Page 27 of Plus-Size Pregnant Mate

Chapter 14 - Owen

I pressed the third floor on the elevator and sighed. It was a little past seven, and I was exhausted from work. It had only been just over a week since we were back, and I was still trying to readjust.

The elevator doors shut, and I waited as it pulled me up. I looked at my phone, wondering if Ashley was awake or not. Sometimes she was, and other times she wasn't. She slept into the day and often worked late into the night.

The doors opened, and I stepped off the elevator and headed down the hallway toward my door. I unlocked it and stepped inside.

When you first walked in, it was a large open space. The kitchen was to the left, and the large living room with the walk-out patio was to the right. The bedrooms were past the kitchen and down the hallway, and the bathrooms were also there.

The entire place was quiet, and I wasn't sure if Ashley was home. But I could smell her. She'd showered, and I could smell her perfume as I shut the door with my heel.

I tossed my keys onto the side table and slid my shoes off.

The space was very basic. I had two couches that sat near a TV and a fireplace that was on. There was a smaller dinner table with six chairs and the large kitchen with oak wood cabinets and a gray countertop.

Then, there was all of Ashley's artwork. It was everywhere, and I couldn't help but smile. She had pieces hanging all over the place and art that she had set out to dry. We still had to clean out the spare room for her, but it was on my list.

When she moved in, I offered to buy her whatever she wanted. We ended up painting and redecorating the bedroom as it needed doing anyway. She also took the bathroom across from the bedroom as her own.

I turned to the couch and froze when I realized she was asleep. I walked over and saw she was curled up with a blanket, looking peaceful.

I didn't want to wake her, so I stepped back and headed into the kitchen.

I had time, and she likely would be awake soon, so I decided to start dinner. I pulled out some chicken and started preparing the sides.

Then, I tossed it into a pan with seasoning. While it cooked, I started some noodles in a pot and chopped up a bunch of vegetables. The scent of the food quickly filled the space.

"What are you making?"

I turned to Ashley, standing behind the island, rubbing her eyes. She looked half asleep still, and her hair was a little messy. Her wrinkled clothes told me she'd been asleep for a while. I worried she wasn't adjusting to the change, but I knew it had only been a week.

"Grilled chicken with vegetables over buttered noodles," I said, tossing the vegetables around in the pan. "Is that okay?"

She sat down at the island and watched me. Her eyes seemed to track each of my movements, but she nodded her head. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"How was your day?" I asked as I pulled the noodles from the boiling water.

"It was going pretty well, actually. I spent most of the morning working on getting a website up for me to sell my artwork since I really could use the money."

"How did that go?"

She made a face, resting her chin on her arm. "I found that I don't have any artwork to sell."

I paused, looked at her, and then looked around the entire apartment. "I beg to differ."

She rolled her eyes. "Those aren't pieces I would sell. I just drew those because I was bored."

"While the artwork that you've drawn before was for…."

She smirked. "It's not the same. I have artwork that I've sunk hours into, weeks really into making sure they are perfect."

"Every piece is different, but I feel that every piece has value, Ashley."

She gave me a faint smile, and I could see a sparkle in her eyes. "Okay, think of it this way. There is a fire. Are you sending in your best man, or are you sending in the newbie that's never been?"

I leaned on the counter, smiling at her. "I'm sending in both."

She blushed and leaned back. "I will eventually do something with all these." She waved her hands around. "But I know there are better pieces that could get me known."

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