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“That she did. Pavel is pretty stoked we have a bully mix. He grew up with a pit bull and swears they are the best guardians for children.” He smirks. “Apparently, they bond with one particular human and just tolerate the rest of us.”
“Gee, I wonder who she picked.” I stifle a giggle and stroke back a few curls from my baby’s brow.
Demyen watches my gentle movements with an even gentler smile. “I want to get Princess trained with the men. Figure out what commands she already knows and which ones she needs to learn. That way, God forbid anything like this ever happens again…”
I know what he means.
He goes quiet. Contemplative. I don’t know what he’s thinking about, or where his mind has decided to wander. All I know is that he’s here, we’re safe, and that’s all that matters.
After a long stretch of silence, he looks up at me. “I love you.”
I smile at him. “I love you, too.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how fucking scared I was when I heard the shouting.” He reaches his hand up to touch my face. “You weren’t here, and I just…”
I hold his hand to my face, then kiss his palm. It never occurred to me how he might be dealing with some of his own trauma—when The Ordeal went down, I really did vanish from his sight.
One moment, I was there, and the next… gone.
“I’m fine,” I reassure him. I stroke the back of his hand with my fingers and pour all my love into my smile. “Really. I’m right here, I’m unharmed, and we’re all safe thanks to you.”
Demyen stares at me like he’s committing me to memory. Then he gazes down at Willow and manages a smile.
And that’s when—and how—sleep finally arrives. Warm, safe, tucked into a huge bed with Demyen and I curled protectively around Willow while our fiercely protective dog guards us.
33
CLARA
“Clara, for the last time,” Roxy laughs, waving her hand to shoo me away, “I’ve got this.We’vegot this. You go have fun.”
I’m balancing on one heeled shoe while I try to slip on the other. It’d be so much easier if these damn things didn’t have straps. “I just want to make sure you know where everything is.”
Bambi rolls her eyes playfully at me. “We’re fully staffed, Clar. Fully staffed and fully stocked. We’ll make sure to stuff Willow full of pizza and junk food, give her all the soda her heart desires, and then shake her up just in time for you to put her to bed.”
“Oh, ha ha.” I do actually laugh, though. “You do that and you’re on bath and bedtime duty for a week.”
Roxy tosses the tennis ball across the courtyard for Princess to go fetch while we talk. Well, really, it’s more me putting on the finishing touches while I worry like hell over leaving my baby girl behind.
Tonight is a real, formal date night with Demyen. We’ve never actually had a chance to dress up, go out to a fancy dinner, andjust be a couple. Not since we decided to give this relationship a solid go, and definitely never in a truly genuine way. Any other time I’ve dressed up for dinner with him, I was playing a role.
Things arerealnow.
“How do I look?” I step around in a slow turn for my two best friends to check. “Anything out of place?”
Roxy grins. “If we get a call from that man stating that you’re getting a room for the night, we will not be surprised. Hell, I’ll be surprised if he survives through dinner!”
I blush. I don’t want to dress too inappropriately, and I really can’t now that I’m starting to show. It’s super faint, barely noticeable to the general eye, but my clothes are definitely starting to feel a bit snugger around the middle.
Maybe I’ll tell him tonight.
Pending dinner.
I’m shooed out of the courtyard and into the main house. It’s time to meet Demyen out front, like he suggested, so I take a deep breath and remind myself that we are already a couple. I’ve got nothing to prove. I don’t need to impress him or woo him, just enjoy his company.
Right when I’m about to open the front door, the doorbell rings.
What in the world?
