needed to not hide out at the shop. Her mouth opened like she wanted to protest, but a few days sounded great; she needed a few days to tell her family about this baby and Rhys’s proposal, and hopefully the dust would settle so he could come to the family Christmas party to meet everyone. “I can… bring some things over later?” Tomorrow, since it was so late. It wasn’t like she had a lot, anyway. Clothes and art supplies were the bulk of what she owned.

“Oh…” Right. They had to actually plan something, didn’t they? She wasn’t just going to wake up and be married. No, she’d just woken up and been pregnant. “We could do something small at my parents house? Mama could throw something really nice together, I’m sure.” Not that either of her parents were entirely thrilled with him at the moment. “Family only.” Although her family was erm… quite large. Even immediate.

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Set by the lovely Lady<3

Things seemed to be settling into place, she wasn't crying anymore and he felt like he was starting to be able to come to terms with their situation. That she wanted to bring things over later was a bit of a jump though. "I don't think you want to move in here," he chuckled. "I'll find somewhere more suitable." This tiny townhouse was barely big enough for himself and Barnabas, it certainly wouldn't do the trick for a small family of three.

Rhys was more confident that Mrs. Potts would rather kill him first, but hoped Zinnia would take the lead there. "Perfect. Why don't you handle that?" He would be useless at it and would only be able to manage a trip before the solicitor to get the paperwork signed. If Zinnia wanted more, she would have to arrange it. Other than that he would take care of everything else. He would find something with a little more space, and maybe a little garden to rent for the time being, once he broke the news to Barnabas. He was never going to hear the end of it. At least he'd be there for the first eleven years of his child's life. His step-brother could not say the same.

So his list now included, new home, engagement ring, damage control with Barnabas, go over his finances and figure out how best to afford this. Nothing major. Not at all. Merlin's beard he needed a drink. Gently he loosened his hold on Zinnia, hands coming to rest on her arms as he looked down at her. He would handle it though, he had to. "I will make this as easy as possible, I promise." Rhys realized he was making a lot of promises here, but he intended to keep each and every one of them.

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Something more suitable. Merlin that sounded wonderful. Not that his place wasn’t nice, there was just something about life not drastically changing just yet. Zinnia wasn’t ready to leave her parents or her sisters, and when the day came for her to actually move in, there’d be tears. A lot. More than when she went off to Hogwarts but as a child she knew she’d go home during breaks. Right now everything felt like a blur and she was living in a dream. (Or a nightmare. To be determined.) Either way it was an out of body experience, and Zinnia knew she’d drag her feet when it came to staying… moving some of her stuff seemed like a promise she would, eventually.

Maybe once the baby was born.

Okay, so maybe once they were married, which wasn’t going to be immediate.

She needed a few days. This was overwhelming and hard to wrap her brain around. Some moments it felt okay and some moments she wished she had kept this little one a secret so life could continue going on as it had been.

Zinnia nodded. “I’ll talk to mama.” Oh, mama was going to murder Rhys, but he’d proposed and wanted to take care of her and their child, so there was a silver lining there. Asking her to plan anything in a few days was almost too much to ask, but if they were going to do this then she wanted to do it right. Just signing a piece of paper was rather anticlimactic. Zin at least wanted a pretty white dress and a bouquet, anything else would just be a bonus.

Stepping back as Rhys loosened his hold, Zinnia glanced up at him. He sure was making a lot of promises, but wasn’t sure he’d keep them all. “We’ll make it work.” Even if they just became friends who lived together. Although if he worked a lot and was gone, that might take time. Rhys would be a stranger for a while. She blew out a soft breath of air. It was going to be okay. (Maybe if she kept repeating it in her head, it would be.)

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Set by the lovely Lady<3