“You know, I have two hands and two legs. I am capable of cleaning a plate.”
“I know that, but I want to do it for you.”
With a sigh, she gets to her feet. “You don’t have to do everything for me, Grizz. I promise, I don’t mind doing things. Especially since you’re letting me stay here for nothing.”
“Oh no,” I say firmly. “No, we are not doing that.”
She looks at me with a frown, putting her plate into the sink.
“You are not going to try to pay me back by cleaning this house or who knows what else. This isn’t an exchange. You aren’t a slave. You aren’t earning your keep. You are here because I want you to be here, that’s it.”
Her eyes widen, and I swear her pupils blow wide.
Is she… no. There’s no way she finds this attractive. Did I scare her? Fuck!
“I’m sorry,” I quickly say as I get to my feet. “That was out of line. I shouldn’t have been so aggressive.”
She bites down on her bottom lip to hide her smile, then turns back to wash her plate. She says nothing, which confuses me, but I let it go. I said what I had to say. I apologized. If she was upset, she’d tell me, right?
She said she would. I have to believe her.
“So, when will I get to meet Tommy and Kelsey?” she asks, coming back to sit at the table to finish her coffee.
“They’ll be back soon. Just ran to the store.”
When I finish my food, she gets up and holds my gaze as she reaches for my plate, challenging me to fight her on it. I hold my hands up, letting her go. When she’s finished washing it, she gives me a smug smile.
I pull out my phone, and type into the search engine:why can’t pregnant women take baths?
“So, I have some interesting information on why pregnant women can’t take baths.”
“Interesting, hm?”
“According to this, it says the hot water can raise your body temp and dilate your blood vessels, which can reduce blood flow to the baby, and it can increase the chances of getting an infection because the hot water reduces your natural defenses. It also says that the heat can make you dizzy and increase the risk of falls.”
She sighs. “Well, I guess no baths then.”
“Not until after the baby.”
She leans back, putting her hand on her belly.
“Feels like that’s forever from now.”
“I’m sure they’ll be here before you know it.”
She’s going to have the most beautiful baby, I just know it.
“Honey, we’re home!” my brother calls out from the foyer, the front door closing.
Anastacia turns her head toward the door, smiling curiously.
“We’re in here!” I call back.
A moment later, Tommy and Kelsey walk into the kitchen. My brother is a rough- looking guy. He looks like an older version of me, so much of what our dad looked like. Our hair is the same dark shade, our eyes are also the same color, but he has our father’s bigger nose, while mine is more like my mother’s.
“Wow, and I thought you were tall,” Anastacia says to me.
Tommy chuckles, while Kelsey steps around us with a big smile. “I swear he’s part giant, but he denies it.”
