Chapter 8
CHAPTER
EIGHT
MONROE
Three weeks later…
I jumped out of bed and made a beeline for the bathroom, thankful that no one else in the house was occupying it yet. I had barely kneeled on the cool tile floor before my stomach revolted.
"This is getting old," I muttered before rinsing my mouth in the sink.
I stared at my reflection, desperately looking forward to the day that the morning sickness went away.
Dark circles lingered beneath my eyes, and despite the nausea that greeted me every morning, there was the faintest curve beginning to appear beneath my oversized T-shirt. Not enough for anyone else to notice but enough that I did.
I rested my palm against my stomach. "Good morning to you too, little bean."
A soft knock sounded against the bathroom door. "Monwoah?"
I took a deep breath and let it out before opening the door just enough to peek out.
Her wild blonde curls looked like she'd lost a fight with her pillow, and she clutched Mr. Pickles—the stuffed octopus she'd insisted couldn't possibly sleep without her.
“Are you okay?”
I forced a smile. “I’m okay.”
“But you frewed up. Again.”
So much for thinking Kaleigh hadn’t noticed all the times I’d gotten sick over the last few weeks.
“I’m just not feeling so great this morning. I promise I’ll be okay.”
Clay stopped at the top of the steps, wearing gray athletic shorts and a fitted gray Sunbreak Security T-shirt, still damp around the edges from what I assumed had been an early morning workout.
His eyes found mine immediately. Then drifted toward the bathroom and back to me again.
"Are you sick again?"
"It's nothing."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "Funny."
"What?"
"That's exactly what you said yesterday. And the day before."
“Maybe I ate something that disagreed with me."
One dark eyebrow lifted. "Every day for the last what…two weeks or more?"
Well, when he put it like that...
"I'll be fine,” I assured him.
He studied me for another second before letting out a slow breath. "If you're not feeling well, I can stay home."
The offer surprised me enough that I couldn’t hide the shock on my face. "You'd miss a day during your first month on the job because I have an upset stomach?"
"If you aren’t feeling well, and need me to. Yes."
My heart squeezed. No one had ever offered to change any of their plans for me.
"I'll survive."
He still looked unconvinced. Before either of us could say another word, his phone buzzed a shrill tone I'd heard enough over the last few weeks to recognize instantly.
CODE 808
Clay closed his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me." He pulled the phone out of his pocket and scanned the screen. "I gotta go. You sure you’re okay?” He sounded disappointed that he had to leave. "I can tell Sloane they'll have to cover me."
"No."
"Monroe—"
"No." I stepped closer. "You worked hard to get back to doing what you love."
"You two are what I care about."
My breath caught.
He seemed to realize what he'd said at exactly the same moment I did.
His jaw tightened. "What I mean is..."
"I know what you meant."
Did I?
Because I wasn't entirely sure anymore.
Somewhere between shared breakfasts and bedtime stories, the lines had started to blur.
Clay always had peppermint tea waiting for me in the morning, without me ever asking.
exactly the way I liked it without ever asking.
I caught him pausing outside my bedroom door just long enough to “check-in” for the night before we both went to bed.
Some nights we'd sit on opposite ends of the couch after Kaleigh had gone to bed, talking about everything and nothing until one of us realized it was well past midnight.
If I fell asleep on the couch while Kaleigh watched cartoons on Saturday mornings, I'd wake up with a blanket draped over me.
And he never let me carry the heavy grocery bags when he was around
Maybe that was just who Clay Wilder was.
Or maybe...
No.
I couldn't let myself wonder if it meant anything more. I needed this job and couldn’t afford to lose it over misreading feelings.
"I'm hungry." Kaleigh said through a yawn. “Can I have pancakes for breakfast?”
The tension evaporated instantly. And my stomach lurched.
Shit.
“I’ll…” I didn’t even have a chance to finish my sentence. Hand over my mouth, I shut the bathroom door quickly and hit the tile floor again.
This time, the bathroom door opened and when I looked up, Clay was standing at the sink wetting a washcloth to hand to me.
