An unexpected laugh bubbles out of me at the rare display of vulnerability. Jin, the fearsome Baekho-je, the man known as the fierce Silent Hunter, undone by the concept of fetal development.
“It’s normal,” I assure him. “The baby will grow. That’s what pregnancy is—the baby gets all the nutrients it needs from me, and it grows bigger and stronger every day until it’s ready to come into the world.”
The wonder on his face fades, replaced by a sternness. His brows draw together, and his jaw sets. He puts down the booties then reaches for my hand.
“It’s time to feed you,” he announces. “We’ll get barbecue for lunch.”
“What? Now?”
“Yes. Now.” He’s already tugging me toward the registers, shopping basket swinging from his other hand. “You only had yogurt for breakfast. That’s not enough. Not for you and our pomegranate-sized baby.”
“Jin—”
“He needs to grow bigger. Get stronger,” he explains, his tone one of determination. You’d think he’s preparing for battle rather than a meal. “You need to eat more.”
I don’t bother correcting his assumption about the baby’s gender. I just let him pull me through the mall, my heart full to bursting and a smile easing its way onto my face.
True to his word, he takes me to our favorite Korean barbecue restaurant and orders enough food to feed a family of four. We emerge with a grocery of takeout bags.
“Jin, I can’t possibly eat all of this.”
“Try,” he says simply.
I find I can’t even argue with him. It’s too sweet that he’s trying so hard, in his own Jin way, to take care of me and our baby.
We’re still teasing each other about it by the time we make it home.
“You’re being so ridiculous,” I laugh as we step through the door of our apartment. “Jin, I’m pregnant withonebaby. Not five. I don’t need to eat a whole buffet.”
“You need to eat more than the banana you nibble on for breakfast most mornings,” he lectures sternly.
“The baby and I are fine.”
“If he’s the size of a peanut, that is not fine.”
“Pomegranate, and that’s literally how gestation works.”
He merely grunts as if he still begs to differ, which naturally only makes me laugh harder.
We’ve come to a stop in the kitchen, setting down our collection of shopping bags and takeout containers on the counter.
I’m shrugging off my jacket and about to put it on the coat hook by the door when a pair of arms slide around my hips.
It’s Jin coming to stand behind me, bracing his body around mine as if to keep me in place. A smile returns to my face as it dawns on me he just can’t help himself, and this is absolutely about to become one of those times.
“Jin…” I hum, sounding both amused and wary.
He drops a kiss on the nape of my neck, his lips lingering a second longer than necessary. “Have I told you how good you smell, Tokki-ya?”
I roll my eyes. “Only just about every day when you bury your face in my neck or hair or…otherplaces.”
“Can you blame me? It’s beyond my control. You’re carrying my child, and you’re sexier than ever.”
I squeal and squirm involuntarily as he bows his head and nips at the side of my neck.
“Jin!” I shriek between more laughs. He’s trapped mebetween himself and the kitchen counter, his mouth dragging down the length of my throat.
He sucks away as he goes, his lips firm and warm and his tongue flicking at exactly the right moment.
