by J. L. Drake
“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how much money I spend here?” Don grumbles, grabbing his jacket. I hand him his card and his bill to sign.
“I don’t care, don’t need your money,” Zack says, pointing to the door. “Leave.”
Don looks over at me and grabs his crotch, making a total ass out of himself. “Your loss, doll. Could’ve been epic.”
Cole starts to move, but Zack grabs Don by the jacket, yanking him toward the door.
“Always exciting since you started working here, Savi.” Jake laughs, trying to bring the tension level down a little. “Here.” He sets my things down on the bar top. “Graham is waiting for me. I’ll call you tomorrow.” He gives me a quick hug, says bye to Cole, and heads out front.
“You done?” Cole asks, shrugging on his jacket. I can feel the anger pouring off him. I want to kick Don’s ass for putting him in this mood. I switch my shoes, tug on my jacket, and grab my bag, coming around to meet him on the other side of the bar. “Come here.” He pulls me over, wrapping his arms around me. “I love you.” He kisses my head and lets out a long sigh. “More than anything.”
“I love you too,” I whisper.
Back at my apartment, I snuggle further under my blanket on the couch. Cole is next to me while we watch Zero Dark Thirty. I ask a few questions about how real certain parts are. Kind of neat asking someone who really knows the truth. “Are you upset you’re not there?” I ask guiltily.
He shifts from behind me. “A little, yes. I get a high from the hunt.” His hand slides over my stomach. “But I’d be craving to be right here the whole time, and that would endanger the team.” My hand covers his. “I know you're scared, baby, and we have some things that need to be dealt with before we can move forward, but we’ll do it together, all right?”
I turn, loving his words. I reach up and run my fingers over his stubble. “All right.”
“All right?” he asks, as if he’d been waiting for a fight. I nod with a smile.
“I won’t lie, I am scared, but if I know I have you with me, then I’ll be all right.”
He leans down, capturing my lips and giving me one hell of a kiss. I have to push him away when my phone goes off and won’t stop ringing.
“Hello?”
“Hey, honey.” I mouth ‘it’s your mother’ to Cole. He nods and looks back at the movie. “Sorry for calling so late. I was wondering if you are you free tomorrow. I was hoping we could all have dinner at the house. What with you working then having the flu, I thought that now since you’re feeling better we could all get together.”
“Sure, I’d love that. I could trade shifts with someone. I could do the morning instead—”
“Actually…” She pauses, then there’s a strange noise.
“You have the night off, Savi,” Zack says into the phone. “Go spend time with your family.” I laugh and glance up at Cole, who looks at me funny.
“Thanks, Zack, I appreciate it.”
“Sure thing.”
“Hope that was all right?” Sue asks, feeling me out. “Daniel and I just ran into him.”
I smile. “Of course. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
“Wonderful, me too. Either Mike or I will come pick you up whenever you’re ready.”
“Okay, thanks. Bye, Sue.”
I slide my phone on the table and snuggle back into my warm spot. My apartment can be so cold sometimes. Cole’s hand immediately lands on my belly. I sigh, thinking how lovely it feels.
“What did my mother want?”
I tuck the edges of the blanket around me tighter, feeling a draft from somewhere. “She wants to have a family dinner tomorrow night. She even got me out of work tomorrow.”
“Mmmm, you back at the house?” He nuzzles my hair, breathing in. “I love my mother even more right now.”
I tip my head back and look into his dark eyes. His smile reaches the corners, making them crease along the edges. His stubble is the perfect length, and my fingers twitch as I reach up to steal a quick feel. He leans in, kissing my hand. He shifts so we're lying down, his body flat along the back cushions, with me staring up at him. His hand sneaks up my shirt and runs along my side.
“Hard to believe there’s a little something inside this tiny belly of yours.” He stares at my stomach, fascinated. “Did you get to see Sim when you had your appointment?”
“I’m sorry, what?” I laugh. “Sim?”
“Yes, she and him, therefore, ‘Sim,’” he says, deadpan, circling my belly button with his finger. I hiccup, trying to contain my giggle fit. “Hey, now, stop. You’re going to make Sim sick with all that shaking.”
