Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87990 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
I smiled weakly. “That’s right. Baby.” Or a demon. The verdict was still out.
She frowned. “Mommy ouch?”
I didn’t want to confuse her, so I just said, “Mommy sleepy.”
She gave me Meep Meep, which was extremely high currency in the world of Elara. I cuddled him close to my cheek, breathing in the familiar scent of baby shampoo tinged with traces of milk.
“Thank you, Peanut.”
She scooted off the couch and kissed my forehead, returning a minute later with her baby doll. She showed it to me and then threw it on the floor. We had some work to do there.
Sounds of Hale hosing out the umbrella stand carried from the front door. We should probably keep more vessels around the house if this morning sickness crap was going to be an ongoing thing. Or maybe I should travel with those plastic doggy bags, just in case.
My stomach still felt unstable and sour, so I decided not to think about it until I was out of the eye of the storm.
Unfortunately, the morning sickness continued over the next few weeks. It usually struck before work and then again around two p.m.—not technically morning, but Mother Nature didn’t care much for man’s time constraints, so she basically did as she pleased, and apparently, it pleased her to torture me.
“Rayne?” Remington knocked on the bathroom door.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” The use of my first name showed his concern. I’d been hugging the toilet since lunch and it was now—oh, God—I’d been in the bathroom for over an hour.
“Would it help if Marta made you something?”
No doubt Marta hovered outside of the door with him. “Niña,” she said with great concern. “I can make you a nice broth with a little toast.”
The thought of any food turned my stomach. Even water was becoming hard to keep down during these challenging moments. “I’m okay. I just need a minute please.” I hated the idea of them standing close enough to hear me retch, and every word made me fear that it would happen again.
“Well, call if you need anything.”
“Mm-hmm,” I mumbled, holding back another explosion.
When I finally staggered out of the bathroom you would have thought I spent the night pledging for Greek life. Remington, Marta, and Miles stared at me with unblinking concern.
Remington rushed forward to take my arm. “Do you want Alphonse to drive you home?”
Even a five-minute car ride seemed dicey at the moment. “I just need to sit down for a few minutes.”
Stock market numbers played across the bottom of the television. His laptop and paperwork cluttered the coffee table, and his iPad hung from the stand to the left of the couch. Miles picked up the phone he’d abandoned to let the person on the other line know that Remington had stepped away and would return shortly.
“Just sit for a while. Find your sea legs.”
I groaned, not wanting to think about the sea. I pulled a blanket out of the ottoman compartment and curled into a ball. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. It’s easier to blame Hale. He did this to you.” I smiled because beneath his feigned anger was real concern. “Do you need anything?”
I was typically the one waiting on Remington, so this felt especially awkward. “Eating and drinking only make it worse. I just have to wait it out.”
“How about some medicine?”
I shook my head. “There’s not much I can take while pregnant.”
He frowned. Powerful men like Remington and Hale had difficulty accepting situations that rendered them powerless. “Well, lie down and rest. Miles will get you some water just in case.”
I pulled the blanket up to my chin and shut my eyes. “Thank you.”
I must have dozed because the next thing I felt was a gentle hand touching my hair, and Remington wasn’t touchy-feely with me.
“How long’s she been sleeping?” Hale’s voice roused my mind, but when I opened my eyes, I was confused to see my daughter on Remington’s lap.
The sun was setting and the sky over the pool was a vibrant pink. “What time is it?”
“Momma,” Elara slid off Remington and rushed over to me. She kissed my eye. “Look! Dall, dall, dall!” She held up a marble decorative ball that usually sat in a bowl in Remington’s foyer.
“Should she have that?” It could quickly become a weapon for shot put.
Hale took the ball away from her and handed it to Marta. Elara screamed and I winced.
“Come, Princesa, I have a treat for you in the kitchen.” Just like her mother, Elara toddled dutifully after Marta, wholly seduced by the idea of food.
Speaking of which, I was starving. I pushed myself into a seated position and folded the blanket. Remington closed his laptop and gathered up his work. He was flying out to see Odette tonight and wouldn’t be back for a few days. He made no comment about me missing an entire day of work.