by ANGEL PAYNE
After spilling the contents of my stomach, my tears started tumbling. I was frustrated and furious and fed up. I didn’t know if I could keep doing this, but the brochures Dr. Landon had given me about this condition said I was in for months of it. Most expectant mothers with hyperemesis gravidarum had symptoms well into their second trimester. The tiff with my man hadn’t helped matters. I was supposed to stay calm and emotionally even, as much as I possibly could.
“Baby,” Sebastian pleaded. “What can I do?” He rubbed my back while I hovered over the toilet, making sure I was done. But I didn’t want to be touched. His well-meaning gesture felt like electric shocks.
“Stop touching me,” I moaned. “My skin hurts.” I flushed the toilet and tried to wobble to my feet. Bas stayed right there, struggling to steady me, ignoring my request to keep his hands off. I shrugged out of his hold and gripped the counter for balance.
“I’m fine.” I sniffled. “Or I will be in a couple of minutes. My skin is overly sensitive, so it doesn’t feel good to be touched.”
“Okay. Okay.” He held his hands up. “Sorry. I’m still learning all of the details.” He shook his head, “Christ. I really am sorry. I should’ve been there for you from the beginning. You shouldn’t have been going through this alone, Abbigail.”
“It’s fine,” I insisted. “Come on, Bas. Seriously. I’m not the first pregnant woman in history to have morning sickness.”
“Fuck. Why can’t you understand?” He just stared at me, waiting for me to look at him.
“What?”
“I want to be here for you, damn it. I want to be a part of every single minute of this.”
I splashed cool water on my face, thankful I hadn’t done my makeup beyond the little bit of cover-up. I quickly brushed my teeth, and even before I looked back in the mirror, I could feel Sebastian’s stare on me, pensive and watchful. I bit the inside of my cheek to hold back from screaming. Right now, his scrutiny was making my pores prickle worse than his fingers.
“Do you…maybe…want to lie down for a little bit?” he finally offered. “But just for a little bit. Maybe, after that, I can drive you into the kitchen when I go to the office. You can spend an hour or two there, and I’ll have Joel swing by at lunchtime to bring you home.”
I jerked my head up. Bit down on my lip yet again, this time to hold back fresh tears. Holy crap. Was Sebastian Shark really extending a compromise to me?
Part of me still didn’t believe it. I continued fussing with the hand towel, not sure I’d accurately heard what he’d just said. “Really?”
He smiled. The warmth climbed all the way to his eyes. “Yes. Really.” He steered me out of the bathroom, down the hall, and back toward the master suite. When we stepped back into our space, he turned and scooped my hands into his. “Abbigail, I’m honestly not trying to keep you from your business.” A sound between a grunt and a laugh escaped him. “Who would understand the need to oversee the daily operations of their business better than me?”
I scooted up to my tiptoes and rubbed an affectionate kiss into his stubble. “Thank you,” I whispered. “That means the world to me. Truly.”
He dipped his head to nuzzle his lips against mine. “Come on.” And then tugged on my fingertips. “We both need some more sleep.”
Our big, comfortable bed looked too inviting to resist. I climbed in, and he packed extra pillows around my body before pulling the covers up to my chin. When he finished, he slid his fingers up to the side of my face. Our gazes met. In the gray light of early dawn, his eyes were shadows of cobalt and slate. The etched planes of his handsome face were mellowed and mesmerizing.
“We’ll work this out, Red. I promise. We’ll come up with a plan that we both agree on.”
I turned my head and pressed my lips to his broad palm. “I know. I do. Thank you for wanting to meet me halfway on this.”
“We’ll call your doctor too,” he said. “I’m sure she has some good advice about smart working hours for you right now.”
Exhaustion crashed over me, worse than the anvil. Still I managed to mumble back to him, “He.”
“He…what?”
