“I want you, Elle,” he says, his voice so full of emotion. “I want this baby. I really, really do. I want our family.”
Tears of gratitude stream down my face, and I’ve never been so overcome with emotion and love. A laugh bubbles up from my chest, and I pull Lexington’s face harder to mine, melting into his lips.
“I love you,” he whispers. And he shifts, pulling himself half up, and gently, he presses his lips to my stomach, one of his hands caressing my side. “I promise I’m going to take care of both of you. No matter what it takes.”
The tears don’t stop, but I hardly even notice them. Relief and happiness and gratitude overwhelm me, and I’m not even a part of this world anymore. I’m existing on a plane of bliss that I never even knew existed.
Lexington slides back up, his eyes fixed on me, and they glow with so much wonder.
“I want us both to take your name,” I say in the darkening night. “I’ve always been a Ward, but being a Ward comes with some dark history and days. I want us all to have a fresh start as a family. If you’ll have us both.”
The tears fall in a stream from Lexington’s eyes and he tips his forehead to my chin for a moment, so overcome. I hear him sniff, his body trembling just slightly. I hold him tight. I marvel at how lucky I am to have ended up where I am.
It all might have happened under some horrible circumstances. Forced down a path I didn’t think I wanted to go.
But here I am.
And I am so blessed to have landed here, in this moment.
“Yes,” Lexington breathes as he looks back up at me. And his sincerity could bring to light all truth in the world. “Yes, Elle Dawes. And yes, baby girl Dawes.” He looks down at my stomach, gently resting his hand on it, as if he truly can’t wait to hold our daughter.
Our daughter.
A little sobbing laugh escapes my lips as I hold Lexington’s face between my hands. I rest my forehead to his, taking in a deep breath, offering up a little prayer to the universe, thankful for my complicated, beautiful life.
Three days later, Sunday morning, Lexington, Michael, and I fly back to Boston. Ian picks us up, and through the beautiful daylight, we drive back to my house, not a word spoken about what has happened in the five days we’ve been gone.
I’m still on too high of a high. I don’t want to come down just yet.
But I do grab Ian’s arm as we step inside and Lexington carries our bags upstairs. I pull him into the dining room.
“I’m keeping the baby,” I say, feeling nervous for some reason.
“Really?” my brother says. A hopeful smile curls on his lips and sparks in his eyes.
I let a little smile pull on my own. “Yeah,” I breathe. “I’m finally ready. Or ready to start on this journey. And I have Lexington, and he’s going to be the most amazing dad, and…”
“I’m going to be an uncle,” he declares excitedly. He steps forward, wrapping me in his arms. Just then Lexington steps into the room, a brilliant smile on his face.
“And you’re going to be a dad!” Ian declares. He turns, wrapping my fiancé in a hug as well. “Holy hell, this is all so crazy and exciting!”
“Hey now,” Lexington says as he steps back, waving a finger at him. “No more curse words in this house. We’re going to have little ears in here soon.”
Ian just laughs, hugging me once more.
But I look over his shoulder, and see Michael lingering in the doorway. There’s a dark, conflicted expression on his face.
We had a long talk a few hours after he woke up as a human. I told him how I planned to keep the baby and that Lexington and I were going to raise this family.
He didn’t necessarily approve.
He never pointed out how this baby was the result of the most humiliating and painful time in my life. Didn’t point out how the child’s biological father plans to kill me. Didn’t remind me of how much mental agony I’ve been in because of it.
He didn’t have to say a word. But his eyes said everything.
I swallow once, and look away from Michael, because now that I’ve finally found peace and accepted that this is my daughter that I carry, I can’t let in any kind of doubt.
“Wait, you’re human now,” Ian suddenly says, swinging back to face Michael. “You suddenly smell like a meal and not something half rotten.”
“Thanks, asshole,” Michael says, even though there’s a tiny smile on his lips. “Sorry guys. The little one is just going to have to get used to a few bad words whenever great uncle Michael is around.”
