“Okay, you’re right,” she chuckled. I grabbed my clothes and dressed. “What are you going to do while I’m gone?”
“I told EJ I’d stop over and we could hang out for a bit.” EJ was one of my close friends who helped me move into Kasi’s. Too bad I wasn’t actually going to his place. I had other stuff to do.
“That’s good. You don’t get enough time with the guys.”
“I’d rather spend time with you.” I grabbed her around the waist and brought her against me. “You’re the only one I want to be with, but you deserve some relaxation so I’ll deal.”
“You’ll deal?” She laughed. “I’m sure you’ll have fun.”
“That has yet to be determined. You forget EJ’s single. He’s content to sit at a bar and drink all night, occasionally hitting on women.”
“To each their own. I’m sure some women soak it all up. I’ve seen EJ. He’s not bad looking at all.”
“Oh, really? You think my friend is hot?” I didn’t know she thought he was good-looking. Now I was going to have to keep him away from her. What if he thought the same? Stupid jealousy. I couldn’t help it, though. When it came to Kasi, I didn’t want her looking at anyone, but me. I needed to remember that she was carrying my baby. No one else’s.
Her eyes rolled. She was getting good at that. “Come on. I don’t care who’s hot and who’s not. I simply made an observation. Now, if you’ll release me, I have an appointment to get to.”
“I don’t think so. Seems you find someone else attractive. I have to remind you I’m the only man for you.”
“My dear, sweet, Radek. You’re mine and I’m yours.” She started to push at my shoulders. “Now let go. I have shit to do. My hair is a mess, I’m sure. I can’t go into the spa looking freshly fucked.”
“I don’t know. It’s a good look on you.” She smirked. It was the truth. I loved that wild look on her. It was sexy as hell.
9
There were two places I needed to go. The first one was a town over. I pulled my truck up to a parking spot in front of a large brick building. The front had a store on the lower level and what could have been apartments up two more floors. The entire town was built this way, storefronts with apartments.
Being further away from home, it was less likely someone would recognize me. No, I never garnered the same attention Kasi did, but people knew who I was. I was sure to keep my aviators on until I was inside.
When I pulled open the door, a little bell chimed, alerting everyone to my presence. Great. Just what I needed: to be hounded like I was buying a car. A woman dressed in a sleek black suit was on me before I was five feet into the store. Her chestnut hair was pulled away from her face into a ponytail. Her make-up was on the heavy side. Teeth were perfectly straight and white. She looked like she belonged on Wall Street¸ not in a jewelry store.
Her red lips formed a smile. “Can I help you with something?”
I scratched the back of my neck. I wondered if she thought I had any money. I didn’t exactly dress like someone who was wealthy and honestly never considered myself to be. My jeans weren’t ripped and my long-sleeved Henley wasn’t wrinkled, but my look wasn’t screaming high-class. My aviators were propped on top of my head.
“I’m looking for a ring.”
“An engagement ring?”
“Yes, but I’m only looking.” I wanted to make sure she knew I wasn’t going to be an easy sell. Something truly unique would have to stand out for me to buy it. Kasi deserved a ring that was different and suited her. One you didn’t see on others. Maybe I was in the wrong store. Only one way to find out.
The woman clasped her hands together. “How exciting!” I nodded.
She led me to the right of the store and stepped behind the counter. I looked over all of their rings and none caught my attention. She kept taking different ones out to show me, but in the end, I left the store without buying anything.
I drove back toward home and stopped at a smaller jewelry store near our house. The problem was I didn’t want anyone to see me, especially given the small town we lived in. I called the store ahead of time and parked in the back. An older gentleman let me in there. He had grey hair and was slightly shorter than me. He was thin and wrinkles gave him character. The first thing he did was shake my hand. The best thing he did was let me roam around the store without hovering or shoving rings in my face.
This store didn’t have the modern feel the other did. Maybe it was what I needed, however. The walls were painted a soft cream and the floor was covered in a dark grey carpet with silver ornate designs throughout. It was old, that much I knew. No, it wasn’t stained; it just wasn’t a style you see anymore.
There were glass cases lining the walls and another case in the center of the store. After walking around for a minute, I found the rings. They were nothing like what the other store had. These were different, unique. Exactly what I was looking for. They weren’t antique. They were new, but looked like they were designed and made in-house. After looking at them through the glass, the man came over and unlocked it, asking me which I would like to see.
“That one please,” I said, pointing to a rose gold ring. I was drawn to it, but it was hard to see all of the details from a distance.
He took it from the case and handed it to me. There was a large round diamond in the center. Small diamonds went about a quarter of the way around the band on either side. When you laid it on its side you could see amazing detail. The prongs holding the diamond in place were enclosed and had more diamonds around it. At the base, where the enclosed prongs met the band, was another round diamond and filigree work on either side. The inside of the band had gold beading around it. It wasn’t the size of the gem that sold me, even though it was pretty big, it was the detail. It was different. Not your average diamond on a plain band.
“I’ll take it.”
He chuckled. “You didn’t ask how much it was.” In reality it didn’t even matter. This was Kasi’s ring.
“How much is it?”
