“Of course. Sickness takes it out of you.” Kate nods. “I hope we can see each other again before we leave at the weekend. Perhaps for lunch.”
“I would love that.” I smile. As long as she doesn’t mention weddings again.
I say goodnight to Tessa and Todd and stand. I grab my purse from the side of the sofa and freeze when Tyler talks.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m going?”
“Where exactly?”
“To bed.”
“At your apartment?”
“Um, yes?”
He shakes his head and stands. Then he crosses the apartment in a few long strides and snatches my purse. Before I can ask him what he’s doing, he scoops me up, one hand around my back and another beneath my knees. I squeak and grab him, the sudden motion upsetting my stomach a little.
“What are you doing?!”
“Putting you to bed,” he answers, carrying me calmly past his family and down the hall to his room.
“Tyler! I can’t believe you!”
He laughs. “Be a love and open the door.”
I twist the handle and shove the door open. He carries me in and sets me on the bed.
“Lie back.”
“Why?”
He puts his hands on my shoulders and slowly pushes me back. “You’re not going anywhere tonight. You’re ill. I’m going to keep an eye on you.”
“I’m sick from hormones and being a human incubator. You can’t keep me with you every second to hold my hair and wipe my forehead when I’m vomiting.”
He peels my jeans down my legs then sits me up and removes my shirt. “I can try. Into bed.”
“Such a fucking hero,” I mumble, climbing into bed and scooting over to the middle. I roll over so I’m facing his side, and the scent of him that lingers on his pillow encompasses me.
Tyler walks around the bed and switches the television on. He turns the volume down to a low hum. He sets the controller down on the nightstand next to me and kneels. A cold draft flutters over my bare skin when he whips back the covers.
A chill that’s quickly alleviated by his hand on my stomach.
He spreads his fingers wide, covering all of my lower tummy, and leans up to me. “I never wanted to be a hero until I met you. You’re mine, Liv, and this is my baby. Do you get that? Mine. Both of you. That means you’re mine to love, mine to protect, and mine to look after. If I want to do it, I’m going to, no matter what you say. I can’t imagine it being any other way and it never will be.”
I run my fingers through his hair. “I know,” I say quietly. “I’ll try to let you.”
“No trying. You will let me because I’ll make you.” He nudges my nose with his. “If I want you to sleep in my bed because you’re poorly, then you will. I don’t want you away from me.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay.” I smile sleepily.
He smiles back, staring into my eyes for a moment. He pulls away and presses his lips to my stomach. The heat of his mouth lingers on my skin even after he moves his lips to mine.
“I’ll let you be my hero,” I whisper against him.
He smiles, covering me up with the duvet and tucking me in. “I’ll be your hero, baby girl. I’ll be your hero so damn well, Superman will be jealous of me.”
My smile widens. “Cocky British bastard. Go and spend some time with your family.”
He nods, kisses me once more, and heads for the door.
“Ty? I’m sorry.”
He stops and looks over his shoulder. “Don’t be. Don’t ever be.”
He closes the door behind him, and I settle my cheek against the pillow. I look at the TV without really seeing it. I stare blindly until my eyelids grow heavy and I give in to the lull of sleep.
The bed creaks next to me. I force my eyes open and roll over to see Tyler crawling into bed. He turns the television off with the remote and lies down, only seeing that I’ve noticed him when he turns.
“C’mere, baby girl,” he says in a low voice, pulling me into him.
My eyelids drop as I snuggle into the warmth of his body. His arms fold me into him fully, and he rubs his hand over my back. His breath scoots across the top of my head, and I smile when he brushes his lips across my forehead.
“I can’t believe your mom thought we were getting married,” I mumble through a yawn and press into him further.
He laughs softly but doesn’t respond. He keeps soothingly rubbing my back, settling me back into the lull of sleep.
But not before I hear him finally reply, “One day, Liv. One day.”
There are two types of freak-outs in the world. Shocked-what-the-effing-hell freak-outs and angry-what-the-effing-hell freak-outs.
I’ve experienced both in the past sixty minutes. The former from my mom and the latter from my best friend. In fact, Day is still going.
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me! I bought the friggin’ pee stick. How could you leave me hanging?!”
“Yes,” I reply dryly, pouring a glass of water and leaning against the counter. “My new state of mind is nauseated, and in a few months, a person will be passing through my vagina, but let’s focus on how I didn’t let you know immediately.”
“You’re lame, you know that?” She narrows her eyes. “How did Tyler take it?”
“Better than I did,” I admit, summarizing the events of that night.
“What about his parents?”
“Asked us when we’re getting married.”
She snorts. “And your parents?”
I sigh and put the glass down. “Asked me when we’re getting married.”
Her snort switches to a laugh. “Shall I continue it?”
“Try it and I’ll tie you to the Space Needle by your baby toe.” I glare.
“I know. But seriously…?”
“We’re not getting married, okay?” I throw my hands up. “We just got into a relationship, had a baby thrown into the mix, and I have to move in here next week. Let’s not add rings and shit into that equation, got it?”
She hides her smile. “Got it. Although the baby kind of came first.”
“Fuck you, Black. Fuck you.”
I let the last interviewee out of the bar and bang my head against the wall. One of five interviews today has been worth my while. The others were all jacked-up college kids who can barely tell their left from their right.
My stomach growls angrily, reminding me that I haven’t eaten today. Thing is, I don’t want to eat. I feel sick, but that’s an empty stomach kind of sick, not a ‘Hi, Mommy, I’m in here’ kind of sick. But I’m afraid that, if I do eat, the sick will change.