“I’m staying home.”
“Clay. No. Code 808 means they need you…now. Go. I’ll be fine,” I said, running the rag over my face. “I’ll get Kaleigh’s breakfast squared away and get her off to preschool. I can come back here and rest before pick-up. I’ve got this.”
Clay held out his hand and helped me off the floor. “You’ll call me if anything changes and you need me to come home?”
“Yes. Scouts honor.”
He snorted. “I highly doubt you were a girl scout.”
“Whatever,” I laughed. “Now, can I have a minute to brush my teeth?”
By the time I changed out of my pajamas and made it downstairs, Kaleigh was dressed and sitting in her usual spot at the island. Clay had two pancakes cut up on her plate for her and a hot cup of peppermint and ginger tea waiting for me.
“I gotta run, but I got her lunch packed too.” He pointed to the lunch box on the counter and kissed the top of Kaleigh’s head. “Love you kiddo. I’ll see you after work.”
“Love you too, Daddy,” she said with a mouth full of food.
Clay whistled and called out, “Maverick, fu?.”
The Belgian Malinois immediately stood and padded toward the door beside Clay. When Clay opened the door, Maverick laid down and whimpered.
“Come on, boy. Time to work.”
Mav looked back at me and Kaleigh but refused to get up.
Clay frowned. “Maverick.”
This time the dog got up and walked over to me before settling down with an unmistakable thump.
Kaleigh giggled. “Mavy wants to stay.”
“I noticed,” Clay grumbled and tried calling him again.
Maverick simply rested one massive paw across my foot.
I couldn't help laughing. “Uhm. I think he’s made up his mind.”
Clay stared at his partner for several long seconds. “Is this really how you’re going to do me, Maverick?” He turned his attention to me. “He’s never ignored a command.”
“Maybe he’s not ignoring you.” I smirked. “Looks like he just chose a new assignment.”
Clay crouched in front of his dog and sighed. “Okay. Stay. Guard 'em.”
Maverick barked once.
When Clay stood, he looked at me again. “He goes everywhere with you today. Got it?”
I mock saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
I swear I heard what sounded like a growl rumble from Clay’s throat.
“If you need anything…”
“I’ll call. Now, get. Before Sloane comes here looking for you.”
He gave one short nod. Then, after another look that lingered just a second too long, he walked out the door.
The garage door opened, his truck rumbled to life, I heard him back out and the garage door closed.
I busied myself with making sure Kaleigh finished her breakfast and quickly cleaned up the mess before loading her and Maverick in the car to head to preschool.
After I dropped Kaleigh off, I headed to the grocery store to grab a few ingredients for dinner and my refill of prenatal vitamins.
Maverick padded quietly beside me halfway through the parking lot before he froze and planted directly against my leg. His ears pinned back and the fur on the back of his neck stood up. Every muscle in his body went rigid and I could feel the vibration of his low grumble.
“What is it, Maverick?” I followed his gaze across the parking lot.
A black motorcycle idled near the edge of the lot. The rider wore a dark helmet, visor down, making it impossible to see his face.
For a split second, my pulse sped up.
There was no way…was it?
The rider glanced toward the storefront before easing out of the parking space and disappearing onto the road.
I blew out a shaky breath and whispered, "False alarm."
Maverick didn't seem convinced. He stayed between me and the direction the motorcycle had disappeared until we reached the automatic doors. Then he relaxed.
"You're taking this whole bodyguard thing pretty seriously, huh?"
His tail gave one slow wag in response.
Up and down every aisle, he stayed by my side as I gathered everything I needed. Apparently, the baby and I had a craving for meatloaf, carrots and potatoes. I wasn’t sure if Kaleigh would be into it though, so I made sure to pick up the organic dino nuggets she loved so much just in case.
One last pit top down the pet supply aisle for a special treat for Maverick and we were on our way to check out with enough time to take the back to the house and maybe even work on some laundry before it was time to pick up Kaleigh from daycare.