Page 21 of Luna

“Brenda and Mavis love their tea.” Halos grinned. “I don’t mind a cup or two myself.”

I pulled my plans for the northern flower beds out, my hands shaking slightly. I sucked in another breath, trying to be quiet about it, but the amazing food aroma hit me again and my stomach rumbled.

My face heated up. “I’m sorry.”

Halos looked pleased. “It’s alright. I have some crackers?”

“What is that smell?” I blurted out. “Sorry. I mean, the crackers are good.”

“Smell?” He cocked his head in my direction, taking in a deep whiff. His eyes widened a little, and he turned back to the mug of tea.

I wondered what I smelled like, to make him turn away from me.

“All I smell is the tea, and the spaghetti I had for lunch.”

Spaghetti. Spaghetti sounded amazing. Spaghetti would solve all my problems. Spaghetti was the only thing I wanted to eat right now, since Halos wasn’t on the menu.

Halos laughed. “You can have some if you want.”

“It’s your lunch.” I turned back to my plans, the white paper blurring in my vision. I was behaving like a crazy person. “I just don’t usually like how it smells.”

“I have plenty. I made a huge batch this time, way too much for just me.”

I didn’t dare look at him. Maybe I needed to leave, even though the thought made me want to cry. I was being super weird, much weirder than normal.

I blamed my hormones, but it wasn’t like there was much I could do about it.

“Here’s your tea.” Halos set a mug in front of me and brushed his hand over the back of my wrist. “I’ll reheat some of the spaghetti. The sauce is homemade, but the noodles are store bought. I’m not that fancy.”

“You’re sure you don’t mind?” I looked up at him.

“Of course not.” Halos brushed his hand over my arm again, almost as though it was an unconscious gesture. “I bring in extra anyway.”

“Okay.” I took a sip of my tea. It was delicious. Hands down the best tea I’d ever had, and the knots in my stomach loosened a little.

I watched Halos as he pulled Tupperware out of the mini-fridge and plated some spaghetti noodles with a huge scoop of sauce. The scent of oregano, basil, and garlic with the tomato undertone filled the air with the scent of pure ambrosia.

I breathed in deeply, and for the first time since I found out I was pregnant, my body relaxed.

Halos popped the plate into the microwave and turned it on. He glanced at me, and his smile grew brighter. “I didn’t know you loved spaghetti so much, or I would have offered before now.”

I nodded, not bothering to tell him I didn’t like spaghetti. I preferred alfredo sauces over the heavy tomato taste. “It smells so good. I can’t believe you made it yourself.”

Halos shrugged. “I’m not a chef, but my mom used to make it from scratch, and I added some stuff to the recipe over the years.”

“Smells better than a fancy Italian restaurant.” I inhaled again, certain I was going to pass out from all the scenting I was doing, and not caring a single bit.

The baby wanted spaghetti. Who was I to deny the small lump of cells inside my body? Not when the baby clearly had good taste.

My skin shivered with the thought of the baby inside me, everything getting hypersensitive until I felt the slightest brush of fabric from the collar of my shirt.

The microwave beeped, and Halos brought me a plate. He’d made himself one as well, and I rolled up the plans so I wouldn’t get sauce on them.

I took a bite and moaned.

The joy in Halos’s face morphed into something with heat. He liked feeding me. There was a sexual kink there, but mostly I was happy to be eating something that didn’t make me want to hurl.

“This is so good.” I swallowed and took another big bite. I almost told him I hadn’t kept anything down in days, but that seemed too obvious.

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