“I said ‘he.’ My doctor is a man.” My words were thick with sleep, and so were my eyes. I barely comprehended the sight of Bas as he froze in place, his limbs newly stiff and his gaze five shades darker.
“Well,” he growled. “I guess we’ll be looking for a new doctor, then, too.”
When I woke up, the sun was streaming in the high windows above the lower-level ones in our bedroom. The bed beside me was empty. But as I searched my nightstand for my phone, preparing to rain hellfire texts on Bas if he’d gone off to the city without me, Dori popped her head in the doorway.
“Hey there,” she murmured. “I’m so happy you slept so well. And someone else”—she gave a dramatic eye roll—“is going to be too.”
I sat up a little straighter, shifting one of my pillows to cushion my head. “Oh, dear,” I giggled out. “He’s gotten to you already, hmmm?”
The woman heeded my hand motion to come and sit next to me on the bed. Her steps were as careful as the tone she used for her reply. “He’s a very, umm…intense man, yes?”
“You are very diplomatic, Dori.” I flashed a sardonic smile.
“Well, it’s clear that the man cares for you,” she defended. “Very deeply.”
“You know, he’s a little like a cared-for pit bull.” I widened my grin. “Very scary when you walk by but a big lover inside.” I canted my head. “Now if I could just housebreak him a little better…” We shared a long bout of giggles over that until she unexpectedly sobered.
“He and I talked a little this morning,” she conveyed. “And he told me how you were sick again this morning. I could tell he felt responsible for whatever happened.”
I pulled in a long breath. Tried a tentative smile once again. “You…could?”
“Definitely.” Her declaration was forthright, and my chest reacted with a surge of comforting warmth. “I told him about a few blogs I’ve been reading, so hopefully, he will direct some of his intensity toward them.”
“Oh, Dori…Dori, Dori, Dori.” I patted her thigh while chanting the chide. “That’s like asking a leopard to change its spots. And strangely, it’s part of what I love about him. Now the overwhelming need to control me…that I could definitely do without.”
“I had a boyfriend like that once,” she said thoughtfully.
“Yeah? How did you handle it?”
“Well, notice I said ‘had,’ right?” She winked and then changed the subject. “Something to drink? Tea?”
“That sounds great, but I can go downstairs and get it.”
“Why don’t we try this? Just see what you think. While we’re here at the house, you stay resting. Either here, or on a sofa, or wherever.” She waved her hand around, indicating she literally meant any spot in the house. “But when you’re here, you let me do things for you. As in, everything.”
I scrunched my face up, already hating the plan, but she put her hands up in defense.
“Just hear me out and give it a try for a few days? Or does stubbornness come along with the Shark name?”
“Oh, we aren’t married. Plus, I don’t know if I’ll change my name.”
Shit. Where did that thought come from?
“Good luck with that…” She rolled her eyes playfully, but it was interesting how well she had already caught on to Sebastian’s temperament—though most of the time, the man did wear it like a neon billboard.
“I think if you rest as much as possible while we’re home, you will have more stamina when we go out,” Dori persisted. “It will be better for everything, if you want to go to your office, run errands, or whatever. Does that make sense?”
I couldn’t help but break out a bigger grin in reply. This woman definitely had a servant’s heart and was quickly worming her way into mine. “All right,” I conceded at last. “You do have a good point…”
“Bu
t?” She spoke the word I was already implying.
“But it’s just so hard for me to lounge around so much,” I confessed. “I get so restless…and bored! I’m used to being very independent, and this has been a hard change for me. I don’t think Sebastian understands that.”
“I can only imagine. Then maybe you walk around from room to room? I mean, this house is enormous. I just don’t want to see you out back pulling weeds!”
We both laughed, but once more, she was the first to turn serious. “Maybe…you need to tell him all of this?”
I crunched a frown. “Tell him what?”
“That this change, from being so independent to being waited on, has been a hard adjustment for you.”