“Oh, Cole.” I full out laugh and bring up my legs to stop the hurt. “Stop, I can’t breathe.” I roll onto my side and take slow breaths.
“Finished?” He pokes at me. “Well?”
I roll back over, and he resumes his circles. “No, I haven’t. I've just had the urine test so far. I have an appointment in a week.”
“First, we have an appointment. And how do they know? You may not be.”
“Oh, trust me, baby, that stick had two neon strips that could light these mountains right up.”
He grins, making me confused. “You called me ‘baby.’”
“Is that bad?”
“No, I liked it.”
“Baby,” I joke, biting my lip playfully.
He swoops down and nips at my lip, freeing it momentarily before he draws it into his mouth and sucks softly. He pulls back, eyes dark as night, and checks the time on the phone. “What if I called Dr. Brown tomorrow and ask her to do an ultrasound?”
“You can’t just call—” The look on his face tells me otherwise. “If you can make it happen, Sim and I are on board.”
His face breaks out in his ‘she gave in without a fight’ smile. I yawn, turning into his chest, and he pulls the covers over us and holds me close.
“What do you think we’re having?” I ask, as sleep begins to creep over me. Cole tucks me under his chin.
“Girl,” he says in a matter of fact tone. “The world really needs two of you.”
My heart swells to the point of pain. I move to give him a kiss on his chest. This man has made me feel more love in just a few months than I’ve ever felt from another man in my whole life.
***
Cole looks completely at ease in the sea of pregnant women. He worked his magic and got us an early afternoon appointment at the hospital with Dr. Brown. How he did it is beyond me, but I don’t care. I just want to see our little baby.
“Here,” Cole pulls out a bottle of water from my bag, “you should drink this.”
“I’m all right,” I say, scanning a magazine on breast feeding verses formula. He takes off the cap and nudges it in my hand.
“You need to drink more water. You should be on your second one of these by now.”
I chuckle and take the water and finish off the bottle. “Someone’s been doing their homework,” I tease, loving that he has been.
His hand falls on my thigh and gives it a light pat. “I want to know everything so I can take care of you two.”
“Ms. Miller,” the nurse calls out, glancing around the room. Cole mumbles something as he takes my hand and leads me into the hallway.
“Hi, Savannah, my name is Tracy. I’ll be helping you today. First, I need you to give a urine sample, then you can meet me and…” She looks at Cole.
“Cole, the father.” Cole rubs my belly from behind.
“We’ll meet you in room four, okay?”
After I fill my cup, then get my blood pressure and weight taken, I find the door to the room where Dr. Brown is already waiting and deep in conversation with Cole, who is firing questions.
Of course, I smirk. He’s so cute.
“Hello again, Savannah,” she says as Cole pulls out a chair for me. “You look a lot better than the last time I saw you.”
I shift, remembering how sick I was then. “Yes, the pills are helping a lot.�
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“All right, so let’s get you undressed from the waist down and see how the little one looks.”
Cole nearly doubles over when he sees the probe that’s about a foot long slide inside of me. He’s three shades of white until the little pulsing ring appears on the ultrasound machine. He suddenly grabs my hand and holds it tightly, but his eyes stay stuck to the screen.
“Strong heartbeat,” Dr. Brown says, clicking a few buttons, “and I would say you are right around eight weeks, a little further along than I thought. Which will make your due date about early August. Congratulations, you two, you have a healthy looking baby. Let’s keep it that way.”
“You gave the doc a run for her degree,” I joke in the car after our appointment, digging in a bag of trail mix to steal the chocolate chips before he notices. He scoops his free hand in, pouring a handful into his mouth while keeping his eyes on the windy road.
“I had questions,” he says with a shrug. “And I don’t wanna see you with a cup of coffee.”
“Cole, she said a small cup is fine.” I roll my eyes. These next seven months are going to be interesting.
“You need to eat more meat too.” He gives me a sideways glance. “She said your iron is low, and that’s one of the reasons why you’re so tired.”
