Ashes (Dark in You 3)

“I was startled when the delivery guys assembled the furniture before they left,” she said. “I’m used to flatpacks.” Still, it had taken Harper a week to get the room exactly the way she wanted it. She’d bet Tanner and Keenan were ecstatic that the manual labor was over, because she’d really put them to work. “Well, what do you think?” He turned to face her, and the pride on his face warmed her.

“I think you did an amazing job.” Knox placed his hands on her shoulders. “And I think you made the best decision when you chose to design it yourself.”

She smiled, relieved. “I’m glad you like it.”

He cocked his head. “You were worried that I wouldn’t?”

“Well, you’re a very selective guy. Hard to please, in many ways.”

He breezed his mouth over hers. “It’s never hard for you to please me. Really, I love what you’ve done with the room, and I think the baby will love it too. I meant to ask, why the dragonfly mobile? I like it. I’m just curious.”

“For the same reason that I got the tattoo of one on my nape. I admire them – despite having a short lifespan and being very delicate, they don’t let either hold them back. Plus, they’re master fliers. Any sphinx would love to be a master flier.” And she wanted that for the baby; was a little worried that, like her, its wings wouldn’t come to it naturally.

“Ah, I get it.” Knox gestured at the box and bag near the closet. “I see that you have everything ready.”

“Yep. All we have to do on the big day is take it downstairs to the living room.” She’d chosen to have a home birth, which wasn’t uncommon for demons. She liked the idea of being in her own home, a familiar place where she felt comfortable, relaxed, and safe, while she went through what would no doubt be a hell of an experience.

Her main reason for choosing a home birth, however, was that she wouldn’t feel safe in a hospital. It would be a time when she was vulnerable, when Knox was distracted, and when the baby wouldn’t be all that difficult to get to – no matter how many precautions were taken. As such, people might think it was a good time to attack. At home, she and the baby would be a hell of a lot safer.

Everything she needed for the birth was ready in the box, thanks to Meg – old sheets and towels, blankets, and plastic sheeting among other things. Meg had also gotten hold of a portable heater to keep the baby warm – apparently, her daughter had used one and it had been ideal.

Harper had still packed a bag with toiletries and clothes for her and the baby, just in case there were complications and she needed to be transferred to a hospital. It also meant she didn’t have to send Knox and Meg on errands to seek out the stuff she wanted during the home birth; all they’d have to do was grab her bag.

Rodgers hadn’t advised against a home birth, since the last ultrasound scan had showed that the baby had indeed had a growth spurt. It was no longer smaller than it should be and, in fact, was a little bigger than he’d expected.

“Nervous about the birth?” asked Knox as they left the nursery, closing the door behind them.

She bit her lip. “Yeah. I’ve read about it, heard countless stories about it, and I’d like to think I’m prepared, but I still have my worries.”

Hating that he couldn’t fix that for her, Knox said, “I’ll help however I can. Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen. Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do it.”

“I don’t need you to do anything complicated. Just be there.” If she could feel close and connected to this person who made her feel safe, Harper knew she’d get through it okay.

He rested his forehead against hers. “I will be with you every step of the way, I promise. And speaking of the baby, I have some news. The lair is organizing a parade in the Underground.”

Her brow furrowed. “A what?”

“A parade in honor of the baby.”

Harper groaned. “Knox, you saw what people were like at the announcement – full of questions, horror stories, and unwanted advice. The further along a woman is in the pregnancy, the worse it is. When Heidi’s mom was pregnant, I felt so bad for her. It’s like people see a baby bump and forget the existence of etiquette. They commented on everything – her boobs being bigger, the weight she’d gained, her face being plumper, her ankles swelling up.”

Knox raked his gaze over her. “I don’t mind that your breasts are bigger. The only weight you’ve really gained is the weight you initially lost. And your face isn’t plump. Your ankles don’t look swollen either.”

“Not the point, Thorne. Heidi’s mom gracefully ignored it, but I don’t have her easy temperament. I’d rather have the damn baby shower again, and that’s saying something.”

“I thought baby showers were supposed to be relaxing events.”

“Not when they’re thrown by imps, they’re not.”

When Jolene had told him that she’d organized a baby shower for Harper, he’d envisaged a relaxing get-together that involved silly games, finger foods, a diaper cake, and lots of oohing and ahhing as the guests sat in a circle watching the mother-to-be open their gifts. But it turned out that an imp baby shower was nothing like that.

Although Harper had warned him that it would be a rowdy event, he hadn’t realized just what she meant until he’d later pulled up outside Jolene’s house to hear “Ice Ice Baby” filtering through the open windows. The imps had a mimosa bar, a DJ, karaoke, and a BBQ going, and everyone other than Harper had been absolutely smashed by the end of it.

Curling his arms around her shoulders, Knox brushed her nose with his. “All right, I’ll ask the lair to cancel the parade.” He tilted his head when her brow creased. “Why don’t you look happy about it?”

“Because part of me now feels guilty and ungrateful. I don’t want to offend the lair.”

Knox almost chuckled. In her shoes, he wouldn’t have felt guilty at all, but Harper had a marshmallow center that meant she’d never be as selfish as he was. “I’d sooner offend our lair by canceling the parade than ask you to do something that you don’t want to do.”

“Stop being so nice when I’m being so whiny.”

“You’re not being whiny. Even if you were, I’d say you had every right to be. You’re hormonal and heavily pregnant, which is making you feel edgy. No one who’s edgy wants to deal with anything that annoys them. You’re also feeling hyper-protective of the baby, so it’s perfectly natural that you wouldn’t want strangers around you – especially strangers who might try touching your stomach.” Neither Knox nor his demon liked the idea either.

“You really don’t think I’m being stroppy and unreasonable?”

“No, I don’t. I’m guessing your demon’s just as restless and close to snapping – from what I’ve heard, that’s pretty normal during pregnancy. I just thought you might like to get out of the house. You’ve worked so hard on the nursery that, aside from attending the baby shower, you haven’t been anywhere. You were adamant that staying in the house all the time would make you crazy.”

Harper frowned. “I would have thought you’d be happy that I haven’t been anywhere.”

“I find that I don’t like you doing anything that seems out of character for you – it makes me worry. Meg assured me that you were nesting and there was no need for me to be concerned, but I’ll always worry about you.”

Harper thought about it for a moment. “It might actually be good for me to leave the house and get some air. And it might be best to let everyone see that I’m pregnant and satisfy their curiosity so they’re not all staring at me if I need to go to the Underground for any reason.”

“It might be,” he agreed, careful not to push her either way.

“It bothers me that people might think I’m hiding – that would give whoever’s fucking with us a real kick. It would also make us look weak.” Which was exactly why she hadn’t wanted to stay in the villa for long, she reminded herself.