Eyes Wide Open (The Blackstone Affair 3)

“But the medicine helps, right?” I brushed her cheek, keeping our faces close. I really fucking hated seeing my girl suffer.

She nodded. “Yes. It works miracles.” She stood up to go throw away her sandwich wrapper in the bin. Even that small feat garnered attention from those in the immediate vicinity. I spotted at least three men who eyed her and one woman. No wonder photographers wanted her for their pictures. Damn the cocksuckers.

Brynne was oblivious to every bit of it, which just made her more of a rarity.

We stepped into Fountaine’s Aquarium and grinned at each other when we crossed the threshold, both remembering the day we’d spoken as strangers and fate had a say about a few things. The shop was busy and we had to wait in the queue until another attendant came up front to help.

Beside us stood a woman wearing her child in a backpack sort of sling contraption. I remember Hannah using a similar device for Zara when she was a baby. Except this child was not happy about it. Not even a little. I felt quite sure that if the little bloke could’ve spoken, the air in the shop would’ve been tinged blue with fuck yous and bugger offs. He screamed and kicked, trying to worm his way out. The mother of this creature just ignored it as if there was nothing untoward about a wailing and writhing mini-human on her back screeching loud enough to shatter the window glass.

I took a glance at Brynne and got wide eyes from her. Was she thinking what I was thinking? Will our baby do this? Oh, please, God, no.

We moved up in the queue, with only one more in front to wait through when the red-faced minion with the full-sized lungs really started working it. I thought my head was going to explode. The woman backed up, effectively shoving the little demon right up in my face. The shop was so close I got cornered up against the counter with nowhere to go. I reared my head back as far as I could, thinking maybe calling the shop to schedule would have been the best idea.

Brynne was trying very hard not to laugh at me when the situation deteriorated even further, which I didn’t imagine to be possible. Oh, it was very possible. The creature let loose with a bum blower less than a foot from me. Not only did it possess the power to peel paint off walls, but it sounded very wet, which affirmed it couldn’t have been merely an arse cruncher for him. That tyke was squirming in a load of shit to which I was far too close right now. The mother turned ’round and gave me a glare as if I’d done it. Fucking hell, get me out!

Brynne was shaking beside me with her hand over her mouth, when the clerk asked what he could do for me. I tried not to leap over the counter and beg him for an oxygen mask. I don’t know quite how I transacted my business with the screaming and the revolting odor, and then Brynne rushing for the door saying she’d wait outside. Yeah, get out, baby, before you asphyxiate. Run, and don’t look back! Smart girl I’ve got, no secrets there.

When I managed to escape the shop, Brynne was on the sidewalk watching the foot traffic. She saw me and burst into giggles. I dragged a hand through my hair and sucked in a huge breath of air. Clean fresh, pure, London air. Well, maybe not pure, but at least my eyes weren’t watering anymore. Or maybe they were—my vision was blurry and I craved a smoke.

“Are you okay?” I asked her, wondering if that offensive back in the shop had made her

puke.

“Are you?” she laughed up at me.

“Fuck me into next week. By all that’s holy, that was frightening! Tell me that was an incarnation of Satan back there!” I nodded. “Am I right?”

Still laughing, she put her arm through mine and started walking us to the car.

“Poor Ethan got a load of smelly baby,” she giggled.

“Okay, that was not a smelly baby!” More like really fucking effective birth control. “Good God, I don’t think there are adequate words to describe what that was.”

“Aww, you’re scared.” She made a face of fake concern.

“Fuck yes, I’m scared. Why aren’t you?”

Brynne laughed harder.

“Please tell me our little blueberry will never behave like that.”

Shaking with laughter now, she reached up to kiss me, and told me how much she loved me again. “I think I need a picture of this, baby. Smile for me.”

She took out her mobile and snapped a photo, still laughing in her beautiful way that reminded me what a gift I’d been given when she decided to love me back.

12

? Dr. Roswell’s beautiful turquoise fountain pen made the nicest sound in her notebook as she made her notes.

“So the university cannot really alter the program for me. I’ll still have to do the conserving practicum at some point. But they were happy to give me a leave of absence from the Rothvale and have approved my substituting in some research work.”

“And how do you feel about that?” I knew she was going to ask me that.

“Um . . . I’m disappointed, of course, but don’t have a choice about it.” I shrugged. “It’s weird, but even though I am scared to death about having a baby, I’m more afraid of doing something that might hurt my baby.”

Dr. Roswell smiled at me. “You’re going to be a wonderful mother, Brynne.”

Well, that remains to be seen. “I have no idea how to be a mom or how I got into this situation.” I held my hands up. “I don’t even recognize my life compared with what it was two months ago. I don’t know if I’ll be able to ever get the kind of job I’ve trained for all these years. There’s a lot I don’t know.”