Page 16

“You’ve been all smiles since we left the hospital.”

I shut the door behind us while she moved towards the bed. Sighing, she dropped to the edge, bouncing lightly on the mattress and regarding me with an intent gaze. I wasn’t sure when it happened, but between the episode in the kitchen, the visit to the hospital, and now in the bedroom, she was glowing, looking even more beautiful.

Her golden blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders like a river of sunset hues, framing her heart-shaped face. Her piercing blue eyes sparkled like sapphires in the morning light, shining bright with a gentle warmth that tugged on my chest. As she sat there, her profile presented itself to me like a work of art. The gentle nose and high cheekbones combined to form a masterpiece of elegance.

I not only shamelessly lusted after this woman but fucking admired her, too.

“You might not know this, but it’s normal for human beings to smile.”

“And I’m not a human being?”

“Your words, not mine.”

Her skin glowed with a soft, porcelain-like complexion, smooth and flawless. The gentle curve of her neck, the delicate slope of her shoulders, and the subtle swell of her lips made me want to forget everything and kiss her.

Although….

Speaking of smiles, hers had dimmed considerably since I opened my mouth. She eyed me with a fierceness I’d never have deemed her feisty enough to display, and the expression on her face tipped more toward irritation than actual anger. Almost as if she couldn’t bear to stomach the sight of me.

It might have been the hormones. Surely, there were early fucking signs, but—

“I didn’t know you had a sharp mouth.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t know you cared,” she didn’t hesitate to fire back.

“I don’t.”

“Then stop talking to me like you do.”

The withdrawal in her eyes told me she didn’t need to know I didn’t mean it. For whatever it was worth, Serena didn’t trust me, and the crazy part was I wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

I sure as hell hadn’t given her any reason to. But for the sake of our baby, I was going to do everything within my power to make sure she didn’t have to walk around me with protective pines sticking out of her back. I crossed the room toward her, fingers curled and teeth clenched.

“You’re fucking pregnant.”

“But you didn’t know that. Neither of us did. So stop acting like a superhero all of a sudden.”

“What would you have preferred, then? That I take you to a fucking bank after you fainted?”

She pushed herself off the bed, glaring with less intensity than the first time we’d walked into the room. Placing one hand on her hip, she gestured with the other. “I don’t know, maybe? Again, I didn’t know you cared enough to consider taking me to a hospital.”

This time, I didn’t bother with a response since even I battled with conflicting emotions inside. Did I or did I not care?

To convince myself, I wanted to say I didn’t, but the subtle glimmer in her eyes held hope that I did. When I said nothing, her shoulders sagged, and she rolled her eyes, returning to bed and leaning against the headboard. “Whatever.”

Whatever?

Even her comebacks were childlike and fucking innocent.

Her eyes fluttered shut, and her hand hovered over her invisible baby bump. “You asked why I’ve been smiling since we left the hospital.”

“Now, you want to talk?”

Serena’s eyes snapped open fast enough to shoot me a glare before fluttering shut again. “I’m only talking to you right now because I want to get this off my chest, and you happen to be the only one in the room.”

Watching her display childish tantrums was amusing. I could lean back on that goddamn wall and watch her the entire day.

“I’m happy, Timur.” Silently, like she harbored a secret only she knew about, her lips quirked to the side and wobbled. “That’s the most genuine reason for my smiles. I’m happy, elated…excited, even, for this great news—our baby. I guess I’ve always wanted this, the opportunity to be a mother to someone else other than my brother. Hilarious, right?”

No .

Nothing about her past misery was funny to me. But I listened instead of speaking. She looked like she needed more listening ears and shoulders to lean on than mouths to stoke the fire of her concerns.

“Growing up, I was fortunate to meet my parents in love, if I can say that. Sadly, it didn’t last very long. Soon, the fights started, and some nights, it just went on and on until one of them would have to stomp out of the house for silence to reign.” She chuckled, and it sounded dry and detached. “I used to relish those moments of silence. It was the most peaceful it could get. By the time Jayden was born, there was barely any love left to share around in the house. They tried to act for Jay’s sake. You can guess how that turned out. When they both noticed it wasn’t working, my mother, if I can still call her that, gave us quite the distance.”

“She left.”

I didn’t know I’d spoken until Serena’s eyes flew open, meeting mine with drawn brows. Maybe she thought I didn’t care enough to listen to her sob story and was surprised to find me still standing by the bed, staring at her intently like it was a matter of life or death.

