Mended (Lucian & Lia #3)(37)
Feeling sad about the whole thing, I say, “Well, if what she’s telling me is true, then she hasn’t been contacting him. Maybe…you could give him a push?”
He gives me a skeptical look before asking, “And you think Max will listen to me? You’d probably have more luck with Rose.”
“I told you that Rose is…just not herself. She needs Max to bring her back around. I think she wanted more from him than sex, even though she talked about that a lot.”
Rolling his eyes, he says, “That’s great to hear. I like the fact that my girlfriend discusses sexual fantasies about my lawyer with her friend. I guess I should be thankful they haven’t slept together yet. Otherwise, you’d have more knowledge of him than I could handle.”
“Aww,” I coo as I slide my feet into a pair of low-heeled sandals. “You know you’re the only one I want to see or imagine naked. When you’ve got the best, why would you possibly think about the rest?” I squeal in shock as he grabs me from behind and swings me around.
“I f*cking love you and your smart mouth.” He laughs before putting me back on my feet.
The doorbell chimes before I can reply. I know it’s Sam so I take off in that direction to let him in. A quick glance through the peephole confirms my assumption and I throw open the door. “Morning, Sam,” I say as I step back to wave him in.
“Good morning, Miss Lia,” he replies warmly. “You look radiant this morning.”
Putting my hands on my hips, I give him a stern look. “Is that code for happy and fat?”
“WH—What?” he sputters out. “No, oh no, Miss Lia. You’re not fat. You’re just pregnant. You’ll probably go right back to normal afterward…I mean, um—”
“You should just stop while you’re ahead,” says an amused voice. Sam looks at Lucian as if silently begging for help. “I think she’s just screwing with you, man, but I can’t be certain after her earlier meltdown,” Lucian adds helpfully.
I stick my tongue out at the man I love, before turning back to Sam and grinning. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist. And thank you for the compliment. Luc picked out my outfit this morning—since I couldn’t get anything to work.”
“You shouldn’t scare an old man like that, Miss Lia,” Sam playfully scolds. “I was only seconds away from running out the door and hiding.”
“Sorry, Sam,” I say as I squeeze his arm. “How about a cup of coffee to make it up to you?”
He looks down at his watch before looking at Lucian. “Do we have time for a quick cup?”
Lucian inclines his head, waving Sam toward the kitchen. “I need to make sure Lia eats before I leave anyway. We were running a bit late this morning.”
“I’ll bet,” I hear Sam say under his breath as I start to line up the coffee mugs on the counter. The coffee pot is full, thanks to the timer, so within moments, I have a cup sitting in front of Sam. Lucian is busy making me a bagel, with my beloved blueberry cream cheese. I take the plate from him, giving him a smile of thanks. Instead of food, he makes himself a protein shake and sips it while flipping through the morning paper. “So, how have you been feeling, Miss Lia? Is the morning sickness getting any better?”
I grimace, as I shake my head. “It could be worse, I know. At least I only occasionally get sick at other times. Most of it seems to be limited to the early morning. My doctor says it gets better for most women in their second trimester and I’m there now so I certainly hope I’m nearing the end.”
Lucian sits and chats as if he’s in no particular hurry, but I know well he’s just waiting around to make sure I finish my breakfast before he leaves. He’s become somewhat of an overprotective mother hen. The doctor told me that I needed to drink more liquids to avoid dehydration because of my morning sickness. So now, Lucian hands out water bottles like a drill sergeant. He also makes sure I eat regular meals, along with snacks whenever he’s around. I love the man, but it feels like he’s constantly stuffing me with food. I force down the last bite of my bagel and he immediately gets to his feet. I trail him and Sam to the door, where he pulls me into the circle of his arms. He kisses me gently before pulling back and dropping a hand to my small bump of my stomach. “Take care of our baby today,” he says sweetly as he strokes me.
I lay my hand over his and assure him, “I will. I love you.” By this point, Sam is standing in the hallway, pretending not to hear us. The slight smile pulling at the corners of his mouth gives him away, though.
“I love you, baby. Be careful today. Text me when you get to school so I’ll know you made it okay.”
We have this same conversation each morning so I smile as usual and agree. When the door shuts behind him, I return to the kitchen and throw away the other half of my bagel. Those things are huge and I’m afraid to eat so much before I go sit in a classroom. I’ve no desire to be the girl who pukes on herself in front of fifty people. I’ve gotten good at hiding half of my breakfast while Lucian is reading the paper. I’m certain Sam caught me this morning though, as I slid the bagel in the silverware drawer. Luckily, he didn’t point it out to Luc.
I’ve tossed the evidence and am walking through the garage toward Lucian’s Range Rover when my phone beeps. I look at the screen to see a text from Lucian. “Miss you already. Love you and our baby through this life and beyond.”