“That’s the other thing,” I say, taking half a step forward. “From here on out, Michael is our uncle. The half brother of George Ward.”
Ian raises an eyebrow, looking back at Michael. “It’s viable enough, I guess. Welcome to the family.”
But despite his negative attitude toward my decision, he still smiles that wide, charming smile of his.
“Do we really have to go back to reality?” I say in a sleepy voice the next morning.
We lie in bed. Lexington’s body is molded against mine, his hand cupping my bare belly. The blankets are in a pile on the floor, only a sheet pulled over us. The air is too warm to need covering. But the bed has never been so soft. My pillow never so comfortable.
“No, we don’t,” Lexington says as he presses a kiss behind my ear. “We can just stay here forever and let the rest of the world rot.”
I laugh and roll over onto my back. But it’s getting more uncomfortable by the day to lie that way.
I give a contented sigh.
“I think we’ve gotten away with as much time as we can,” I say, looking over at him. “It was pretty easy to see it was killing Ian not to update us on everything that’s gone on while we’ve been away.”
“Yeah, he did look ready to explode.” Lexington laughs, reaching up and brushing his knuckles gently down my cheek.
I smile, but glance over at the clock.
I need to be at the shop in forty minutes.
“Come on,” I say, sitting up and struggling to get up. In a flash, I feel the bed shift, and Lexington is in front of me, pulling me to my feet. “We have a million things to get done in the next little while.”
“Yes ma’am,” he says. I look over my shoulder as I walk toward the bathroom, and find him checking me out, no shame whatsoever.
I blush, but let him continue studying me, wearing only a pair of underwear and a thin tank top.
Clothes are getting more and more uncomfortable these days.
Thirty minutes later, we’re both out the door, walking hand in hand down Commonwealth Mall, and hooking onto Charles Street up to Oleander Apothecary.
It’s all so beautifully normal. I check the emails for new custom orders. Lexington taps away on his computer at the counter, working on some marketing stuff for me. I scoot around the lab, putting together two custom-made bottles of Love Me for some regulars.
We’re just a couple who works together, building a life for their child.
I pause in the lab when I’m by myself. I rest my hip against the counter and let my hands slide down to my stomach. I study it. The round shape. I pull my shirt up slightly, seeing my entirely flat bellybutton.
A small movement nearly startles me, and I smile, placing my hand over the spot where I felt it. And there it is again, pushing back against my hand.
Something warms in my chest. She. She pushes back. Moving inside of me. My daughter.
“I promise you,” I say quietly, looking down at my stomach. I slowly start to sway back and forth, cradling my stomach. “I’m going to be everything my own mother wasn’t.” The feeling in my heart is overwhelming, now that I’m finally giving myself permission to take down the walls and feel all these emotions I’ve been holding at bay. “There’s going to be so much weight upon your shoulders, so much expectation. But I swear, I’m going to let you be a kid. I will do everything I can to give you some normal.”
My head rests to the right a little bit, and the
smile on my lips softens. “I’m going to teach you chemistry, and to love plants. I’ll share all my favorite books with you.”
My eyes settle onto a blank space of floor, but my vision fuzzes, not really seeing anything. “And your dad is going to teach you to play the guitar and sing. He has such a beautiful voice. I hope he sings more once you’re born. And the stories he’s going to have to tell you…” I shake my head, a little laugh bubbling from my chest. “Well, he’ll have a few stories that will be appropriate to tell you.
“But we’re going to do this,” I say. “I didn’t think I could do it before. But the truth was that I just couldn’t do it alone. But we’ve got this. Together.”
“Yeah we do.”
I turn around, and for some reason I’m a little surprised to see Lexington standing in the door. His hands are slipped into his pockets, his stance casual. But the peaceful slant of his lips, the hope in his eyes…
I smile, blushing just a little. He crosses to me, wrapping his arms around me.
