Shaking each of their hands, I state, “I appreciate what both of y’all did more than you know. Dex, I’m sure she’ll need Jolie in the morning.”
“I’ll fill her in when I get back home.” I glance across our road and can make out Jolie sitting on their porch, with a blanket wrapped around her. He chuckles and says, “She’s been there this whole time, man.”
Humorously, I shake my head then release a quick bark of laughter. “Yeah, she needs to go in because it’s definitely too chilly for her to be outside. She doesn’t need to pick up a cold while she’s pregnant, she’ll end up being absolutely miserable.”
“Truth,” Dex replies.
Once both men leave, I unlock the front door, shut off the alarm, then after locking back up, I re-arm it before I go in search of my wife. “Mindy? Kitten? Where are you?” I call out as I move through the house.
“In our room,” she hollers down the hallway. When I breach our doorway, she launches herself at me, and starts crying again. “I was s-s-so scared, Cruz,” she murmurs against my chest, which is quickly getting soaked by her tears. “E-e-especially when I found out it washim. How did he find out I moved? What did he think he could accomplish by coming here?”
As I soothe her, my arms wrapped around her shaking body, I tell her, “I have no idea what he was thinking, but we’re going to find out, kitten. Did you let the police know you were pressing charges?”
She nods as I lead her to the huge chaise lounge that’s in the corner of our room. Sitting down, I pull her onto my lap and continue whispering nonsensical things as I work to calm her down. Granted, my own heart rate is still accelerated at all the what ifs that could’ve happened. Jolie and she go back and forth all day long, but never at night. “Mr. Douglass made sure I knew what he looked like, and he said that he doesn’t have to do surprise inspections on you any longer. Said you’re a model parolee,” she says.
I snicker since I know where his attitude adjustment concerning me came from. Ms. Butler was nice to the two of us when we saw her, but from what Dex has found out, she’s a shark in the courtroom and deadly to her opponents.
“Kitten, before the shitshow happened, I was a law-abiding citizen. Hell, I’mstillone even now,” I tease. “Are you good now? I definitely need a shower and I think we need a snack. Our daughter just nudged me.”
She giggles, which was my intent, then says, “You go and shower while I get us slices of cheesecake. We’ll meet in bed.”
“Works for me. Now up, kitten, so I can wash the warehouse from my body.”
“Aye, aye, captain.”
“I kinda like how that sounds,” I muse as I gather clean sleep pants. Someday, I’ll be able to sleep nude again, but for the time being, boxers and sleep pants are necessary. At least until our daughter is old enough to toddle into our room by herself. Then I’ll have them close by to slip on. Visions of her, as well as our future children, crawling into our bed for a movie night have me smiling as I turn the shower on.
“Goals,” I mutter to myself as I step inside the stall.
