He parked and I unbuckled, leaning over to kiss him.“I promise to treat her like a viper with dementia.Okay?”
He kissed me back.“I guess it’ll have to be.”
When we got upstairs, I went straight to our bedroom to change and get cleaned up for bed.When I came out of the bathroom, Declan was sitting on the side of the bed, waiting for me.
“Which would be better?”he asked.“Should we lie down in the couch and watch a show so your brain can turn off or should we go to bed?”
“If I go to bed now, my brain will circle around the meeting for far too long.Let’s watch another mystery.Hey, which reminds me.Who was the killer?”
He stood, took my hand, and walked with me back to the living room.“I have no idea.As soon as you fell asleep, I flipped to the baseball game.”He grabbed the remote and lay down on our extra-large sofa, patting the cushion in front of him so I could be the little spoon.He pulled the blanket over us, then found the show we were watching, backing it up a bit until I remembered where we were.
Arm wrapped around me, his hand rested on my stomach.I felt him grinning against my temple.
I looked up.“What?”
“I feel her.You’re starting to show.”
“What?”I looked down where his hand was and he was right.My stomach was sticking out farther.“Holy crap.I know she’s there.Dad, John, and Robert have all assured me she’s there and healthy, but it seems more real if I can see her too.”
With more speed and agility than a big man should have, he was hovering above me.He’d braced himself on his forearms to keep from crushing me.Eyes glowing, he leaned down to kiss me until I was tugging on his shoulders, trying to get closer.British mystery forgotten, he picked me up and carried me to bed.
I woke to Declan’s big, warm hand rubbing my back.“Sorry, love, but you didn’t tell me what time you had to get up.Is Bracken coming here to get you?”
I reached back, took his hand, and pulled it around me so his body warmed my back instead.“I have time.The Wicches’ Council meets on their own first.We’re supposed to be there at one.Bracken said it would be about a two-hour drive, but we’re leaving two and a half hours early, in case we hit traffic.Everyone is supposed to meet here a little before ten thirty.”
“Good.You go back to sleep.I’ll wake you when breakfast is ready.”He started to move, but I held onto his hand.
“You don’t have to make breakfast again,” I told him.
He kissed my shoulder.“Don’t be silly.A big day needs a big breakfast.”He rolled out of bed and got to it, turning on the fireplace as he left.
I didn’t think I’d be able to fall back asleep, but the soft bed and sound of the surf pulled me under.Sometime later, I woke to Declan pushing my hair out of my face and dropping a kiss on my cheek.
“Breakfast is ready when you are.”He nudged a small glass of juice into my hand.“It has Bracken’s drop in it.”
I sat up, drank it down, and handed it back to him.“Be there in a minute.”
He went back to the kitchen while I ran to the bathroom.I liked keeping the bedroom windows open so I could smell the ocean and listen to the waves, but that often meant the room was quite chilly.Even in the summer, Monterey was often overcast and cold, especially at night.I needed warm slippers for these cold floors.
As I passed through the closet on the way back from the bathroom, I stopped to put on warm socks and a hoodie.When I walked into the kitchen, Declan noticed immediately.
“I can turn up the heat.”He didn’t feel the cold like I did.He wore only a thin pair of flannel sleep pants.Barefoot and bare-chested, he carried a plate of toast over to the table that already held big omelets for us both, along with bacon and juice.“I’ll fix the thermostat.”
“No.Sit.I’m fine.I’m the one who always wants the windows open.I need to remember to order myself a pair of warm slippers.Come on.Let’s have breakfast.”
It was delicious.He was so good at this.Afterward, we took a long, hot shower, during which he washed and conditioned my hair, among other things.When we got out, he dried quickly and went to dress for his day.I assumed that by the time I was done dealing with my hair, he’d be down in his workshop.He probably was, but he’d left me a sticky note, readingFYI the temp is 64 and partly cloudy in SF.
Apparently, the overprotective impulses were getting the best of him already.Shaking my head, I dropped the note in the trash and looked through my clothes for something respectable and honest, without looking like I was trying too hard.I considered sayingfuck itand putting on a pair of overalls but decided Mom would be mortified.
I chose a soft lavender turtleneck with black trousers and boots.I put on my dad’s earrings, just in case, then pulled on a pair of lavender gloves that matched the sweater.I was done early, so I grabbed my beautiful ocean blue leather backpack and went down the internal staircase to Declan’s workshop.
He looked up as I hit the bottom of the stairs.“Look at you.”He put down his tool and walked across the concrete floor to me.“You’re stunning and look powerful as hell.”
I grinned.“You’re biased.And I’m powerful as hell in my overalls.”
He kissed me.“True.”
I leaned into him, trying to soak up as much love and comfort as I could before I left.“What are you working on?”