And I’ve never felt so happy in my life.
So of course it’s right then that the bell in the shop rings, and I hear someone walk in.
“Hello?” a brash voice immediately calls. “Anybody home?”
Aleah.
I sigh, the blissful haze immediately diffusing. Lexington releases me and we both head back into the shop.
“Vacation certainly seems to have agreed with the both of you,” Aleah says, looking at us with something close to jealousy and disgust. “How was Mississippi?”
“Humid,” I say, heading to the counter. I grab the order book and flip it open, busying myself.
“Gross,” she says. “Anyway, thought you might like to know we killed Jonathan two days ago. No more drama since then.”
“Really?” I say in shock, not able to hide it as I look up at her.
“Really,” she says, a look of annoyance at my surprise. “That’s kind of my job, isn’t it? To take care of these little problems.”
“I just…” I shake my head. I can’t remember the last time a problem in our world was just taken care of so quickly. Just like that. “I’m impressed.”
Aleah shrugs. She goes to wander around, grabbing random bottles, pulling the lids off. Sniffing. “We also moved house yesterday. Now that the King is fully supporting us, we’ve got a budget of our own, and that house Alivia was renting for us was getting a little too over crowded.”
“Where at?” Lexington asks, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back in his chair.
“Beacon Hill,” she says with a little bit of a proud smile. “Only three blocks from here.”
I can only imagine the cost of the rent. This part of town goes for sky high figures, and if it’s big enough to house all the members of the House of Martials… The number has to be astronomical.
“We’re practically neighbors now,” I say, not sure if I’m happy about the relocation or not. It will be easier for them to do the work they need, but I also know the House isn’t too thrilled with me right now.
“I wouldn’t expect too many block parties though,” she says. She grabs a bottle of balm, dips her finger in, and slathers it all over her arms. I try not to cringe at all the product she’s making unsellable.
“No, I don’t expect them,” I say, bristling harder by the minute.
“We haven’t had much luck tracking down Charles,” Aleah says, moving on. “The King has reached out to all of the Houses. Told them that if he comes to any of them for help or alliances, they’re to kill him on sight.”
“So, there have been no sightings of him, at all?” I ask.
Aleah shakes her head.
“That’s what Ian was afraid of, that he’d just go into hiding,” Lexington says with a growl.
“Oh, he’s in hiding,” Aleah says. She finally loops back to the counter. “And I guarantee he’ll stay in hiding until November.”
I know this fact. Can piece it together myself. But it still makes my blood chill.
“See, he isn’t stupid,” she continues as she leans her forearms against the counter, locking her cold eyes on me. “He knows his best bet is to lay low in the darkest corner of the planet until he gets word you’ve given birth. And then is the time to swoop back in, knock you off, take the baby, and hold it for ransom and life.”
My hand connects with her cheek before I even realize how angry I am.
In an instant, Lexington is on top of Aleah, dragging her back away from me as her eyes glow blood red and black veins rise around them. Her fangs are bared and a bright red handprint glows on her face.
“Don’t be such an ignorant idiot, Elle Ward,” Aleah howls. “You know it’s the truth. You know there’s a target on your throat.”
“Don’t you underestimate me,” I hiss as I step around the counter. I stalk toward her, my eyes burning with anger and hatred as Lexington holds her arms behind her back, struggling as she tries to lunge at me. “I know the stakes, I know the possible future. But don’t you dare come into my space and try to get me scared and afraid.” I stop, nearly nose to nose with her, her fangs only an inch away. “It won’t work.”
Lexington yanks Aleah away from me as she snaps. Not to hurt me, just to make me jump, but I don’t. He hauls her toward the door.
“Unless you’ve got anything useful to say right now, you need to leave.” He shoves her toward the door, blocking her access with his body.
Aleah laughs, her face a mix of emotions. Pleasure, anger, resentment. “You’re just a little doll, Elle Ward. Always trying too hard. Always working to prove yourself.”
