“…don’t give her too much trouble,” he whispers and rubs his hand over my stomach. Elena is moving around, not helping my I really have to pee situation. But dammit, this isn’t something I’m going to interrupt. “Though you will be your mother’s daughter, and I’m sure you’ll grow up hearing stories about all the trouble she got into.” He moves his hand lower on my stomach, following Elena’s movements. He starts talking to her again but not in English. Propping himself up on his elbow, he kisses my stomach, and Elena stretches out, making me wince.
“Ow,” I groan, acting like I just woke up.
“You okay?” Lucas sits up.
“Yeah. She moved and kicked me in the ribs.”
“She’s been moving a lot. I thought it would have woken you a while ago.”
I push the blankets back and slowly roll over, mentally preparing to heft myself out of bed. “If she doesn’t settle down, I won’t be able to fall back asleep.”
Lucas chuckles and helps me up. I quickly use the bathroom and get back into bed. Elena is still moving around, slowly stretching and turning over. Feeling my baby move from the inside is something so special that I’ll never forget it, yet at the same time I’m not going to lie and say I love it. Because it’s fucking uncomfortable.
“I’m officially sick of being pregnant,” I grumble, sitting up and punching my pillow because I can’t find a position to lie down in that doesn’t hurt. “How people have multiple children is beyond me.” I flop back down. “I feel like a bad mom already.”
“Not enjoying every moment of pregnancy doesn’t make you a bad mom, Callie. You’re used to being active and not human. The only comparable experience I have is when Ruth cursed me. I didn’t like not being at full strength. I lost the ability to heal as well.”
“You wouldn’t want to be human again, would you?”
“No,” he answers without giving it a second thought. “I like being a vampire. Besides, you need me to be something more than human given your lifestyle.”
“Hah. You’re right.”
“Try to go back to sleep, my love.”
“Okay,” I reply, knowing it’s easier said than done. I fuss with my pillow again and lie down, closing my eyes. At least half an hour passes and I’m still awake. Lucas has become dead still, making me think he’s asleep. Pandora comes up in bed with us, settling on my pillow. She purrs as I pet her, and running my hand over her sleek fur helps lull me to sleep.
The next time I wake, sunlight is glowing behind the closed curtains of our bedroom windows. Lucas is next to me, still unmoving. There was a time when I was hesitant to wake him up. The whole “let sleeping dogs lie” phrase can be said about vampires, tenfold. Some vampires wake up defensive, attacking anything and everything around them.
It’s never been like that with Lucas, and I don’t know if it’s because he’s just that in control of himself or because we share such a strong connection. It’s probably a combination of the two, though I like going with the latter.
Getting out of bed so I can shuffle to the bathroom, I accidentally wake up Lucas on my way. He’s sitting up, looking at his phone, when I return.
“Morning,” he tells me, eyes glimmering when he sees me. “You look beautiful.”
“Really?” I make a face. “I just rolled out of bed.”
“I know.” He pulls me to him, smoothing my messy hair back and kissing me. “And you’re beautiful.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir.” I smile and plow my hand through his hair. It’s messy as well, but the tousled look works for him. “Is Julian still here?”
“Yes, I can hear him downstairs.”
“Do you think he’s sad?” I ask.
“Do you?”
“Yeah,” I reply. “He never does anything fun, and he’s always so worried.”
“I don’t think angels do things for fun,” Lucas says slowly. “They’re angels.”
“But he spends time on earth.” I let out a sigh. “I wish we could go do something fun together. I like being with my angel-fam, but whenever we’re together, it’s because something bad is happening.”
“Go out today,” Lucas suggests, and I can tell he hates every word he’s saying. “See a movie and get lunch together.”
Your happiness is more important to me. His words echo in my head, and fuck, I didn’t think it was possible to love him any more than I do right now. “You wouldn’t mind?”
“If anything happens, Julian can fly you home, and you have to promise me all you will do is go to a movie, get lunch, and come home. And text me as often as you can so I know you’re safe. And bring Binx. And the other two,” he adds.
“What are you going to do all day without me?”