I thought about it for a few beats. “You’re very smart for a girl so young. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“Pfft. I’m probably older than you, Abbi. Just blessed with good skin genes. My mama was a very wise woman. I learned a lot from her.”
“How would Sebastian not know that about me already? I mean, he knows me inside and out. He knows me better than I know myself half the time. Why wouldn’t he know this is hard for me?”
“Men are often simple creatures. They see things in black and white. Sometimes they need to just be told things you think they should know, especially when it comes to how you’re feeling.” She patted my leg, which was still covered by all the blankets. “Now, I’m going to get you some tea, and then we’ll see about going to the office. I think Mr. Shark said his driver is at our disposal, and we just need to give him a call when we are ready for him to get us.”
“I have a perfectly fine vehicle outside. I don’t need to be driven around town.”
She tilted her head. “Mmm, well, you do when you’re still getting dizzy with no warning and vomiting at the drop of a pin. Do you want that to happen to you—or your unborn child or me—in the fast lane on the 405?” She gave me a saucy wink while popping back to her feet. “Didn’t think so. Now let me go get you some tea.”
Well…wow. I was totally in love with my new friend. I made a mental note to thank Bas for asking Dori to come back to LA with us. This was the kind of person I needed around me while I endured this house arrest. Though I adored my sister-in-law, even thinking about Rio and her fireball intensity right now was an exhausting task.
But the thing was, I did think about her. A lot.
Rio had been my lifesaver. The pinch hitter to see Abstract through one of our biggest growth spurts yet. Even if that was the case, I’d have to break mine and Bas’s “announcement” to her and Sean with care and delicacy—and sooner rather than later. But first I needed to talk to Sebastian and make sure he was on board with sharing our news. Not because I needed his permission, but because this was his story, too. It was only considerate to involve him in the decision as to when we made the information public.
A text message came in from my man as if he could sense that I was up and moving around.
I’m happy you slept so long, Red.
Okay, scratch the cosmic dribble. Dori must have let him know I was awake. But just like a modern-day fairy godmother, she appeared now too. She was carrying a cup of tea and dry toast, all artfully arranged on a tray. Despite her beautiful offering, she had the grace to look contrite when she saw the expression on my face and the phone in my hand.
“I’m sorry.” She lifted a sheepish grin. “He wanted me to let him know when you were awake. And his orders still trump yours.”
“I know, I know.” I looked to the ceiling as if asking heaven for enlightenment. “Because he signs the paychecks and all.”
“Because I want the best for that little baby,” she rebutted. “Whoever’s being the least stubborn and thinking with that child’s best interest at the moment, that’s where you shall find my loyalty.”
I lowered my head into an approving nod.
“Now drink this while it’s warm.”
She set the tray down on the bed where I could easily reach it. “I brought the toast in case you were feeling adventurous.” She took a few steps back from the bed before looking around the room. “Do you want me to let some daylight in here?”
Are you not speaking to me?
Sorry. Dori just brought me some
tea. Thank you for bringing her
back with us. I love her.
She is pretty great.
I’m sorry about this morning, Bas.
You stole my line.
What are your thoughts about telling
Rio about the baby? I’m going to have to
explain why I’m missing so much work.
Up to you.
I’ll make sure she doesn’t tell
anyone else except Sean.
Wouldn’t you rather tell your
family yourself, though?
You have a point.
Of course I do.
“Ugh.” I tossed my phone into the covers. I knew he was joking, but even this was complicated. With Sebastian being a high-profile person in the city, announcing the fact that he was about to become a father—unwed to the mother, at that—came with a mile-long list of complications.
“What’s wrong?” Dori queried after opening the shutters and walking back across the room. “The tea not agreeing with you?”
“No,” I replied at once. “No; it’s not that. This is great, Dori. Really.”
“Which is why you still look like the bed’s about to become quicksand?”
She’d picked a pretty perfect metaphor. I attempted a smile, fighting the feeling that I was sinking faster than I could fight, and stated, “I…I just didn’t think all of this through yet.”
