Beloved Predator (Beloved Series #2)

Sixteen

Ari

Nat tipped her face back toward the sun and closed her eyes.  "I forgot how much I loved this house."

She sat on the sun deck with her feet in the deeper part of the pool holding Amara in her arms, allowing the baby's tiny feet to dangle in the shallow water from her lap.  I was in the deeper section of the pool, treading water and occasionally swimming a lap. 

The small plastic timer sitting on the ground showed five minutes remaining before it buzzed.  I climbed out of the pool and dried myself off, wrapping the towel around my waist, well more like under my bikini top since my baby bump was growing larger and larger each day.  I grabbed the timer and walked inside to the kitchen.  I pulled out the two cake pans in the oven and placed them on the stovetop while I grabbed the cooling rack. 

Patrick's birthday, his thirtieth, was in two days.  I'd asked him what he wanted for his birthday, and he told me ending the charade of not being married was all he wanted.  As a result, our wedding was also in two days.  The family was celebrating his birthday tonight, which was the reason for Mom's special dinner.  I baked his favorite triple chocolate cake for dessert, which I had made for his birthday several times over the years. 

Nat walked inside, carrying Amara.  We changed clothes, and then she placed Amara on her activity mat and sat at one of the barstools at the island.  We chatted while I made the frosting for the cake, going over final details for the wedding.

When everyone arrived back home from the store, the guys put groceries away, while Nat and I helped Mom make dinner.  While I chopped tomatoes for the salsa, the babies started to kick.  I motioned to Mom and Nat, and they both placed a hand on either side of the bump and felt the tiny bumps. 

Patrick and I were lying in bed the morning after Thanksgiving when the first little kick jolted us both wide awake.  The look of joy on his face when he placed his hand on my stomach and felt the tiny movements was unforgettable.  Feeling the twins move made it so much more real compared to when we saw their pictures on the ultrasound back in Toronto.

"Are they moving around again?" he asked as he walked into the kitchen with Dad.

I nodded.  "I guess they're excited for cake, too."

Soon we are all seated around the dining room table eating the shrimp tacos Mom made.  She gave him a big hug and wished him a happy birthday, and Dad then raised his glass and offered a toast.

"Pat, that was Dad's nice way of saying you're getting old," Nat teased.

"Hey, that's how you don't get any cake," he shot back jokingly.

After dinner and dessert, the house settled into a quiet calm.  The basketball game on TV had gone into overtime, and by then I could barely keep my eyes open, so I headed to bed.  Patrick appeared about ten minutes later complaining that his team lost.  As he approached his side of the bed, he found two small packages on his pillow.

"What are these?"

I shrugged.  "I don't know.  I didn't even know they were there."

"Uh huh," he replied with a smirk.  He opened the first box to reveal a beautiful silver watch with a dark blue face.  "Baby, this is beautiful.  Thank you!"

"Turn it over," I said softly.

He turned the watch over and his eyes softened when he saw the engraving:

Patrick, I love you more with each passing moment.  Love, Arianne

He looked at me, surprised.  "Arianne?" he asked, uncertain.  "Are you sure?"