Page 9 of Ours

Perking at his question, her anger melted into curiosity. She wasn’t expecting to be gifted with anything. Well, nothing physical at least. Her emotional terror and trauma were gifts she would always carry with her, deep in her soul. “Uh, sure?” she replied, setting her glass down upon the table.

Pulling a black lacquered jewelry gift box from the bag, he placed it in front of her. While it wasn’t the diamond ring he really wanted to give her, he was just as excited about this token of his love.

“I hope you like it, I had them specifically crafted just for you,” he said.

Reaching for the box, she carefully picked it up. Looking at the nameAnnoushkascrolled on top, she leaned her head as she wracked her brain trying to think of where it was from. It was a substantial box, clearly from someplace a little higher end than the jewelry stores at the mall she was used to. Opening the lid, her eyes widened as they settled upon a delicate white gold bangle with three charms: the letter “K,” the letter “L,” and a white and yellow gold baby bootie. It made her heart squeeze to see their initials next to a symbol of their child. The romantic gesture threw her for another loop.

“Wow, this is…this is really beautiful,” she said truthfully, pulling the bracelet from the box. “And thoughtful. Thank you.”

Taking in a breath, he watched as she eased the bangle over her hand and onto her wrist. He had to pull quite a few strings to have the charms made on such short notice, but seeing herwear what was essentially their family in jewelry form made the headache worthwhile.

“It looks amazing on you. Do you like it?” he asked.

Moving her gaze from the bracelet to his proud face, she shook her head. She felt guilty for loving it so much, it was probably the most heartfelt present she had ever received. It only deepened the confusing emotions he harbored for him.

“No. I don’t like it…I love it,” she replied, a small smile lifting her lips. “I’ll never take it off.”

Thoroughly pleased by her reply, Kade gave himself a mental pat on the back for a job well done. Her reaction was better than the one that had been replaying in his head. He was looking forward to seeing her wear the bracelet and nothing else but still had one more gift. He had a feeling that she might like this one even more.

“Good, I’m happy you love it, but I’m not done just yet. Are you ready for dessert?” he asked, reaching back into the bag and pulling a pink and white striped box from the confines. Eyeing her carefully, he set it down next to the jewelry box.

Dropping her attention to the large pastry box, her mouth immediately fell open. Eagerly opening it, she took in a whiff of one of her favorite desserts of all time. Almost on command, she felt a series of tiny kicks under her navel, it seemed as if her son was just as excited for the famous cheesecake as she was.

“I’ve been craving Jackie’s for weeks now. How did you know?” she asked curiously, picking up her silver fork.

Folding his arms over his chest, he smirked as he watched her dive straight into the middle of the cheesecake. Again, he hadto thank Leo for the little tidbit of information. Her darling husband had posted a picture on Instagram of her looking less than pleased eating a slice of cheesecake from a local bakery. Underneath was a caption that read,“Looks like our baby only wants Jackie’s. Anyone wanna send us one and make my Sunshine happy? I’ll forever be in your debt!”

Apparently, Leo was too stupid to realize that he could order the cheesecake online and have it shipped. All it would’ve taken was a simple web search to appease her craving. If he had really given two shits about either of them, he would have found a way to get her the damn cheesecake.

Fucking asshat,a deep voice muttered from the depths of his twisted mind.I hate to say this, but you were right Kade. He needed to be dealt with. It’s better that she’s with us now.

“Lucky guess,” he replied, not letting the sudden emergence of his alter sway him from his current focus.

Cramming another bite of creamy cheesecake into her mouth, Lexi studied the enigmatic man before her. They hadn’t spoken much since their lustful encounter in the elevator. Actually, they hadn’t spoken much at all since he had taken her from the restaurant the day before. Now that she had his undivided attention, perhaps she could get some answers to the questions filling her mind.

“How long have you been awake from the coma?” she asked, licking graham cracker crumbs from the corner of her mouth.

Eyeing her carefully, he pressed his lips into a fine line. He wasn’t quite sure if he should fill her in on all the details of his miraculous recovery just yet. He didn’t want to risk all the progress they had made.

Don’t you dare lie to her,his alter warned.

Letting out a long sigh, Kade decided to listen to his oh so lovely voice of reason; just this one time. “Five weeks,” he answered honestly.

Nearly choking on her cheesecake, she coughed a piece of the pastry into her hand. Plopping it back into the box, she looked at him with wide eyes. Per the judge’s orders, she was to be notified the moment he regained consciousness, if he regained consciousness. It was a phone call she both dreaded and looked forward to.

“Fucking hell, fiveweeks!?Why the hell wasn’t I told?” she spat.

“I think you know why, Sweetheart,” he replied, unfolding his arms and softening his posture.

Swallowing hard, she stared at him for a long moment. The Tri-State Area was full of corruption. Bloodbayne probably owned half of the police force, if not the entire police force. They were never going to notify her. Why did she think they would? The disfigured fucker was untouchable.God,she was so stupid.

“So how long have you been stalking me, this time?” she asked, meeting his dark eyes.

Leaning over the tiny table towards his love, he held her nervous gaze. Little did she know that she had been under constant surveillance the entire time he was hospitalized, and he had been watching her as soon as he was able to leave his hospital bed. There wasn’t a need to tell her that, though. It would only stress her out further.

“Almost two weeks. I wanted to take you the moment I saw you, it took everything I had within me not to. But I didn’t trustmyself,” he said, his voice taking on an icy edge. “I needed to keep my distance. For your safety, and our son’s.”

Soaking in the implication of his words, her skin pebbled in trepidation. She often wondered how he would feel once he finally awoke. It was a constant concern that he would be angry with her, that his need for revenge would overshadow his obsession. Knowing that her worries were justified instantly set her in a defensive position.

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