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“Doesn't bother me any, clearly,” she laughed, tugging the neckline of her own shirt to the side a bit to show off her own set. “How's all that going, by the way?”
When Lilly wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, Caroline couldn't help but laugh. “Really well. I like him. A lot. Underneath all that grouchiness, he's actually a very sweet man.”
“Sweet? Magnus? I'm glad I'm blown up like a beach ball right now. Once I've had the baby, I won't have any advantage. Magnus seems a little frightened of the fact I'm pregnant. Like, he doesn't want to be too cranky because he thinks I'm going to cry. Since he's sweet to you, I'll just bring you with me to all major conversations going forward.”
Laughing, Caroline imitated Lilly, “'Magnus, I brought Caroline along and she'd like to talk to you about some issues with last night's dinner service. Did you have a minute?'”
Lilly snorted. “Yeah. I'm sure that would go amazingly well.”
“Um. Can I ask you something? You said if I needed to talk that I could come to you.”
Her face sobering, Lilly said, “Sure. What's up?”
“The differences between he and I don't seem to matter. The longer this goes on, the more they will though. I don't want to push things too fast, too soon, but I worry about that. Inevitably, one day, I'm going to...”
“Oh, honey. Trust me. I know exactly what you're talking about. Even as I was falling in love with Talan a part of me was thinking that there was no possible way things could work out. If it comes down to it, you're going to have to choose whether it's worth changing your entire life. Talan and I talked about it at length. After the baby is born, I'm doing to do the gene therapy. I can't imagine leaving Talan behind. Or this little guy,” she finished, rubbing her belly. “Thankfully, it's not a decision you need to make overnight. If it gets to that point, you'll know what to do. Things are getting serious?”
“I haven't been home other than for a change in clothes in almost a week. It definitely feels like it,” Caroline admitted.
“Enjoy your worry free relationship as long as you can. Don't go borrowing trouble. You've got a couple of years to think about it. Will your family object?” Lilly asked.
Caroline sighed. “They object to me, so I can't imagine they'll be thrilled by this development. We're on the outs at the moment, though. My grandmother is behind me as long as, and these were her words, he's not a dickhead like the last guy.”
Giving a shocked laugh, Lilly said, “Go Grandma!”
“She's a pistol,” Caroline agreed, laughing. “She's supposed to visit on Sunday assuming I can still take the time off the bar. I'll see if Kristi wants to pick up additional shifts. She mentioned something about wanting more hours. Cody Lee just became Lead Bartender by default. Let's hope he can be motivated to take on some extra responsibility. Otherwise my weekend is shot.”
“Keep me posted. I'll fill in where I can but,” Lilly gestured at her stomach, “Talan will kick my ass if I try to bar tend at this point.”
“I'll kick your ass if you try to bar tend!” At Lilly's glare, Caroline quickly added, “I'm sure you're capable, but you're also really pregnant. I worry about the baby.”
Lilly's lips twitched. “Nice save. And on that note
, I'm going to eat. Firing thieves makes me hungry, apparently.”
“Thanks for your help with that, by the way. I've never had to fire anyone before.”
“It's never fun, but it gets a little bit easier. The first time I had to, it was awful. The asshole took a swing at me.”
“What a dick!”
“True story,” she agreed, with a wave. “All in all, that went as well as a firing could go. Good work.”
“Thanks,” she said to Lilly's retreating form. “I guess.”
****
Magnus lay next to her in bed, his breathing so deep and even that she was almost certain he was asleep. Gently, she tried to disentangle herself but stopped when his arm tightened.
“You weren't trying to sneak away, by chance?” he asked, his voice husky.
“I told you I was going to head home tonight. It's been almost a week since I've seen my apartment. I desperately need to do laundry or I'll have to start going naked,” she complained, laughing.
“As much as I'd appreciate that, I'm not inclined to share the view. I suppose you can go do laundry if you really want to,” he said on a sigh.
“Magnus?” she asked incredulously. “Are you pouting? Really?”
“Not precisely. It's just that I've grown accustomed to you stealing all of the covers at night. I quite like having you here with me,” he admitted.
