Page 123 of Tear Me Down
She suggested we walk the Greenway after my first day back at work—to let some of the stress out after how busy I would inevitably be, and at the time, it sounded great. That was alsobeforethe heat wave we’ve had this week. I’m not normally a whiny bitch when it comes to the weather, but this heat might kill me. Nobody warned me that pregnancy would come with an unregulated bodily furnace. I made sure I looked presentable for my first day back, but I’m one more degree away from throwing my hair up in a messy bun and calling it that.
Damien went back to work a couple of weeks ago, after I ‘caught’ him late at night in his office doing some work remotely. I didn’t actually care that he was, it was just hilarious to watch him think he was in trouble for a moment. His eyes widened a little bit, and he nibbled on his lip in between fumbled words. I just stood in the doorway to see how long he would ramble before he realized I wasn’t upset with him. It was only about five minutes of him explaining the parts about him that I already knew.
The last month has been nice. I don’t think either one of us moved from our bed for the first week, and watching Serena trying to cook was hilarious. She normally only has to worry about herself, so watching her cook for four was fun until Carter had to take over, and then when Damien and I were more mobile, us. There was that one time, on I think the third day, when she almost caught the house on fire, but I’m sworn to secrecy. Apparently, telling Marla would be catastrophic, and she wouldn’t be able to handle her mom looking at her like she was curious how she’s survived without living at home.
Dust has dwindled down, and if they’re still in the city, they’re hiding or rotting. The drug organization all but collapsed after Damien killed Dranan, but everything else is still lingering over our heads. DeLuca and Saccone have gone into hiding, Popov has pretty much done the same, but not quite as well as he thinks, and even though Avery is still out in the political limelight, holding rallies and gaining support for his fake bill, we’re keeping a close eye on him. We won’t have enough evidence to do anything to him until we capture the traffickers, and that’s definitely on Damien’s to-do list.
Now, life has pretty much gotten back to normal, and we have a pretty busy day ahead of us after my short shift on the cutting floor. Dean, Adrien’s brother, is coming into the Attic for the first time to fill out paperwork, Tony is being sworn in as the new Police Chief, and Carter’s contractor is driving out to discuss housing plans. He decided to build a house down the main road from us instead of renewing the lease for his apartment, which I was surprised to learn that he had. He spends so much time either with us or at the Attic that I was shocked to hear he even technically had his own place, but I suppose he had to have somewhere, and somehow, these new plans involve us? Not really sure why, but we told him we’d be there to support him.
I finish grinding my vitamin in with my smoothie, preparing myself for the long day ahead, when music starts to play from the speaker system. ‘Calcutta’ by Sleep Token, floods my ears, and I shake my head, already sensing the cheese in his gesture. As I turn, I see Damien striding up to me, and as he takes my hand, he twirls me leisurely before pulling me close. His grip is loose, but I know that if he had the choice, he’d hold me against his chest for the next several hours.
“What are you doing, goofball?” I ask with a low tone, waiting for the ‘are you sure you’re ready to go back to work’ talk.
“I'm dancing with my wife before she goes to work.” He replies slyly, acting as if there’s no ulterior motive.
“So, there’s no catch?”
“No catch. I’m keeping my promise. You know what today is, I just wanted you to feel whole again, for just a moment.” His use of the song's words is cheesy at best, but so romantic. I can’t help but giggle at how cute he is, and I don’t pull back as he softly nuzzles his face against my temple.
“I am whole with you.”
“I know, but I know we’ve both been struggling lately. So, I just wanted you to forget everything, for…”
“Just a moment.” I finish for him as a smile spreads across my face, and he chuckles at his own tacky gesture. The feeling I get when he’s this close never dulls, and the comfort he encases me in never wavers. His scent creeps up my nose, plummeting me into a realm where only we exist. There’s no busy day filled with questions, and no reminders of our turmoil over the past month. Just me and him in an indestructible bubble. “It’s definitely working.” He smiles down at me, and I suppose he can see the flush to my cheeks, because he pulls my hair to the left side, letting the breeze from the air conditioning drift over my neck. “I thought you had to get some work done this morning?”
“I was supposed to, but I wanted to be with you instead.”Okay, now the redness isn’t from the heat.“Because what’s today?” He smirks, obviously not going to drop it until I speak it into existence.
“Thirteen weeks.”
“Thirteen weeks.” He repeats smugly as he plants a kiss to my forehead and moves his hand from my back to my small, swollen abdomen that hasstarted to protrude from my body. The slight bump is already cute and round due to my small size. “No more worrying,” he adds, driving his point home. “How are my two favorite girls this morning?”
I snort softly and shake my head in disbelief at his confidence.
“You aresosure it’s a girl.”
He chuckles.
“I am sure.”
“Well, when we go in a month and the doctor tells us it’s a boy, I'm going to laugh at you.”
“She won’t. It’s a girl.” I giggle as he cups my face with his free hand. “You know, we could just get one of those early tests done,” he suggests with a slight lip at the end of his recommendation, trying to sound convincing.
“We agreed not to,” I point out.
“I know, but they have non-invasive options. It’s just a blood test now.”
I shrug, clearly toying with him.
“Yeah, but maybe I like watching you squirm. You’re just desperate to know if you’re right.”
He laughs whole-heartedly, his shoulders shaking with his happiness.
“That’s not theonlyreason,” he practically whines. “You know I’m dying to start on her room. It’ll be no time, and she’ll be here. She’s already the size of a peach, you know.”
I laugh genuinely this time, remembering the morning I woke up to him exploring that damn app on his phone. He was obsessed with strawberries the rest of the week.
“Is that why there are peach slices in our lunch bags?”