“Cole—”
“Speaking of being tired, you should think of cutting back your shifts—”
I snap the lid on the trail mix and toss it down by my feet. “Please don’t start, Cole. I love my job.”
He sighs. Running a hand through his hair, he reaches for my hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing the back of it. “Sorry, I’m trying really, really hard not to let my controlling side take over. But when you toss in our baby, it’s even more of a struggle. I just want you to get as much rest as possible, and this pregnancy to go smoothly.”
“Look, I’ll make you a deal. When I feel work is too much for me, I’ll stop.”
“No offense, baby, but you're incredibly stubborn.” I see him fight a smile, and he uses my hand to hide it.
I want to be truthful, for him to see I’m taking all this seriously. “I learned my lesson the first time, Cole.” His smile fades. “I promise when it gets too much, I’ll tell you.”
“All right, but if I see you’re fading, I will say something.” He rolls his window down to speak with the guard at the gate.
***
The baked apple smell hits my nose when we walk in, and my stomach forgets all about the snack on the way up. I grin when I see June’s green scarf hung over top of her black pea coat, and Abigail’s boots next to one of Scoot’s many beds. Keith’s snow pants and mitts are by the door. Everything is as it should be, just as normal should be. I close my eyes, savoring the comfort that is this house. It’s perfect.
“You coming?” Cole asks. I hold up a finger, asking for one more moment. “You all right?”
I open my eyes, seeing his puzzled expression. “I’m just thinking.”
“About?” he asks, taking my hand in his.
“Things.” I lean up to kiss his cheek. “Happy things.”
“Hi, honey!” Sue beams with delight as we round the corner and see everyone in the living room enjoying some afternoon drinks before dinner. She stops in front of me, studying me for a moment, then leans in and gives me a hug. “Are you feeling better?”
“I am, thanks.” I hug Daniel after he comes up behind her.
“See, nothing to it!” Mark hands me a martini with a wink. “Thought you could use this, just until you’re ready to tell.”
“Does this mean…?” I look at Cole, who grins.
Mark tosses his hand in the air in excitement. “Yes, as of six fifteen this morning, Jose Jorge is on U.S. soil, behind bars, with a shit load of charges against him. He’ll be spending his next three lives as someone’s prison bitch.”
“Well, that’s something to celebrate!” I cheer ecstatically.
“We have lots to celebrate,” he says over his shoulder, heading for the kitchen.
Cole keeps me close to his side. Every so often his hand slips over my belly, letting me know he’s thinking about little Sim.
“Hey, guys.” Keith joins us, checking his phone. “I hate to ask this, but can I steal Logan for a moment?”
Cole leans in to give me a quick kiss. “I’ll be back.” I nod and watch the two hurry off to his office.
I mingle with everyone, sipping my water. Davie and Dell are telling a story from a few nights ago when they were in town at Chaps. I pretend to listen, but I’m more interested in where Mark is hurrying off to. I scan the crowd and see Daniel is gone too.
Where the hell is everyone? Oh no…is something happening? My father?
“Savannah?” Mike calls from the entryway. I whirl around. “Can I steal you for a moment?” A strange feeling creeps over me as I sit my drink down and hurry over to him. “Let’s take a walk.” He waits as I get ready, growing more nervous with every moment.
He opens the door to let me go first. It’s dark and the temperature has dropped, so I wrap my scarf around my neck and wait for him to lead the way.
“How have you been?” He guides me across the driveway toward the woods.
“Cut the crap, Mike. You didn’t ask me out here to see how I’m doing.”
He smiles and shakes his head. “Yeah, you’re right.” His face changes, softening a little. He points to a glow in the woods. “Follow the light, Savannah.” He nods for me to head in that direction.
Puzzled, I start to walk. After several steps I hear Mike whisper something. I turn and look back, but he’s walking away from me. What’s going on?