“Leave,” Lexington bellows, shoving her shoulder, sending her stumbling back, out the door. He closes it, locking it.
“What is her problem?” I yell, stepping forward, my own eyes burning as I stare her down through the glass. She gives me a little smile, telling me just how pleased she is with her performance, as she slowly walks away.
“She’s frustrated with how things have been going lately, and she’s taking it out on you by getting under your skin.” Lexington watches as she goes, his breaths coming in and out hard.
I swear when he’s angry he grows two inches taller and three inches wider in the shoulders.
It takes a lot to push him to this point, but when he gets there, I’m reminded of how deadly he can be.
I let out a hard breath, turning away from the window, taking two aimless steps forward. I know she’s going crazy with dread and anticipation, just waiting for Cyrus to start some kind of twisted game. I know my brother has been telling the House about what he did to Alivia. Stress will make people act out in horrible ways.
“She’s right though. That’s exactly what Charles is going to try and do.” I stop at the counter, resting my hands on its cool surface. “He probably has paid off people in all the local hospitals so he knows the exact moment I go in to labor.”
“You think he’s gotten to Dr. Dahl?” Lexington asks, referring to the obstetrician I’m seeing.
“Maybe,” I say. I don’t want to believe it of the nice woman, but Charles is good at collecting pawns, even if none of them like him.
“We need to do something different,” Lexington says as he walks up to my side. He leans against the counter, folding his arms over his chest. “The approach we’ve been using of hide-and-go-seek isn’t working. We need to come up with another plan to draw Charles out.”
It’s a team-developed plan that we come up with in the end. Lexington and I stayed up all night that night talking about it, hammering out the details. Deciding who we have to get on board.
In the end, it comes down to three key players:
Dr. Dahl.
Rose.
And King Cyrus.
I’m so bitter right now, so frustrated and sick of everything, that I don’t even want to tell anyone else the plan. So until things fall into place, we won’t.
A few days later, I have my next check up with Dr. Dahl. We close the shop for lunch and hea
d downtown to her office. In the waiting room, I sit with a nervous leg bouncing up and down.
Lexington places a hand on my back, rubbing small circles in to it. I reach out, placing my hand on his knee, searching for calm.
When we’re called back, I’m antsy to get the nurse out there and hurry and speak to Dr. Dahl. But she insists on taking my weight and blood pressure the same as usual.
Finally, not a word spoken between Lexington and I as we wait, the doctor walks in.
“Hello, Elle,” she says with a pleasant smile. She takes a seat on the rolling stool, sliding over to the computer and clicking away. “How have you been feeling the last month?”
“Fine,” I say, but my words sound strangled. “Normal.”
“That’s good,” she says distractedly. She grabs for the Doppler that listens to the heartbeat. I pull my shirt up and she presses it to my stomach.
A rushing whirr sound echoes throughout the room. I reach out, finding Lexington’s hand. He looks down at me, a look of wonder and awe in his eyes.
This visit is so much different than the last one. Where I hadn’t dealt with what had happened to me. With what was going on inside my body.
“Everything sounds great,” Dr. Dahl says, smiling wide, putting it away. “You’re measuring right on track. I don’t see any signs for concern. Do you have any questions?”
I sigh. Blissful moments of happiness and peace never last long in my world.
I sit up, leaning forward. “Just one,” I say, fixing her with a hard stare. “How much is Charles Allaway paying you to report to him after our visits?”
And she’s not a very good liar or actress. All the blood drains from her face, her expression goes slack.
“I…” she struggles to speak. “I don’t know what…”
“No need to deny it,” Lexington pipes up. He stands, stopping at my side, and Dr. Dahl gets this terrified expression as she leans back, away from him as if she’s suddenly afraid. “We know how Charles works, and it was an obvious move. You’re not in trouble, we just need you to get in our pocket now.”