“What do you think, little peapod, would you like a big sister when you come into the world?”
She kicked again.
“Okay,” I chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Are you talking to the baby?” a voice asked, and I lifted my head to find Ethan standing in the doorway, his eyes all soft and melty as he took me in.
“She’s kicking,” I told him, my voice full of awe.
Milliseconds later, he was kneeling down on the floor in front of me and putting his hands over my belly. Another kick came, and Ethan’s face transformed with happiness.
“I felt that one.”
“It’s crazy. I’m not even that far gone.”
“You’re thinking about this in human terms. Since you’re only going to be pregnant for three months, give or take, you are much further along than you think.”
“Oh. Wow.”
“Yes, wow,” Ethan beamed and pulled my face to his for a kiss.
I broke it saying, “I need to ask you something.”
“Ask me anything.”
“Okay … what do you think about Rebecca living with us, like, permanently?”
“I think that’s a big decision. What happened to you finding her birth mother?”
I shook my head sadly. “That’s a dead end.”
There was understanding in Ethan’s gaze when he replied, “She can stay with us then.”
I glanced up quickly. “You mean it?”
“Of course, I mean it.”
Without thinking, I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him as tightly as I possibly could. “Thank you,” I whispered, emotion catching in my throat before I quietly continued, “And if I don’t survive the birth, you’ll still keep her with you, right?”
His eyes grew dark and intense when he replied, “You’re going to survive.”
“Just promise me, Ethan, for my peace of mind.”
A sigh. “Alright, I promise.” A stretch of silence elapsed. “Our little family is growing bigger by the day.”
“That it is. And so is my belly,” I joked to break the tension.
“Come back out and celebrate with us?”
“I will. I just need a few more minutes in here. I’m still in shock that the baby kicked.”
“Alright, call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
I wanted to go and tell Rebecca the good news, but that could wait until later. Right now, I just wanted to savour this feeling of contentment. For the next few minutes, I rubbed my hands over my belly, even though the kicking had stopped. I imagined her closing her eyes and taking a nap, exhausted from all the activity.
I got a momentary fright when my phone buzzed on the desk. Picking it up, I found Edwards’s name on the screen. I answered straight away.
“Edwards? Is everything all right with Dad?”
“Hi, honey,” a voice spoke softly, a voice I haven’t heard properly in too long.
“Dad?” I whispered.
“It’s me,” he replied, his voice low and full of emotion.
“Are you … are you okay? I mean, are you better now?”
He coughed. “Just about. I feel like I’ve woken up from a really bad nightmare.”
His answer made me smile. “Maybe you should just pretend that’s what it was. It would probably be easier to comprehend that way.”
“Yes, I think I just might do that,” he said, and there was a smile in his voice now, too.
“It’s so good to hear you speak,” I said in a rapid gush. “I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m sorry about everything that happened, about never telling you who your mother really was until it was too late.”
“You don’t need to apologise. I’m just so happy you’re feeling better.”
“I can’t wait to see you. Edwards says I’ll be ready to go home soon.”
“That’s brilliant news,” I beamed, my heart lifting at the prospect of seeing Dad. He’d probably even be here for the birth of the baby, which I decided I’d wait to tell him about until he was feeling a little better. I didn’t want him worrying about whether or not I’d survive the birth while he was still in recovery.
After another couple of minutes of talking, I hung up the phone and sat back in the chair. It really felt like everything was coming full circle today.
“That was rather touching, even if I do say so myself,” came a familiar voice from the far corner of the room. I turned in my seat to find Roman leaning against the side of some bookshelves.
“Yeah,” I said, unsure as to what he was doing here. “That was my dad. He’s fully recovered.”
“I gathered as much,” he replied and walked over to me, perching himself on the edge of the desk. “I hope you haven’t forgotten our agreement.”
I swallowed. “No, of course not.”
“Very good,” he said before handing me a piece of paper folded in half. “Here are instructions for the spell I promised you.”
I took the paper, staring down at it. With this spell, Ethan would be able to feed from me and only me. My heart shimmered with a sense of possession. “Thank you. This means a lot.”