Chapter 31
“ I t’s good to see you smilin’.” Vike takes a seat at the kitchen table while I kick off my heels and join him.
“It’s good to have her here, Saul would want that wouldn’t he?” I thought today would be impossible to get through, but right now I can’t stop smiling. I spent the entire afternoon cuddling a nephew I never thought I’d see again.
“He’d want it for sure.” Vike helps himself to a beer from the refrigerator.
“You think they’ll be okay at the club, I should have offered for them to stay here but I didn’t want to seem too pushy.”
I’m trying really hard to handle this situation as best I can. I don’t want Lettie to feel pressured into anything. She’s grieving the same as I am and everything seems overwhelming when you're dealing with that.
“They’ll be fine there, and it gives Lettie the space to do some thinking,” Vike assures me, rubbing the heel of his palm into his eye.
“You look tired,” I tell him, knowing that he killed the man who shot Saul today, even if it wasn’t him that told me.
“I’m fine, it’s just been a long day.” He smiles.
“You should have told me the club was planning on picking up Lettie, that could have gone horribly wrong,” I point out. I’ve let being so happy about her being here cloud over the fact it was a terrible plan.
“It coulda been even worse if you’d have called her and warned her we were coming for the Reapers. Our whole plan could have gone to shit.”
“Well, thankfully it didn’t, and no one got hurt. You ready to get some sleep?” I stand back up, stretching my arms above my head, when I let out a long, lingering yawn
“Whoa, check it out.” Vike laughs at me.
“Check what out?” I wonder what the hell he’s noticed.
“You’re showin’,” he points the neck of his bottle toward my stomach.
“I’m not.” I shake my head, covering myself self-consciously.
“You fuckin’ are.” He laughs again, looking really sexy while he does it.
I look down and rub my hand across my middle. I must have been too wrapped up in hurt to notice, but there is a definite little ridge there. “Don’t look so scared about it, I think it’s cute.” He shrugs, and it instantly puts a flutter inside my stomach and makes me blush. “And it’s gonna get a hella lot bigger, you saw the size of Griller.” The thought instantly turns those butterflies into nerves. “Girl, you're gonna really struggle to get around toward the end.”
“Don’t say that.” I shake my head.
“I’m just kiddin’ ya, you're gonna be fine. And I’m gonna be there with ya every step of the way.” He stands up and makes my whole body go warm when he presses his rough callus palm against my lower stomach.
“You are?” I look up from his hand and wonder what it would be to kiss him. It’s not the first time and I know it won’t be the last.
“Course, I am. Saul took a bullet for me, and I never got to repay the favor. You and your kid need anything and it’s Uncle Vike you come to.” He pats my tummy proudly before heading toward the living room. “You wanna see if there’s something decent on? I’ll let ya use my bed.” He taps the couch he’s been sleeping on since the night Saul never came home and it makes me feel guilty.
“You know, you don’t have to stay here anymore. I’ve got to start getting used to it just being me, especially if Lettie isn’t going to stick around.”
“You want me to leave?” He frowns.
“No… No, I don’t want you to leave at all, I just don’t want you feeling obliged to anything.”
“Alicia, we may have put a band aid on the Reaper problem, but there's still a lunatic out there killing women. Until we find out who it is. I’ll be sleeping right here.” He rests back and makes himself comfortable.
“Okay, but I have a condition.” I stand in front of the TV and put my hands on my hips.
“You got a condition, alright.” He laughs, looking at my tummy again. “Okay, okay. Hit me with it.”
“No more sleeping on the couch, you can take Saul’s bed from now on.” I smile sadly, and he stuns me when he quickly stands up.
“I’m fine on the couch, Saul’s room is—Well, it’s Saul’s room.”
“And it’s just sitting there empty,” I remind him, not that I need to, Saul’s absence feels suffocating and I know he feels it too “If you're going to stay here a while, you should at least be comfortable.”
“Long as you're sure.” He nods gratefully.
“I’m more than sure.” I kiss his cheek and head down the hall to my own room. Once I’m inside I close the door and look at my reflection in the mirror. My tummy does stick out, now maybe that's because I’ve let the rest of me get so thin. I’ve barely been eating, and I know I have to take better care of myself.
I slide out of the black dress I’m wearing and study my reflection without it. Wondering how much my body is going to change over the next few months, and if Vike will still be sleeping across the hall by then.
I really hope he is. Having him close is about all that's got me through the past two weeks, and what he said about being here for me through this, felt really sincere.
Vike was a good friend to my brother and he’s been a good friend to me, but I want him to be so much more than that. The way he touched me in the kitchen felt incredible, and as I touch my hand to my stomach where his had previously rested, I remember how it felt. Gradually I slide my fingers lower, pushing past the front of my panties.
“Alicia, do you know where th—” My door opens and when I see Vike I scream.
“Holy fuck!” He stares at me in shock.
I quickly snatch my dress up from the floor and attempt to cover myself with it.
“Shit, I’m sorry I shoulda knocked…I was just about to take a shower and there ain’t no towels out like there usually are.
I looked in the laundry room but.” He shakes his head, clearly as mortified as I am.
“I put them away in here.” I crab walk over to my built-in wardrobe and slide open the door. Then reaching for the shelf, I grab a towel and keep the fabric of my dress tight to my body as I move across the room and hand it to him.
“Thanks.” He smiles awkwardly. “And I’m sorry, again. Next time I’ll knock.”
“Lesson learned.” I smile back at him, wondering why he’s still standing there, looking at me. It’s making this even more fucking awkward then it already is. “Was there anything else?” I check wanting the ground to swallow me up.
“No.” He shakes his head and looks confused. “I’m gonna go take that shower.” He steadily points toward the bathroom before turning on his feet.
“Great.” I watch him march down the hall and cover my face in shame.