“Then what are you doing in here?” I lean back against the headrest. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear.”
“Don’t.” He leans forward, and shadows cast strange shapes across his handsome face. “I don’t want to fight with you.”
“You can’t keep forcing yourself into my life when I don’t want you in it.”
He releases a tired sigh. “We both know that’s bullshit, but whatever.”
My tummy grumbles loudly, reminding me I haven’t eaten in hours.
Kai stands. “I’ll get you something to eat.”
“You don’t have to do that.” I don’t want to be beholden to him, and him doing nice shit for me weakens my resolve.
“I’m offering. Doesn’t happen often, and I suggest you accept.”
I can’t see his face properly in this light, but I know he’s glaring at me, and challenging me to argue. I should decline, but I’m too exhausted, and way too tired to fight this fight, so I give in. “Okay, thanks.”
He pads quietly out of the room, and I use the opportunity to pee, brush my teeth, and strip the sweaty dress off my gross body. I take a thirty-second shower to freshen up, taking care not to get my hair wet, and then I find a light nightdress belonging to Faye and change into it before slipping back under the covers. I switch on the lamp by the bed, noticing the bottle of water and a box of vitamins on top of the table.
I pick the box up, reading the label with a lump in my throat. Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Kai returning with a cup and a plate. I put the box down and sit up straighter in the bed.
Wordlessly, he hands me the steaming mug, and a freshly made sandwich.
“Thank you.”
I wolf the sandwich down, enjoying a little internal laugh when I think of how disgusted the bastard would be if he could see me now. Perhaps that’s why I cuss a lot more these days. I’m subconsciously rebelling against everything my father asked of me. He’s got to be pissed I’m missing, and I’m thinking being isolated here could be for the best.
My eyes meander to the box of vitamins as I set my empty plate down.
“I, uh, picked them up in the pharmacy in town,” Kai explains. “Rick told me to get folic acid, but the pharmacist recommended those multivitamins. She said it’s what everyone is taking during pregnancy nowadays.”
I eye him over the lid of my mug as I sip my hot chocolate. He’s such an enigma, but I don’t trust he’s not up to something. “What game are you playing now?” I narrow my eyes. “What’s in those pills?”
He leans forward, resting his elbows on the edge of the bed. “I’m not playing any game, Abby. Not anymore.” His earnest expression crashes into me. “And it’s just vitamins. I swear. Why can’t you believe I just want to take care of both of you?” His voice turns soft, and the sandwich threatens to make a reappearance.
“I’m tired.” I put my half-empty mug down on the table, sliding back under the covers. Rolling onto my side, I face the wall, fighting the imminent onslaught of tears.
“Abby,” he whispers, and the bed dips as he sits down. “I want to hold you.”
“Don’t, Kai.” My voice cracks and I’m losing control of my emotions. “Just don’t.”
The bed jerks as he gets up, dropping into the chair again with a loud, frustrated sigh. “Just so you know, I’m not giving up,” he whispers. “You can push me away. Bait me. Lash out at me. Do your worst. And I’ll take it. Because I deserve it. But I’m going nowhere, Abby. I’ll be your perpetual shadow, because no one or nothing is taking you from me again.” The chair squeaks as he gets comfortable. “And that includes you.”
I’m the first one up the following morning, and I’m glad, because I’m jittery and on edge and I need some alone time to formulate a new plan. Baking has always soothed me, and the house is fully stocked, so I spend a couple of blissful hours baking pancakes, muffins, and cupcakes, leaving them on the counter to cool while I grab my coffee and a blanket and head out onto the deck which faces the rear of the property.
Kai already has my heart and my head in a tailspin, and I wish I knew how to cut the ties that bind us, because I’m sick of being a slave to my hormones and my emotions. Except for my anger. I cling to that, because it’s the only barrier, the only weapon, I have against him.
I’m tucked up under the blanket, enjoying the fresh brisk air slapping my cheeks, when the door slides open and Jackson sticks his head out. “What the fuck are you doing out here?” he inquires, shivering. “It’s cold enough to freeze my balls off.”
“It’s not cold under the blanket.” I tilt my head to the side. “Grab a coffee and come join me.”
He returns a couple minutes later wrapped up in a puffy jacket and scarf with a beanie pulled down over his head. “You’re such a wimp.” I open one side of the blanket. “Come on. I’ll let you siphon some of my body heat.”
“Tempting as that is, beautiful, I still value breathing. And Kai already wants to murder me in cold blood and feed me, in little pieces, to the sharks at the Rydeville Aquarium.”
“This caveman act is getting real old,” I admit, warming my hands around the fresh cup of coffee he hands me.
“Get used to it. You’re his baby momma. It will only get worse.”
