Page 79 of Savior
“Have you noticed a change?” I ask. “I don’t see a baby bump yet.”
“It’s normal not to show much for a while, during your first pregnancy. Your abdominal muscles haven’t been stretched. But, yes. Your stomach is a bit firmer.” He replies. “Your tits got a little bigger, too.”
I slide my hands out from under his, to reach up and gently squeeze my breasts over the t-shirt. There’s a slight ache, but, “They don’t really hurt as much as she said they would. At least, not yet.”
“Let me know when that changes.” Dean says, lifting a hand and tugging the neckline of the t-shirt to the side. He places a kiss on my exposed shoulder. “I’ll be very careful.” His fingers trail back down my arm to take my hand in his. “Come on, let’s try some of that tea. You’ve got supplements to keep down, Love.”
Dean leads me to the kitchen where he’s got the tea waiting on the island next to my bottles of prenatal vitamins and iron supplements. He’s been very dedicated to making sure I’m up on everything I’m supposed to be taking and when. I watch him pick up the mug and take a sip, before he places it back down. “It’s safe.” He says. “You won’t burn your mouth.”
Climbing up onto the bar stool, I pick up the warm mug and give the contents a sniff. There’s a hint of ginger, but the aroma of Folgers overpowers the kitchen. “You’re not having any?”
“I already made coffee.” Dean says, walking around the other side of the island to grab his mug beside the coffee pot. He comes to stand across from me, lifting the mug in a teasing salute. “But we can pretend I’m drinking tea with you.” The corner of his mouth curls up into a little grin, before he lifts his pinky delicately off the handle and takes a sip. I can’t help but smile back at him, remembering how I teased him about not having teacups. “Do you still think I’m fancy?” he jokes.
“Nope.” I take a sip of the tea. It’s actually pretty good. “I’ve lived with you long enough now, you’ve shattered that illusion.”
He chuckles as he places his mug down on the marble, glancing towards the front of the house. Another smile etches across his handsome face.
“Hold that thought.” He says, crossing the room to open the front door.
I turn around to see what he’s up to, and find him shutting the door behind him again, holding a vase packed full of pale pink Peonies.
“How fancy am I now?” he teases, bringing the beautiful flowers over to set them down before me. “They must have been delivered while we were in the bathroom.”
“Oh my gosh, Dean.” I say, admiring the second most beautiful arrangement I think I’ve ever seen in person. The first, was the bouquet he gave me when he proposed. I still have them, hanging in my witch room. A sentimental garland of dried flowers, strung up across the curtains.
“Happy Birthday, baby.” He says, leaning in to kiss my lips. We linger for a moment, before I turn back to the vase.
“They’re gorgeous.” I say, reaching up to touch the petals of one of the fluffy flowers. Bringing it to my nose to smell it, I’m grateful that it doesn’t trigger my nausea.
“Fit for a Queen.” He winks at me. “I plan on giving you the royaltreatment today, so I hope you’re feeling better soon.”
“Oh, really? And just what might that entail?” I ask, feigning a suspicious look at him.
“You’ll see.” He reaches to pull my mug of lemon ginger tea closer to me. “I’m gonna shower. Finish this and take your supplements… Please.” I almost chuckle at the way he adds please to make up for his bossiness.
I watch Dean walk back down the hall towards the master bedroom, before I grab my mug and take it into the living room. Nico is curled up on the leather couch. I sit down next to him and pet him while drinking my tea, flipping through channels on the big screen mounted over the mantle of the stone fireplace.
The local news says the reward for the missing girl has gone up again. The family now offering fifty thousand dollars for any information that might lead to her whereabouts. The police still don’t have any leads at all, only that she was last seen outside of a bar in town. As the reporter talks over some pre-recorded footage of the front of Kelly’s Tavern, I can’t help but think about some of the things Dean said to me that night he pulled me out of the Demons’ Den. About how the world is full of bad people.
I met Dean at Kelly’s Tavern. I also met Shane that same night.
My wandering thoughts are interrupted when suddenly Nico darts across my lap and runs towards the front of the house. He jumps up onto Dean’s ornate chess board table, knocking some of the hand carved pieces to the floor as he stares at something outside the bay window. His typically smooth fur, now a big fluff. His tail sticking straight up as a hiss expels from his growling throat. I’ve never seen him react to anything this way before.
“What is it, Nico?” I place my mug down on the slate coffee table and walk to the window to see what’s got him all up in arms.
There’s something, about a foot long, wrapped up in some kind of cloth sitting in the driveway, a few yards from the front steps of the porch. I glance around the property and down the driveway, looking to see who could have left it, but there’s nobody out there.
“What are we looking at?” Dean’s voice startles me and I turn around to face him. His hair is still damp, but he’s mostly dressed, minus biker boots and his cut.
“Nico freaked out and ran to the window. There’s something in the driveway. He must have heard someone. Maybe they meant to leave it on the front porch, but he scared them off?”
Dean arches a brow as he comes to lean over me, peering out the window. “Nico isn’t exactly a Doberman Pinscher, doll.”
“Were you having anything else delivered this morning?”
“No. I’ll check it out.” He says gruffly.
I pick Nico up off the chess board and place him down on the couch. Before I can bend to collect the chess pieces he knocked over, Dean beats me to it.
