Everything inside me lightens at the sight of my little girl. Before Penny has made it to where I’m standing, I go get Grace. The light lavender scent of her baby wash makes me smile as I breathe it deep into my lungs.
“Hi, Gracey girl.” Cooing, I lift her up in the air to get a good look at her.
Sapphire-blue eyes blink in the faint sunlight filtering through the partially closed blinds.
I bring her all the way down to my face, biting the dummy ring so that it pops out of her mouth when I lift her again. And there it is—Fleur’s smile. I keep doing it until she sounds like she’s half hiccupping and half chortling to the movement. Drool runs down her chin from the spit bubbles her cooing and gooing makes.
“How’s Mummy doing?” Penny asks, looking Fleur over.
“Fine,” Fleur answers for herself. Grace’s eyes flit straight towards her. “Better if the blinds were shut. The light’s making my head worse.”
Francis takes care of the blinds, leaving us in near darkness with the little light coming in from the open bathroom door.
“We have eyes on the Russians,” Francis says when he comes to stand next to me. “I’ve spoken to Benedict, and we’re sending reconnaissance in within the next week.”
“But we’re not here to talk business,” Penny speaks over him as he’s about to continue. “We’re here to check on you both.”
“I want to hold my girl.” Fleur looks up at me with the first genuinely happy smile since I took her from the house. “I missed you too,” she tells Grace.
Laying our daughter next to her, I take a deep breath, relieved that they’re both with me. After a chat, everyone leaves, and although having Grace at the hospital isn’t what most parents would be happy with, I can’t part with her, and Fleur won’t hear of it.
“I can’t believe we’ll have two of these next year,” Fleur chuckles as I lie down beside her with Grace on my chest.
Her hand strokes up and down our daughter’s back longingly as she naps. I can tell how desperate she is to hold her properly, but her body needs time to recuperate from the trauma.
“I could be incubating another one. Imagine that…”
“Christ, you’re only just pregnant two seconds.”
“You want a brood, I want to give you everything…besides, you’re not getting any younger.”
“Don’t you just love to rub it in, wife?” I brush her hair back, thumbing her freshly licked lips lightly before pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose.
“I’m good at rubbing it, and now that I’m pregnant, you know what that means.” She laughs quietly into the top of my chest while one of her hands squeezes my hip.
“Fuck me, Trouble.”
That’s all she’s ever been, right from the off. She cost me my most valuable Pokémon card at first sight. I knew she would take it all in the end. My heart, soul, and sanity. But the beauty is what she’s given me.
A life I never expected. Filled with surprises. Exceeding all my expectations.
Fleur’s given me her soul. And for once, trouble is all I want.
Trouble is mine.
Chapter 52
FLEUR
One month later
The June sun beams down, sparkling over the face of the water. It’s hot and even though I’m in the shade of one of the trees, watching Christopher and Casper play with Grace in the lake, I can’t escape the heat. Even in the flimsy bikini Casper thought would be a great idea to get me as belated honeymoon present.
A fucking bikini.
Because he can’t get enough of perving on my curves. To his greatest delight, my bump has popped earlier this time round. At eight weeks, I look like I did at almost sixteen weeks with Grace. At least we’re not trying to hide this pregnancy.
“God, they’re like children,” Arabella sighs beside me. Where I’m in the shade, she’s splayed in the sun.