“I don’t take advantage of people until the third date,” I banter.
His lips lift in a grin. “We’ve already kissed. I think we’re past that point.” The kiss in Mexico—it’s been blowing up on social media, and it’s causing more speculation for Connor and me than I thought it would.
“Are you okay…?” I trail off because I suddenly realize I’m asking Connor Cobalt if he’s doing alright. The self-confident expression he has is priceless.
“Of course I am,” he tells me.
I am glad, but I wonder if there will be a day where he’ll show me more of his cards. I wonder if I’ll always just be the “liability” in his game of chess.
“We’re going to move into one of the guest rooms,” Rose suddenly blurts out, returning the conversation to its focal point.
Lily’s jaw drops comically.
Rose has been body-snatched.
I ask, “You’re going to give up your giant ass walk-in closet?”
“I’ll still keep some of my clothes in that closet, but all of my essentials will be going in our permanent room on the second floor.”
Connor nods in agreement.
Wow. Rose loves Lily enough to sacrifice wardrobe space and a bathroom twice the size of the one she’ll now be using. It’s a huge statement, and Lily is stunned to silence behind me. And then she crawls off the bed and risks an attack from Sadie to hug her sister.
“What are you doing?” Rose says with wide eyes like Lily is about to burn her collection of heels.
“This is how I show my love,” Lily says with a squeeze.
Rose replies back with a stiff pat, and they both whisper something to each other that sounds like I love you.
Then Sadie hisses at the girls.
Lily shrieks and darts back onto the bed, the mattress bouncing beneath me.
“Easy, love,” I tell her, cautiously watching as she crawls behind me. At first my concern peaks since she’s really f**king pregnant, but then she climbs onto my back in fright. And I shouldn’t be smiling at her fear…but Lily is pretty precious when she uses me as a safety net.
“Sadie hates hugs,” Rose says. “A woman after my own heart.” She pats her lap, and Sadie curls on top of Rose’s baby bump and purrs.
“Look at that, bitches congregate together,” I say, regretting it the moment it escapes.
Connor arches his eyebrow at me, a small defensive warning, one that Rose misses because she gives me a death-glare of ginormous proportions. I deserve that one.
“Lily,” Rose says. “I’m giving the floor to you since Loren abuses it.”
“Burn,” I say dryly.
Lily clears her throat and peeks behind my arm, reading off her notes. “After surfing the internet, it has come to my attention that cats and newborns do not get along.” That fact isn’t that surprising.
Rose stiffens more, and she protectively holds onto Sadie. Connor studies his wife with more intensity than before—it’s all really not making a lot of sense to me. I get that Rose has grown affectionate towards Sadie—well, as affectionate as Rose can be with anything.
But she had to have known about this cat and baby stuff. She probably did a ton of research about it.
Lily continues when no one interjects, “There’ve been instances where cats smother babies in their cribs. And they even suck the baby’s breath.”
“What?” I snap, turning to peer at the notes Lily took.
“I saw video clips,” Lily whispers. “They like to smell the baby’s milk and suck it out of their mouths.” I’m not okay with this. I feel my face start to sharpen.
“I speak on behalf of the accused,” Rose chimes in. “And these allegations are all urban legends.”
I gape at her. “You’re seriously going to allow that cat around your baby? Lily has…” I count her post-its. “Seven notes—”
“Eight!” Lily says, waving around another pink post-it. “I was sitting on one.” Her skin splotches with red patches.
I hug her to my side. “Eight notes. That’s evidence enough.” I wait for Connor to jump in and speak up for Rose and his pet, but he stays quiet, like the judge.
I have a suspicion he’s going to make the final verdict anyway.
“We’ll keep Sadie out of the nursery,” Rose says. “And I’ll acclimate her to the newborns before they arrive.”
“How?” I question.
She types something on her cellphone and then holds it out to the tabby cat. The sounds of a crying infant blare through the speakers. Sadie arches her spine and swats the damn phone out of Rose’s hand, hissing at it.
Lily clings tighter to me, and my mouth falls, imagining that as my son and not a phone. “No way,” I force.
Rose tries to calm Sadie with a pat on the head. “I know. Those are horrific noises.”
Connor suddenly rises and snatches Sadie by the torso. “She can’t stay in this house with little children, Rose. She’s a jealous cat, and if she senses a change in our affections, she’ll take it out on them.”
“I’m not abandoning Sadie because she’s territorial.” Rose stands to her feet and defiantly plants her hands on her hips.
“I’m not asking you to abandon anyone,” Connor says. “We’ll give Sadie to Frederick for a few years, and then she can come back and stay with us.”
This sounds like a good plan to me. “Would your therapist take her?”
Connor nods. “He’s single and could use the companionship.”
Rose doesn’t break Connor’s gaze. “This is why I don’t like children, Richard. We’re already sacrificing things that we love and the baby isn’t even born yet. In fifteen years, I don’t want to look back and see how much I lost…” It’s a little late for that. She must be thinking this because she stops herself short and inhales a strained, panicked breath.
My fears don’t align with Rose’s. Maybe because I’ve never been ambitious, had larger than life aspirations. I can’t see things that my kid may take from me because there is nothing for Maximoff to take.
Connor lets Sadie down, and she sprints out the doorway. I watch him clasp Rose’s hand in his. “You will not lose anything that you can’t gain,” he says. “You make sacrifices every day for your sisters. You just made one today, darling.” He’s talking about giving up the bedroom. “And in the end, those sacrifices are worth the love you’ll receive.”
“Says the man who used to scorn love,” she retorts.
His mouth curves in a grin. “And I never wanted a child because of love, not until I fell in love with you.”
What? I cut in, “Why the hell would you want a kid then?”
Rose sighs like she’s expelling her fears. “Because he’s completely egotistical and likes the idea of procreating for power.”
Connor’s grin overtakes his face. He kisses her forehead and adds, “We’re already one-eighth Cobalt empire, darling. Seven more to go.”
She punctures him with her stare. “That is yet to be determined. Don’t finish the book before it’s written, Richard.”
Loud noises suddenly emanate from across the hallway. I frown. “What was that?” We all go quiet, listening harder.
Muffled screaming…and shouting.