I stop at the tree line and take in all the glass lanterns marking the pathway. Drawn by their light into the woods, I follow them, thinking how strange it is I’m not with anyone. I take comfort in knowing someone will be watching me. The further along I go, and the more I see the lanterns ahead. They are so pretty. Their warm twinkle leads me deeper into the woods, and the soft snow falling from the trees is soothing. Flames flicker with the tiny breeze, making the forest look magical. If I were to write a fairytale, it would be just like this. Heavy snow weighing down the branches, little hues of light with a glow just bright enough to look warm, an untouched forest just waiting to spill its secrets. The only thing missing is…I turn a bend to a clearing and see him…oh!
Chapter Nine
Cole stands by an open fire, and the orange glow makes it easy to see his smile when his eyes lock onto mine. Dozens of candles are nestled into the snow banks, creating a magical scene. He holds out his hand as I get closer.
“Hi.” I grin, loving how just one look from this man makes my insides melt. “It’s so beautiful, Cole. What’s going on?”
He looks down at me. “Do you remember what happened here a few months ago?”
“Of course, it’s where we said we loved each other,” I say, thinking I might have figured out what’s happening.
“Savannah, I’ve been in love with you from the first moment I saw your picture. It just took me a while to realize what that feeling was.” His free hand runs down my temple. “Your eyes are so beautiful, it’s as if someone removed a star and made you from all its beauty.” My breath catches as my eyes water. “There has never been anyone I’ve ever wanted more in my life until I met you. You’ve opened my eyes, made me see that my life at the house doesn’t mean I can’t fall in love and be happy.” His hand moves to my belly. “Baby or no baby, you’ve always been mine.” He bends down on one knee, pulling out a light blue box. “Savannah Miller, I swear under a thousand stars that I love you, and will fight to the end to make you happy.” He kisses my left hand. “Will you marry me?” He slowly opens the box, revealing a sparkling princess cut diamond.
“Yes! Yes!” I cry, laughing, as my heart pounds a tattoo inside my chest. He slips it on my finger, then jumps up, lifting me off the ground spinning me around.
“I love you,” he sighs, pressing me tightly against his ches
t, his voice muffled by my hair. He pulls back, looking down at me. His eyes are glossy, making mine water even more.
“I love you too, Cole.” I take in my surroundings and see all he did to make this moment perfect. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I’d do anything for you.” He steps up, grabbing my face and kissing me with such passion it takes my breath away.
“Well?” Mark's voice chirps out of Cole’s pocket. I laugh at how normal it is that he’d have a radio in his pocket.
“Raven One to Raven Two,” Cole winks, “she said yes.”
The roar that erupts from the house can be heard all the way up to where we are standing.
“You ready to tell the family about our baby?” He holds my hand as we walk along the snowy path down to the house.
I take a deep, slow breath through my nose, drawing the scent of the forest in deeply, letting this amazing feeling rush through me and around me. “I am. I can’t wait.”
Everyone hugs, kisses, and cheers when we return to the house. It isn’t until dinner is finished and Mark digs into the dessert that Cole stands, taking my hand and helping me out of my seat.
“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?” Cole clears his throat, and the noise dies down. “First, I want to say thank you to everyone who made my proposal happen. Second, Savannah and I have something we’d like to share with you.” He waits for me to say it, but I can’t. I’m next to tears with happiness. So Cole slips his hand over my belly, and everyone’s eyes drop.
“Oh my goodness,” Sue says, grabbing onto Daniel, who is already tearing up. “Really?”
“Really,” I choke out. “Just over eight weeks.”
Mark turns to Keith. “You still owe me, dude.”
The whole table starts to laugh, and anyone’s thoughts about the tension around the last time I was pregnant quickly fades, and Abigail and June attack me with hugs, saying they can’t wait for their little fritter.
Sue finds me after dinner. Dabbing her red eyes, she takes my hand and leads me over to the stairs away from everyone. She tucks my hair behind my ear. Now I know where her son gets it. “Thank you,” she sniffs, struggling to hold herself together. “Thank you for coming into our lives, for loving us the way you do, and for making my son and the rest of us incredibly happy.” She loses her grip and starts to cry as I reach for her hand, giving her a little squeeze. She takes a moment, getting a grip on herself. “I can’t believe you’re pregnant again.”