Preg-Not

38

They walked outside, where three guards and the doctor are waiting. Instead of heading for the car, Raelynn circled it.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking."

"There's a car right here. There is no need for you to walk."

She waved him off. "You've gotten too spoiled, Kuznetsov. Are you afraid a little Arizonian dirt will ruin your leather shoes?"

"Cleaning the filthy apartment already did that!" he threw at her.

She laughed and sped up in case he wanted to manhandle her into the car.

"Slow down," he grunted while jogging to her. His voice was gravely, but the palm he placed at the small of her back was gentle.

They were quite the sight with their fancy clothes, and the sleeky black car that trailed after them.

"You should be in the car. This part of town has always been sketchy," he pushed.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you if someone tries to mug us."

Maksim blew a breath, tired of her antics. Raelynn only smiled. She figured this was good practice for when he had two exhausting babies to deal with.

His hand moved from her back to her hand. The streets were mostly silent, and the air was cool. She missed this place. As wonderful as New York stopped, it never seemed to stop, and that was exhausting to keep up with.

She inhaled deeply to take in the smell of home. Maksim's perfume mixed with it, and that made her laugh, because every part of him seemed to be arrogant.

"What's so funny?"

The question only made her laugh harder.

Maksim stopped, turned, and stared at her with glistening eyes. He leaned until he hovered over her, and suddenly there were three moons in the sky.

She shuddered.

Misinterpreting her heat as coldness, he shrugged off his jacket, dusted it, and swung it over her shoulders.

"Come. You need to eat."

He led her down the sidewalk, and Raelynn felt something in her belly. At first, she thought it was a twin shifting around, but then recognized it as butterflies.

Something other than life was sprouting inside of her.

When they reached the spot, Maksim held the door open for her. Many pairs of eyes turned to them– two teenagers, one middle-aged man, and two staff members.

Although Raelynn wasn't wearing any jewelry and her dress was ripped, she still looked out of place. Mainly because of the tall, broad male beside her.

She glanced at his wrist. His twenty-whatever-thousand-dollar watch was still there, competing with the silverwear with its glint.

"Raelynn? Hey, that guy is blacklisted from here," the manager pointed from behind the counter.

Maksim's tattoos were so unforgettable that they made it easy to recognize him.

Maksim ignored the comment and scanned the menu with a scowl, probably regretting not bringing along the maid.

"This fried shit is so unhealthy for you and the babies."

She touched his arm. "Maybe we should order takeout food."

"Why? You walked all the way here."

Her eyes moved to the angry manager, and Maksim followed. He replied by tugging the jacket higher up her shoulder and gesturing to the menu.