He told me, and it was less than I thought it would be, which was good. I paid him and he put it in a beautiful red box with little gold hinges and a gold clasp on the front. I knew exactly where to hide it when I got home; downstairs in my mother’s hope chest. Kasi never went down there. It would be safe and hidden. I did have to bring it back to have it sized, but the owner said they did it in-house and it wouldn’t take long at all. My worry was guessing the size and having it be wrong. Kasi had other rings, but hell if I knew which she wore on what finger.
I made it home well before her, but pretended to just get in. I even called EJ and worked out the fake day we had. He was excited for me to propose. I told him I didn’t know when I’d do it, so he needed to keep it quiet.
Kasi came home looking very relaxed and happy. “Did you have a good time?” I asked from my spot on the couch. I flipped through the channels and ended up on some home renovation show. The whole time I kept thinking how I could do what they were doing. Flipping a house couldn’t be that hard right? I probably couldn’t do it, but they made it look so easy.
“Yes, it was amazing.” She dropped down on the couch next to me. “I got my nails done and my hair,” she said as she showed off her pretty hands and feet. “Thank you.” She leaned over and kissed me.
“You’re welcome.”
“What did you and EJ do?”
“Just hung out at his place. We ordered pizza, had a few beers, you know, the usual.”
“Fun,” she said with zero enthusiasm.
I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on my chest, while her hand lay on my stomach. She stayed quiet for a while, but then broke the silence. “Radek?”
“Yeah, baby?”
“Can you tell me about your family? You rarely speak of them. I’d love to know what your mom was like, about your dad, if you have any brothers or sisters. You know about my family, but I barely know anything of yours.”
I took a dee
p breath. “My parents split when I was little. They never married, only lived together. I barely remember my dad. He never visited. Never did anything, other than send a check every month. Even on my birthdays I didn’t hear from him. My mom made up for it, though. She made every day special in small ways.” It made me happy and sad thinking about her. Happy remembering the good times, and how much she had sacrificed to be there. Sad because she was gone, and I’d never get to spend time with her again.
“I was stationed in the States with the Air Force when I got the call she had a massive stroke. She was home alone and no one knew what happened. My brother had been staying with his girlfriend at the time. He came home and found her. She was still alive, but barely. Luckily, I was able to take leave. I made it in time to say goodbye to her.” Kasi sniffled and her grip on me tightened. I decided to keep going. If I was going to air all of my family stuff, I wanted to get it over with. My brother was the sorest subject.
“My brother helped with all of the preparation for her service and burial, but after that he disappeared. I had to take care of all her belongings and sell her home by myself. He came back long enough to work with the attorney to collect his money, and then he and his girlfriend moved to I don’t know where. Needless to say, I don’t speak to him or of him often. Although, he did call me when news first spread I was dating you. I didn’t answer the phone thinking it was a reporter, but I had a voicemail from him asking about you and our relationship. He also said he needed money. Surprise, surprise. I never called him back.”
“I’m so sorry your family is like that. I can’t even imagine.”
I brushed a stray hair back from her face. “You’ve had your own stuff to deal with over the years. I guess we all have shit from our past that we’ve had to overcome.”
“Yeah.”
Every time I think of my mother I get choked up. I always wondered if someone had been there or gotten to her faster, could we have saved her? I don’t blame my brother for not being there. I wasn’t. What pissed me off about him was that he took the money she left him and fled. She was his mother. I was his fucking brother, and he acted like I didn’t mean shit, especially after I took care of everything else. He was there to help with the burial, sure, but then he ceased to exist until I popped up in the news. I could’ve really used his help back then. It was hard as hell for me to go through all of her belongings by myself. I even kept a box of items she’d saved for him. It was currently sitting in Kasi’s basement.
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies, then ordered Kasi’s favorite takeout for dinner. She wasn’t craving anything yet, but I decided to go grocery shopping the next morning before her appointment and stock up on all kinds of healthy food, as well as her favorite junk food. Hopefully, this prevented me from having to run out in the middle of night for something she was seriously craving. I wouldn’t mind, however. I’d do anything for her. Being proactive had its benefits, though.
****
We were at Kasi’s appointment, and I was disappointed I wouldn’t get to see the baby. I knew we were only seeing the nurse, but I still hoped. We had to sit and go over a ton of paperwork. The nurse took Kasi’s vitals and gave us a bag full of stuff. Pregnancy magazines, pamphlets on morning sickness, websites to go to for information, you name, we got it. Information overload.
I had already started reading online about pregnancy, and how the baby was developing given how far along she was. Don’t even get me started on all of the scary shit that could go wrong with her or the baby. Stupid Internet was enough to give me a heart attack.
In all, the appointment took about an hour. Before leaving, we scheduled the next appointment with the OB. Kasi also had to call and schedule an appointment with the high-risk doctor.
I drove the Jeep on the way home. About halfway there, Kasi stretched in the seat and then doubled over with her hand on her pelvis. I panicked and almost pulled over. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She straightened slowly. “I’m fine. It’s round ligament pain. I forgot about it.”
“I don’t know what that is. Are you sure you’re okay? What’s round whatever?”
