Page 4 of A Seed Of Peril

“I think I will,” I agreed. With help getting back to my feet, I took the washcloth from her. “As long as you and Katrina bake some of those oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that we’re all obsessed with.” I smiled, winking.

“Cookies!?” Katrina shouted from the bedroom.

Bianca and I broke out into laughter.

* * *

Fog began settlingin after dinner, ruining what was my pleasant view. The gentle breeze felt wonderful, however. It made the pool’s water ripple, making me think of the beach. The ocean. I craved both but settled for this for the time being.

I had daydreamed of the sun warming my naked belly at the beach on a summer day. I practically smelled the ocean, yearning for the waves to dance on my belly. I wondered how that would feel for the baby. When I deemed it safe, I wanted Dominic and I to bring our child to the beach and sit with them at the ocean’s edge, laughing while they played in the water. Soaking up such a carefree moment, basking in that rare, begotten sense of complete safety.

Rubbing my belly, I smiled. I couldn’t wait to learn whether we were having a boy or a girl. I secretly preferred a girl, but their health mattered over everything. I would love my baby regardless.

With my palms now against the stone railing of our balcony connected to our room—we had a few balconies scattered around here—I leaned away from the stone, arching my back to stretch it. With all that my body was going through, it felt the effects.

A spacious patio was off to my left at the back of the mansion. Furniture, which closely resembled what was in the sunroom, decorated the outside patio, the only differences being that the outside patio also contained a long coffee table and two extra lounge chairs. An umbrella provided shade and protection from the weather.

Concrete bordered our in-ground pool, stone tiles branching off the concrete on all sides. Past the pool on its other side, the tiles led to more concrete and the guest houses attached to the property. The houses were set up more in the way of units, lined and stacked on both ends, with a stretch of units connecting both sides.

Trimmed and manicured grass was scarce outback except behind the guest units.

The guest units were white stone, brick construction like the mansion, sharing pitched roofs made of gray and blue-ish colored shingles. Each unit contained its own parking spaces, but a lot of the men parked out in the front. A few stray vehicles were parked at the units, but those belonged to some of the men’s wives.

Dominic wanted to make sure his men and their families lived comfortably, too. A handful worked out deals with him to own and live in some of the available houses along our private, gated road. His brothers lived here in the main estate. Dominic wanted it that way, and so did they.

For a man who stopped many hearts in his lifetime, he cared for his family. He cared for those he respected and loved.

The door to the balcony opened, the familiar sound of Dominic sparking his lighter immediately following. I watched the thin wisp of cigarette smoke waft past me on my right. Looking behind me, I eyed Dominic, shirtless and only clad in gray sweatpants that rode low on his hips. The delicate stem of a wineglass filled with blood rested in his hand.

Tease. And I fucking loved it.

Looking back at the landscape, I reached behind me, opening, and closing my hand, my signal for Dominic to hand over the glass. As he approached, his warm, soft chuckle was music to my ears.

“Thank you,” I said with a little pep after he handed me the wine glass. He kept a gap between us while having his cigarette, also staring into the fog.

Warmed deer blood slid deliciously down my throat. It was this particular pick of wildlife I had a preferred taste for, its note of sweetness pure perfection.

“So,” I said, itching to ask Dominic about the surprise he arranged for me, “about all those clothes…” As I looked at him, he kept his eyes straight ahead, smoking more of his cigarette. “How much?”

He tapped excess ash off his cigarette. “No need to concern yourself.”

“How. Much?” I repeated, raising my brow, unable to hide my smirk.

Dominic sighed, cigarette smoke disappearing into the air.

Sometime under my nose, he ordered me more maternity clothes. An entirely new wardrobe.

Silk blouses, sundresses in various shades and patterns, sweatpants, leggings, jeans, tank tops, and a miscellaneous collection of shirts and tops were added to my half of our walk-in closet. Like Dominic did with his clothes and accessories, everything of mine was arranged by type, color, and size, even what was in our drawers. After living so long in my own unorganized chaos, I enjoyed the peace organization brought.

A favorite of mine in my collection was a red dress Dominic bought me. It was an evening dress with straps and a slight V-neck. It had a zipper on the back. The fabric was stretchy and breathable. He bought it in multiple sizes so I could enjoy it throughout the pregnancy. As much as I adored it, I didn’t know if I would actually wear it.

Already being self-conscious, I noticed pregnancy made it worse. All I saw was the weight gain, especially in my face, arms, hips, and ass. I found myself dealing with occasional acne, thanks to hormones. It was all causing me to slowly avoid mirrors again.

From the moment Dominic accepted me into his heart, he kept telling me how beautiful I was, how to dig down deep and see that beauty. He helped me rediscover and love myself, but pregnancy was sliding me back into that old, self-destructive mindset. The self-consciousness and doubt I battled was slowly creeping back in.

Fighting Fabio and the chaos and tragedy that surrounded his takedown ignited a hell of a flame within me. I felt my strongest, most confident. Nothing could slow me down. Then, Vincent barreled into our lives, and while I temporarily talked to a therapist regarding the guilt which ate at my insides, I found my family was the therapy I needed all along. But as this pregnancy progressed, fears that I wouldn’t be able to rediscover my strength, let alone just find the strength for childbirth, were, at times, overwhelming.

I no longer saw the woman Dominic helped me discover. I saw the insecure, scared, shell of who I knew I was. It broke my heart that I let those lies win, but I was at an impasse on how to break down the reconstructed piece of this fucking wall.

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