Snakes In The Grass

12

I floated on my back as I stared up at the stars. I was bored and this was the only thing I felt like doing, floating weightlessly in the water. At least here, I didn't feel like a thousand pounds.

"Are you awake, or have you decided that this is your new bed?" Fedir asked with a chuckle. I lifted my head and smirked at him.

"You try measuring at thirty-three weeks and tell me where you'd want to spend all your time?" I snorted.

Fedir smirked. "I just wanted to let you know that lover boy should be here shortly. Pavel just went to pick him up," he said. I sat up and trod water.

"He is? I thought he wasn't able to get here until next weekend!"

"He got leave," Fedir said as he held out the robe for me. I climbed out and wrapped it around me, tying it loosely around my waist.

"Has Abe gotten any closer on all of this?"

"Yes and no. Each time we get closer, the bigger pile of shit we encounter," Fedir said, "He's working on it though. He knows that you aren't thrilled being here. But if it helps, he's even less thrilled by making you stay here."

"Really?" I chuckled as I squeezed the ends of my hair.

"What father wants to hold his adult daughter hostage while he looks for someone who wants to hurt her? He doesn't want you to feel prisoner in the house, and he knows that this is the time that you should be doing things like setting up the nursery and getting ready for the baby. He's stressed about it too."

I ran my fingers through my hair and chewed my lip. I never really thought about it from his point of view. He was really just a scared father, and I didn't really cut him enough slack.

"Maybe I could do something for him? As a thank you?"

Fedir smirked. "You don't need to thank him, Rose. He's doing this because he loves you very dearly," he explained but I shrugged.

"You could always try making him corba?"

"Making what?"

"It's a red lentil soup that he likes when we are in Turkey. It's good, but nowhere around here makes it. I could go out and get the ingredients if you wanted. I know that even attempting it would thrill him. While he may be extravagant on the outside, he likes the small things, the sentimental things."

"So making him a homemade dish will make his day?"

"It will make his whole year," Fedir said. I pursed my lips and then nodded my head.

"Okay, go get it. I'm sure Dimitri will save me in the kitchen," I said with a chuckle and headed into the house to get dressed, I came down to find my man standing in the foyer. I squealed and wrapped my arms around him, burying my face into his chest with a happy sigh.

"I'm so happy to see you!" I said into his chest. Dimitri kissed the top of my head and squeezed me.

"I'm happy to see you," he said and kissed me. I smiled against his lips and laughed when he knelt down in front of me, pushing my shirt up enough to kiss my stomach.

"How's my girl?" he asked, pressing multiple kisses to my stomach.

"She's good, happy. She had the hiccups earlier," I said as he stood up. Dimitri smirked and wrapped his arms around my waist and pressed a few more kisses to my lips.

"And how is my favourite woman in the whole world?" he asked. I smiled up at him.

"Better now that you're here. But I need your help with something," I said with a smirk. Dimitri nodded and I dragged Dimitri toward the kitchen, gesturing to the ingredients I had found in the kitchen and sent Fedir for the rest.