Relaxing, she shrugged, still pinning her curious gaze on me. “Not immediately, no. It happened after a trip I’d pressured my father into taking us on. Jayden fought against the idea. He’s never really been a camp-in-the-woods guy, and my mother surprised Daddy and me by agreeing to it. I remember that day like it was yesterday, Timur; I’d been so happy, I didn’t even mind Jay’s incessant whining in the truck on our way there. I thought she’d agreed because they were going to try to become a happy family again.”

“No?”

She laughed again, shaking her head and flicking a teardrop under her eyelids. “No.”

I flexed my jaw and narrowed my eyes. She didn’t have to say a word. It didn’t matter how long ago her family broke apart; it still hurt her.

“Boy, how wrong I was. That night, they had an argument like never before. It was worse, lasting from dusk till after midnight. For a trip meant to last the entire weekend, my father asked Jay and me to pack our things the following morning and head to the truck. He made us promise not to ask about our mother or say a word that would link her in our conversations. Of course, we promised to make Daddy happy. Didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a bee sting to know she’d left us without a word.”

Serena sniffled, her voice wobbled, and the fake smile that grew on her face put a dent in her brave facade. “No need to bore you with what happened after when you can already guess. Nothing was the same after that, not Daddy or Jay. Our father became physically and emotionally unavailable, leaving me to fill the shoes of both parents for my brother. And when our father died, I had to work multiple jobs to pay off Jay’s expenses and my tuition, and the rest is history.

“I’ll never regret being there for Jay. It’s just that, in the end, that awful experience left me with a dream to take care of my own child the way neither of my parents took care of me. When the doctor said I was pregnant, the joy that I was going to get my dream of being a mother filled my heart. Plus, the bonus part is knowing that it doesn’t really matter how twisted my current situation is; I know that my child will grow up in a secure household.”

Seeing her cry made a different kind of bloodlust consume my body, the type that made me want to do whatever it took to wipe those tears from her eyes and put a real smile on her face whatever it took.

Fuck, where is all this coming from?

I didn’t know, but I didn’t want to get rid of it. I didn’t want to get rid of her. And I didn’t know what to do, either, but I wanted to make her feel better.

“I fucking hate it when it rains.”

Stunned and completely caught off-guard, she stuttered, “W-What?”

“The rain?” I repeated. “I fucking hate it.”

Serena blinked. After a heartbeat of silence, she asked, “Why?”

Why?

Because it made me remember all of it. The artistic red splash on the wall, bloodied brown hair, and lifeless blue eyes. It was one of the many deaths my father had caused that I couldn’t forget, no matter how hard I tried. That very one followed me, haunted me even in my fucking dreams, accusing me of being part of her killers.

Serena was still waiting for a response, and I realized I had already said too much. I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with her prying or picking at my own fucked up past.

Now, that was laughable.

If only she knew the horrors of my own family, the turmoil that came with having my kind of father. If she did, she might have some tiny bit of appreciation that her daddy didn’t force her to watch him cut men’s throats open when she was young. All hers did was abandon them. If I was given a choice at that age, I might have picked that option.

“Forget about that.” Tucking my hands into my pocket, I backed away from the bed. “I want us to move to the bedroom downstairs.”

Confusion caused a crinkle in her brows, and her eyes widened. “What, why? I don’t get it; one minute, you’re saying you hate it when it rains, and the next minute, you want us to have a bedroom downstairs? Make me understand because you’re losing me here, Timur.”

Like I’d ever let that fucking happen. She had a long thing coming if she thought I was going to watch myself lose her.

“I did some research and saw somewhere that stairs aren’t safe for pregnant women. It might still be early in this trimester—is that how they say it?—but I want to make sure you and our baby are safe.”

Serena opened and closed her mouth like a fish would.

I knew I’d shocked us both by indirectly proving to her again that I cared.

When the doctor had said Serena was pregnant, I tried to process the news but couldn’t. I was going to be a father when I didn’t know the first shit I was supposed to about fatherhood. Mine didn’t leave the best impression, and I didn’t expect her to conceive early into our marriage. We’d barely marked a one-month anniversary. But if there was one thing I knew, it was that the protection of wife and child were the first priority. Before deciding whether to learn how to change a diaper, I had to keep them safe. And if recommended sources on the internet said stairs weren’t safe for pregnant women, then we were moving downstairs.

A small smile danced on Serena’s lips as she leaned back. “Are you sure you read that somewhere, or was it a recommendation from your doctor friend?”

Folding my arms across my chest, my brows furrowed, and I raised one at her. “My doctor friend?”

