Chapter 23
Arianna
“You know what would make you the most amazing man on the planet right now?” I say, reaching over to trail my finger along Dean’s bicep.
He turns to me, an excited smirk plastered on his face.
Poor man…
“If you went and got tacos. And chips with guacamole. And a burrito.”
His expression falls, but only into one that shows he should have known better.
We’re officially in the final countdown to baby girl’s arrival.
And at least every other night around this time, there has been a new craving that hits out of nowhere.
Even after we’ve already had dinner. He learned the second time it happened that if he doesn’t go, I’m more than willing to get in my car and get it myself.
“Mm, that does sound good.” He snaps into action, grabbing his shoes and slipping them on. “You want some tres leches too?”
“Is that even a real question?” I fire back with a grin.
“Obviously a dumb one.”
“Can you help me up before you go?” Because yes, at thirty-eight weeks pregnant, there’s no way in hell I’m getting off the couch without some help. Center of gravity? Wouldn’t know what that is anymore.
“Do you need something?” he asks but comes to me anyway.
“Yeah, to empty the bladder your daughter is using as her punching bag.”
Dean chuckles, taking my hands and helping me to my feet.
Instead of letting me go right away, his eyes practically darken before me as he moves to hold my very round stomach.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if the bump wasn’t in the way, his gym shorts would not hide how he feels about the sight of me.
Placing a hand on the center of his chest, I playfully shove him away.
“Food first. Blow job later.”
Dean groans, dropping his head back while snatching my wrist to hold me in place.
“I love when you talk dirty to me, Freckles.” He bends forward, easily finding my lips even with the bump in the way. He gives me three kisses before pulling back with a frown.
“No, wait, that was an odd number.” On his next one, he manages to get just my bottom lip in the kiss. “Mm, I didn’t like that one.” He kisses me again. “Oops, shit, that’s an odd number again, hold on.”
I’m laughing when he pulls away after ten kisses total, my cheeks aching as he finally heads out to get the food.
After emptying my bladder, I find my phone on the counter and impulsively decide to check in on Vivian. Cora follows close by as always, settling right in the middle of the kitchen floor to watch me.
She picks up after the second ring, the sound of music blasting through the speaker while she shouts at me to give her a second. It takes her almost two minutes to get to a quiet enough spot where we can actually hear each other.
“You didn’t have to answer if you were out with Dylan,” I tell her honestly.
“I’m not out with him. I was meeting with a bar manager to try to get a job.”
“Bartending? You?” I wince at how that came out, but I know my best friend. That girl only knows how to make one type of drink and that’s an over-poured shot.
“Not behind the bar. It was for a server position.”
“Oh, okay. You’re good at that,” I tell her, relaxing slightly at the idea of her doing something she’s familiar with.
“Yeah,” she says dejectedly. Since we text all the time, I know how hard it was for her to finally cave and go for a job as a waitress again.
She was really hoping to find something that she’s passionate about, but after jumping around between gigs for nearly nine months, even my friend had to cave and fall back on something more reliable.
And since there’s always a need for help in the serving industry…
“Anyway, how are you feeling?” Viv asks, her voice bordering on fake cheerful. I almost feel bad for my answer, but I know deep down that my friend would want to know.
“I’m good. Aside from the diva deciding to use my organs as a dance pad, that is.”
She laughs, the sound a little more genuine. “She’s like you, always gotta be moving. What do you have left to get done?”
I shake my head even though she can’t see me. Putting the phone on speaker, I set it on the counter beside the sink and start putting away some of the bottles I cleaned earlier.
“Honestly, not that much. It’s all just little stuff at this point.
Dean is fully moved in now, so it’s been easier to figure out where we want everything, now that his stuff officially has a place.
Which reminds me, he still has the condo for another six months since he couldn’t break the lease, so in case you wanted to come meet your niece after she’s born, it’s still fully furnished for now if you need a place to crash. ”
“Oh, that’s perfect. I’m gonna try to make it back in the next month, and if Dylan can get time off too, we were talking about making it a mini vacay.”
I roll my eyes, grateful she can’t see me right now. Her boyfriend isn’t winning many points from me with how absent he’s been lately.
“How are things with you guys? Last we talked, he was acting weird.” I stop in front of the sink, gripping my side as a cramp seizes through my lower stomach. The baby kicks at the same time and I send a mental note down to her that it’s time to calm down for the night.
