Currently, I’ve got Stacey relaxing in a bath back at her place. While the police were interviewing us, I had security at her and her brother’s place updated. I had to be sure that she’d be safe when I brought her back home.
She may think she wants sex right now, but what she really needs is rest. I plied her with enough pancakes that her adrenaline has undoubtedly worn off by now. I help her out of the tub, dry her off, and wait while she puts some silky pajama shorts and a tank top on. She yawns as I help her into bed.
“You’re staying with me, right?” she asks, grabbing my shirt.
“Hell yeah, baby. I am just going to grab a shower. I’ll be right back,” I tell her.
“Okay,” she says sleepily.
I take a shower, letting the tension from the day melt away. I could have lost her. I would never have been able to live with myself if I had. I pull some clean boxers on and get into bed next to her where she’s snoring softly.
I gather my whole world into my arms and breathe her in.
Keeping her safe is my only job, and I’ll go to the ends of the earth to do it.
Epilogue
Stacey
“Baby, it’s time to go.” Darius says, storming into my office.
Damn you Kristina, you narc! I think to myself. I love our nanny, but she needs to keep her mouth shut. She’s been with us since our twin daughters were born a little over four years ago. “Okay, just one more minute.” I sigh, briefly looking up from my computer.
“Get your ass out of that chair. We’re going to the hospital.” He growls.
“There’s plenty of time. Don’t you remember how long it took for me to have Sierra and Selena? Hours! I’m not lying in a bed for over twenty-four hours strapped to machines when I could be finishing this last project.” I growl at my unamused husband.
“That’s it,” He says before picking me up from my chair and carrying me out of my office.
“You know how I get when you go all caveman on me.” I tell him, a little louder than I should. The girls in the office start giggling. They can giggle all they want, Darius is mine. I’ll cut a bitch who thinks she can come between me and my man.
“Settle down, baby. I belong to you, and only you.” He smirks down at me as we stop in front of the elevator waiting for it come.
“Did I say that out loud?” I ask, looking around the office and seeing most of the women with their heads down studying their nails intently. “Jesus,” I murmur, making Darius laugh.
The elevator doors open and Darius steps inside. When the doors close and starts to go down he gives me a stern look. “Why did you come in today? You’re supposed to be on maternity leave. Then I get a call from Kristina fifteen minutes ago telling me your water broke, but instead of going to the hospital like a sane person, you came into the office.”
“I needed to finish that last project.” I pout.
“You could have worked on it when you came back to work.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
Darius gives me the side eye. “Oh yeah, what’s so important that it had to be done right now?”
My eyes well up with tears as I look up at my husband.
“Oh baby, don’t cry. Whatever is wrong I can fix it.”
“No, you can’t. You can’t fix this.” I say wiping my face.
“Like hell I can’t. What’s wrong?”
“Kristina is pregnant. I figured it out this morning after her third trip to the bathroom in an hour. She tried denying it, but when she threw up after smelling the sausage I was cooking, I knew something was up. She’s going to be starting her own family now.”
“We can get another nanny.”
“That’s just it, I don’t want another nanny. Jason and I had a nanny when we were growing up and while we loved her all we really wanted was our parents. It’s time for me to give this up, at least the day to day aspects of my job.”
Darius kisses me softly. “I’m sure you and Jason can figure it all out later, a lot later.”
I laugh softly at my dramatic husband. “Okay. Let’s go have a baby.”
“Thank Christ,” He says carrying me out of the building to the black SUV that’s waiting.