“Yeah? The hottie from the hospital. When I woke up, I saw her talking to you, and it was not about the pregnancy.”

The light was slowly returning to her eyes, and I was willing to play along to keep it that way.

“She was bragging about their top-notch medical facilities and services, trying to sell the hospital.”

“Or trying to sell herself? She was really into you, you know?”

If she was trying not to show signs of jealousy, she was doing a terrible job. The side of my lips curved to a smirk. “And you know this because?”

“She had her eyes on you the entire time we were there. I bet, if I wasn’t in the room, she’d have literally thrown herself into your arms to be caught by you.”

I moved a shoulder. “I wouldn’t know; I had my eyes on you the entire time, and I’m not interested in catching anyone who is not my wife. They could sink into the fucking ground for all I care.”

There was a small, intense zap, like a shock of heated electricity between us, and judging by the rising scarlet dusting her cheeks, I knew she held her breath. I inched forward, and I wasn’t sure for what.

To act on impulse and kiss her? Or to just be close to her?

Whatever it was, in that moment, I wasn’t thinking.

Fuck thinking.

I wasn’t myself, and it was starting to become a norm. Whenever Serena was around me, I would lose focus and be angry for the wrong reasons—at myself. When I stared into those depths of blue, I got lost, like a kid drowning in an ocean.

Looking at her now, she wore a similar expression. A familiar one that said what her mouth didn’t have to: She wanted me. Her warm gaze passed my inked fingers, the faint crinkles on my dress shirt, and the curve of my neck before settling on my lips.

But as quickly as the moment came, it was gone. Her smile melted off her face, and she fumbled with her fingers, dropping her head forward and allowing a handful of hair to shield her face away from mine.

The real Serena was back, the one without the sharp mouth, glaring eyes, or witty childish retorts. Before I got a chance to ask her what was wrong, she was quick and gracious enough to spare me the trouble.

“Says the husband who was irritated by his wife’s cooking.”

Ah, shit.

She was fucking pissed because of what happened in the morning. It didn’t matter that she hadn’t understood a word I’d said to Klavdia; she was smart enough to know I didn’t want to eat the meal she made.

Quietly, I cleared the distance between us, drew closer to her bedside, and slid my fingers over hers, still clutching her stomach. My swift move startled her, but I didn’t care.

“Serena, you have my promise now that I’ll never say no to your soufflé pancakes or weird-ass vegetable and cheese recipes.”

That broke a half-chuckle and half-smile out of her. Rolling her eyes, she swatted the back of my hand gently. “It’s not… weird-ass . It’s creative cooking.”

I nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of my mouth. “Corrected. I’ll never say no to your weird-ass creative cooking ever again.”

Now she was laughing, her head lolling backward to accommodate her loud, airy laughter. The sight made me smile in return.

She shook her head. “It’s still not valid.”

Her lambent beauty distracted me; I didn’t catch on to what she said. “What?”

“Your promise? I said it’s not valid. You didn’t call me Pchelka to seal it. What does it even mean?”

I could tell she’d been dying to ask.

“Little bee.”

Laughing, she caressed my fingers with hers. “It’s cute. I didn’t think about that.” Her brows dipped, and she nibbled on her lower lip in thought. “But why?”

Her overloaded cuteness must have been a charm because I couldn’t resist planting a kiss at the side of her mouth. “You and your fucking striped yellow clothes. I don’t get why you have so many of them—but don’t tell me. I’m not getting into that women’s wardrobe shit with you. Not now.”

I got another laugh out of her and earned a genuine smile. “That makes sense.”

Sharing wasn’t my thing, but I recognized precious moments when I saw one—like now. Having her this close to me, being able to hold her without making her tremble with fear, made my heart pump faster.

I tightened my grip on her fingers and held her gaze with mine. “My father wasn’t crazy about children. I believe he probably wouldn’t have given a fuck if he had none. If he did, he might have….” I swallowed, clenching my jaw. “My brother and I would have had a better parent. But I’m not going to be like that. On my honor, I swear to protect you and our son till my last breath.”

“Timur….”

“Considering that I’m more of a villain than a superhero, it might not mean shit to you, but around here, we have a thing with upholding promises.”

Sighing, she sniffled. But I couldn’t be sure that these weren’t tears of sorrow.

I cupped her cheeks and tipped her chin with a finger.

“Are you happy, Pchelka? ”

“I am, Timur.” She leaned forward, with that light in her eyes that managed to make me feel like I’d won a billion-dollar lottery, and kissed my cheeks. “I am happy.”