Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Afterward, I lay in a mess of blankets and pillows, more satisfied than I had felt in months.
The bathroom light flicked on as Hale cleaned up. On his way back to the bed, he paused by the balcony door. “Rayne, why is my Renly portrait in the pool?”
I bit my lip. “Is that something you really want to know?”
“I guess not.” He chuckled, leaving the window and climbing back into bed.
As he fussed over my body, taking more care than usual, my stomach soured with guilt. “Was it expensive?”
“I got it for a steal at an auction.”
Uh-oh. A steal for me was a two-for-one at Costco. Hale’s definition was probably much different. “How much of a steal?” I braced.
“Fifty.”
“Thousand?” I was going to be sick.
“Yeah.”
There was no way I could replace a work of art like that. And if that was what he considered a bargain, that probably meant it was worth twice that. “I’m sorry, Hale.”
“Nothing could upset me right now, Rayne. Don’t sweat it.” He kissed my head. “I’ll just have to find something I like better to replace it. Maybe a nude of my beautiful wife. I have a few on my phone I’m fond of.”
“There will be no nudes of my body hanging in the common areas of this house. And you promised to delete those!”
“I don’t remember that.”
“Hale,” I said sternly. My maternal voice was already developing.
“Shh. Baby, I’m trying to sleep.”
My lips pursed. I was never getting those damn pictures off his phone. “What’s our baby going to think when he learns his father’s a big old pervert.”
“He?” Hale chuckled. “What if it’s another girl?”
I smiled. “I’d be happy either way.” My hand cradled my flat stomach as a sense of warmth spread through my chest. “Our baby.”
Hale’s hand covered mine. “Our baby.”
Mind the Zygote Please
We caught the pregnancy early, so at this stage we were basically dealing with a zygote. But that tiny, little fertilized egg quickly became our whole world.
This was different from the first time Hale was expecting. When Elara’s birth mother revealed she was pregnant, she wasn’t exactly on good terms with him. That led to the blowout between Hale and Remington, and then Remington had a heart attack and broke his foot. A few weeks later, I was hired and put smack dab in the middle of their dysfunction. The rest was history.
But this time, Hale was determined things would go differently.
I awoke to an enormous breakfast in bed. “Oh, my gosh.” I scooted back to the pillows, making room for the loaded tray. “We had eggs?”
“I went to the farmer’s market. They’re organic.”
“When?” It was barely light outside.
“I’ve been up for hours. Too excited to sleep. Besides, your body needs nutritious food. I also picked up some vitamins and fruit and a variety of dairy products—”
“And flowers!” I leaned forward and sniffed the lilies in the vase. I searched the tray for coffee but didn’t see it. “Is there coffee?”
“It’s probably a good time to start limiting your caffeine.”
“What? Who says?”
“Doctors. Even half a cup of coffee a day could impact the baby’s weight.”
“Maybe a small baby isn’t such a bad thing. Keep in mind, junior’s entering this world through a very small hole.”
“Rayne, everything you put in your body over the next fifteen months matters.”
“Fifteen? Am I gestating for an elephant?”
“Well, I figured you’d breastfeed for the first few months. That means no raw fish or fish high in mercury of any kind, no deli meats, alcohol, caffeine, or unpasteurized cheese.”
“I can’t have cheese? What the hell am I going to eat? And what about sandwiches?”
“No unpasteurized cheese.”
“That’s probably the good kind.” I crossed my arms and pouted.
“I promise to keep you well-fed and fully satisfied. We can get a chef if you want.”
A chef sounded nice. Someone I could order around to meet my every craving… Did I just graduate to a new level of bougie? “What about a maid? I should probably take it easy now that my body’s a sacred vessel creating life.”
“Whatever you want, baby. Say the word and I’ll deliver.”
“Huh. This is working out better than I expected.”
“I want to make this the healthiest, most stress-free nine months of your life.”
Well, that sounded lovely. “I should marry you.”
He leaned over the tray and kissed me. “Eat. Then let’s inform Elara that she’s going to be a big sister.”
I smiled and took a bite of the buttered toast. “Oh, I bought a doll for her. I read that it’s supposed to help young kids learn how to treat the new baby. She can practice her big sister skills with it.”
“That’s perfect. I was thinking we should give her a present so she doesn’t feel overlooked in any way.”
“Done! You gotta admit, we make a good team.”
When we got to Remington’s, Marta greeted us in the foyer and pinched Hale’s cheek. “You’re glowing like a proud poppa.”