Vivian’s sigh is heavy, and in this moment, I wish it were possible to reach through the phone and hug her.
“Better, I guess? I told him I felt like he was being distant, and he apologized. Apparently, work has been insane. But he texted me a couple hours ago that he had a surprise for me and couldn’t wait for me to get home, so maybe it was just a rough patch.”
“Maybe he finally found a place for you guys to actually live in,” I say, crossing my fingers that it’s that.
It could very well be the nesting habits that have a chokehold on me lately, but the fact that my friend has been living somewhere for almost nine months and still hasn’t unloaded her things from the car she drives every day is mind-boggling.
“Oh, that would literally be the best news ever.”
I’m finishing up putting the last bottle in the cupboard when the front door opens. In my periphery, Cora jumps to her feet, a low growl starting as she stares down the hallway to the front of the house.
“Hey, I think Dean just got back with our food. Will you text me when you find out what the surprise is?” I ask, grabbing a kitchen towel and wiping down the counter.
“Of course. You’ll be the first to—” Her words are cut off by Cora barking. I shake my head and shout over her.
“Perfect, love you, Viv.” I don’t even hear her response before hanging up. “Cora!”
I turn, only to frown when I find her backing up closer to me.
Her hackles are raised, the hair between her shoulders standing tall all the way down to her tail, which is pinned down, not wagging like it normally does when Dean gets home.
Her usual floppy ears are also in rare form, one of them standing right up while the other tries to do the same.
“Sweetie, what’s wrong? It’s just…” I trail off as the sight of a young man standing in the hallway makes me scream.
He’s in a black hoodie that hangs off his slim frame, the hood pulled up and casting a shadow over his features.
Even without being able to see his full face, there’s something familiar about him that I can’t put my finger on.
My heart leaps to my throat and I glance behind him, seeing the front door still open, then peek at my back door. It’s closer, but given the watermelon-sized stomach I’m carrying…I wouldn’t make it there fast enough.
“Get out of my house,” I say with more confidence than I have. Cora lets out a warning bark that turns into a growl when he tries to take a step closer. Another cramp hits, followed by my daughter punching my bladder, and I try not to let the ache show.
“I will call the police,” I say, reaching for my phone, but he moves at the same time, lifting his arm, and revealing a knife.
Holding my hands in the air to show that my hands are empty, I try to think of what to do next.
“My wallet is on the table. There’s not much but—”
“I don’t want your money,” he says, words cracking at the end, and his voice confirms my suspicion. This guy cannot be older than eighteen.
“Then what do you want?” I ask, somehow much calmer than I probably should be. He moves farther into the kitchen, and I step with him, inching closer to the back door while trying to keep the island and Cora between us.
Cora growls at his every move, but aside from frequent glances down at her, he doesn’t seem too scared of her.
Which, if I were him, I’d be shitting my pants.
Mostly because this is so unlike her. Cora loves everyone.
So for her to look like she’s two seconds away from launching herself at this kid…
“Where’s Dean?” he asks and my pounding heart turns to ice.
“Not here,” I say through gritted teeth.
“He’s supposed to be here. He’s always here.” His anger takes me by surprise. That and the fact that he’s clearly been watching us enough to know that Dean lives here. The kid starts pacing, setting Cora off in another fit of barks. “Shut up!”
I snap my fingers and Cora stops, still keeping on with her low rumble of warning.
“Who are you?” I ask just as I’m hit with another cramp, this one noticeably worse than the others as it takes my breath away. Trying to keep my attention on the kid, I grab my stomach, hoping to ease the pain by holding it up.
The kid stops his pacing, yanking the hood from his head and turning to me to reveal his shining brown eyes. It’s a color I would know everywhere, which helps me know his next words are true.
“I’m the brother he forgot about!” He seethes and my heart breaks as he points the knife in my direction. “The one he so easily walked away from.”
“He never forgot about you,” I start, needing to pause to suck in a deep breath as another cramp pulses. When I finally manage to talk again, my words come out in a pant. “He couldn’t find you.”
“Bullshit. I know—”
Both our eyes widen at the sound that interrupts him. A rush of water hitting the floor makes me finally look away from him. I stare at the puddle between my feet, mind momentarily going blank before I glance back up at him.
Well, shit.
Going into labor while being held at knife point wasn’t really something we planned for.