“Yeah, I’m good. It’s called round ligament pain. My uterus is surrounded by these ligaments and if I move or stretch too fast, I pull on them and it hurts. It’s a quick, sharp pain. I asked the doctor at my last appointment about them. I remember them from before, but didn’t know if it was too early to have them. She said everyone is different, and it’s not uncommon to have them so soon, but damn they suck.”
“As long as you’re okay. I don’t like seeing you hunched over.”
She leaned back in the seat. “I don’t like being hunched over.”
“Do you want to stop anywhere before we go home?”
“No, I’m tired. I want to lay on the couch and do nothing.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” I said while waggling my eyebrows.
“Nah uh, buddy. No way. I’m too tired.”
“I’m only joking. Maybe I’ll take the dogs out to play for a bit.”
“Sounds good,” she said, offering a smile.
I reached over and grasped her hand in mine. Kasi was tired. We were on our way back from the doctor’s office with a ton of baby information. I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact we were having a baby. I couldn’t wait to spoil the hell out of this kid. I planned on being the best dad I could. I didn’t want him or her to ever doubt my love, like I did, growing up without my own father.
10
When you didn’t work, you started to lose track of what day it was. It didn’t happen right away, but two weeks later I found myself trying to remember if it was Tuesday or not. I looked at my phone and it was actually Thursday. My days blended. I’d go for jogs in the morning with Ace and Lily, even though she couldn’t last as long as him. Some mornings she just looked at me like, “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Ace was always ready to go.
Kasi was nine weeks pregnant now and had the tiniest little bump. If she wore a loose shirt, you didn’t even notice it. God, it was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen. There was this itty bitty baby growing in her belly. I loved being able to see her start to grow. Her hands would rub over her barely-there stomach lovingly when she thought I wasn’t looking. I’d see the look in her eyes and the occasional well of tears. She was happy and scared at the same time.
Unfortunately, the closer we got to the end of the first trimester, the more nervous she became. I tried to reassure her, but didn’t think anyone really could. She had no bleeding, no cramping, nothing. She was tired a lot of the time, and occasionally, sick to her stomach. Both completely normal from what the doctor and our many pamphlets said.
We decided to take the dogs down to see Aubrey and drain some of their energy. Plus, it was good for Kasi to go in every now and then, since the business was hers as well. She was more of a silent partner and Aubrey ran the day-to-day activities. Kasi loved seeing and playing with all of the dogs. It was also a good way to socialize Lily.
Ace jumped into the back of the Jeep with ease, while Lily needed a helping hand. K&A K-9 wasn’t located far from our home. It was a nice day out, still a chill in the air, but not too cold that the dogs couldn’t be outside playing.
We pulled up and leashed both of our dogs. Kasi took Ace, because he didn’t pull at all. Lily was still learning, and when she got excited, she went in whatever direction she wanted, leash be damned. Inside the large building, the smaller dogs were playing in a sectioned off area, which meant the larger ones were outside.
We waved to the workers and went out the back door. The high fence that surrounded the large outdoor area ensured safety for all of the dogs. Aubrey was standing on the far side. As soon as she saw us, she came racing over.
She hugged Kasi. “How have you been doing? How’s Ace and Lily?” She bent at the waist to pat Lily on the head. The little girl ate up the attention. Her tail was going so fast that it reminded me of a helicopte
r. Ace was content to sniff the other dogs that came by us.
Kasi was laughing. “I’ve been good. We all have.” She looped her arm around my waist, and I draped mine over her shoulders.
“I’m glad you’re doing well. What brings you by?”
“We were hoping to tire the hell out of these two, and Lily needs to learn how to play well with all dogs, not just Ace.”
“Well, unleash them, and let them wild.” Aubrey smiled.
Kasi unhooked Ace, who knew once the leash was off, he was free to go. Lily was dancing beside me, anxious to jump into the fray. I released her and she became a black blur of fur. We watched them for a bit. I had to intercede a couple of times when Lily thought she was tough and went up against much larger dogs. She wasn’t aggressive, only testing her boundaries. Aubrey left us alone to take care of all the dogs.
“I’m going to go grab something to eat,” Kasi said.
“I’ll go with you.”
She put her hand on my arm. “You stay here and watch our girl. Besides, I can’t sing at the top of my lungs when I’m in the car with you. I need a little alone time.”
“Baby, you know you can have as much alone time as you want. I don’t want you to feel smothered by me.” I did move in with her and didn’t really have a job right now, since she wasn’t traveling anywhere. I was around all the time, but I was hesitant to leave her alone. She was pregnant. What if something happened? Yes, I was a perpetual worrier where she was concerned.
“It’s not like that at all. I love having you around. Sometimes a girl just wants to drive alone and belt out her favorite song, while she dances in the seat. I’ll be back in fifteen. I’m craving a big juicy burger. You want anything?”
As if on cue my stomach rumbled. “Whatever you get, make it two. I’ll have what you have.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
She kissed me on the cheek, and I watched as her sweet ass walked back inside to go out the front door. It was a good thing she had a thick coat on or I’d start to worry if she was warm enough.
Adoring Her (The Heiress #3) Page 8