“All of what?”
I rolled my shoulders. “It’s not a big deal. Listen; I’ll get ready, and then we can head to my work kitchen. Is that a good plan?”
“Okay. But if you want to talk something through, just know that I’m here, okay?”
“I appreciate that. But this is definitely one I need to work out with my baby daddy.” I laughed at the terminology while scooting out of bed and heading to my closet.
I finally saw the wisdom of Dori’s words about driving, and we had Joel drive us to Abstract’s Inglewood prep kitchen. We walked in to a scene that seemed more like the three-minute warning on a timed Food Network show, with activity happening everywhere—all generated by just two people. Rio was barking orders like Gordon Ramsay turned into a badass goddess, with Grant Twombley as her fast-moving minion. But after just a few minutes, I realized the man could hold his own around my sister-in-law, giving just as good as he got from her smart mouth and short-fused temper.
“This is oddly entertaining,” Dori remarked in a discreet whisper. She slid in to serve as cover while I snapped a few surreptitious pictures of Bas’s tall friend, decked out in a full apron decorated with the Gumby and Pokey cartoon characters. Sebastian would beg me for copies of the pics to use as blackmail with his bestie.
Cartoon apron and sarcastic shouts aside, I noticed that the pair were, strangely, functioning as a finely tuned creation machine. They already had the lunch orders done and were frantically finishing an emergency add-on for one of our more prominent downtown clients. I glanced at the order sheet, breathing an instant sigh of relief that said client wasn’t Viktor Blake. While Bas and Elijah had carefully kept me removed from the gritty details of their ongoing investigation, I’d heard remnants of Viktor’s name enough to know a wide berth from the man was a wise idea these days.
And that was more than enough brain space surrendered to that mess today. Instead, I focused on the main attraction in front of me, walking over to peek at what was simmering in the pots and pans atop all three of the industrial stoves. “You guys could give a girl an inferiority complex,” I said to Rio, dipping the back of a spoon into the sauce she was working on.
“You, my love, will never be replaced by that tree. Don’t even go there.” She snorted Grant’s way with the first sentence and then hip-bumped me with the
second.
Across the kitchen, Grant answered with a scathing laugh of his own. “What did I tell you about calling me that, Blaze?”
“Something similar to what I told you about calling me that,” she fired back, adding a careless shrug.
“Hey.” I returned my sister-in-law’s hip nudge, though with gentler force. “Can we talk for a minute, Rio?”
“Sure, sweetie.” She bustled from the stove to the counter and then back again. “What’s up?”
“I…umm…kind of need your undivided attention. Are you at a place where you can step away?” I motioned to the stove, letting her know I was aware of her predicament. I knew what it was like to be in the middle of getting an order together at the eleventh hour.
“Oh, of course. Grant, can you deal with this?” She nodded back to me and explained, “This is sauce for tomorrow’s lunch. It just needs to simmer.” Dashing back a last look at Grant, she dictated, “Don’t let it stick to the bottom.”
“Got it!” The big guy flashed a grin while ducking into the walk-in, putting ingredients away.
Rio wiped her hands on a towel, and we moved over to the closet-sized office in which we did our paperwork. We both took seats next to the desk, and she folded her hands in her lap while raking her stare across my face. “So what’s up, honey? You okay?” She looked me over carefully as only Rio could do. I was surprised she hadn’t already guessed the news I was about to share with her. “You look a little green…”
“I have to tell you something. But it has to stay right here between us. Well, you can tell Sean, of course.”
“Ooohhh-kaaayy. But I’m not going to lie; you’re freaking me out a little bit. I mean, first you get taken to the desert for weeks and barely called from there. The whole time, everyone around here”—she thumbed over her shoulder toward Grant—“acted like you were some huge state secret. And then I saw the stuff on the news about one of Shark’s freighters being boarded by pirates, and some of the crew being taken hostage.”
