Jo is sobbing next to me, Jake has his hands on his hips and is just staring at Jo and Gabe is looking at me, with a look of I don’t know what in his eyes. He rakes his hand through his hair and closes his eyes. “I told you Lauren. I forbade you, just the other day, before I left, I told you not to come here. Just once. Just for once in your fucking life could you not have done as you were told?”
I shake my head and mouth that I’m sorry over and over again, burying my head in my heads. “For fucks sake Gabe. The girl couldn’t be sorrier, give her a cuddle and let’s get her out of here.” Jake states.
We lock up the house and Jo puts me in the front of my car, she drives me back to Gabe’s, while the boys bring the other two cars. As soon as we are home Jo takes me to the ensuite and runs me a bath, I have no problem stripping off in front of her. She’s seen me naked on more than one occasion. She smiles at me and puts her hand on my naked belly. “You have a little miracle happening already. Amazing to think what’s happening in there. All sorts of magic.” I put my hand over hers; it’s so unlike Jo to show her sensitive side.
“I really fucked up today, I could have lost it all, Gabe would never forgive me if anything had happened to these.”
“Well it didn’t. It’s not like he’s never fucked up and he seems to forget. He didn’t exactly behave like father of the year whilst Nina was pregnant. Get in, mind it’s not too hot, you shouldn’t have hot baths when you’re pregnant.” I feel my shoulders stiffen at her words.
“I know, I have been pregnant twice before.”
“Sit down and shut up.” That’s the end of sensitive Jo then! Gabe walks in with a shot glass and looks at me with concern. The coldness has left his eyes, now he just looks worried.
“Drink this. Do you need some ice for that lip or your cheek?”
I run my tongue over the split on the left side of my bottom lip and shake my head. I sniff what’s in the shot glass. “Its brandy, it will help relax you a little bit.”
“It’s alcohol. No, I don’t want it.” Jo gets up and leaves, sensing there’s likely to be another argument. Gabe lets out a long sigh. “Just drink the fucking drink Lauren. For fucks sake.” I knock it back. “Thank you; wasn’t hard was it?”
I look up at him from the bath, he has his grey suit trousers on, his white shirt now has the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and is completely untucked, is hair is a dirty blonde mess and he has stubble on his jaw. He looks so handsome and I hate that he is so angry with me. “Can I get you anything else?”
“Can you wash my back?”
The look in his eye changes in an instant and I see that spark. I shift slightly in the water and my nipples peak out through the bubbles, he sits down on the edge of the bath and leans across to my left nipple and squeezes it between his finger and thumb. “I’ve missed you.” He whispers. I shake my head. “Not as much as I’ve missed you.” He runs his middle three fingers down my chest, through my cleavage, down to my belly button, he stops and opens his big palm wide over my lower belly and looks into my eyes. “You are in so much trouble Lauren. Perhaps I should try and fuck some sense into ya?”
“Promises, promises” I whisper.
He shakes his head at me, his eyes bright and alive now, looking right into mine. “You scared the fuck out of me. Don’t ever, go behind my back or defy me like that again, are we clear?” I nod. “Are we clear Lauren, I want to hear you say it.” I want to say ‘fuck off’, ‘don’t tell me what to do’, but I know I have fucked up majorly today and what I did was stupid, putting not only myself but my unborn children in danger. What was I thinking? Jason’s a junkie; I still can’t get my head around it.
“We’re clear Gabe, very clear. I will never put myself or the babies in danger like that again. I really am sorry.” A lone tear travels down my cheek and he wipes it off with his thumb and sucks it into his mouth. I laugh through my sob. “You look so fucking hot when you do that. You did that the night we met.”
“I know, and I will never forget the look on your face when I did; my cock was so hard for you I thought I was going to bust the zip in those stupid skinny chino things Ava made me buy.”
It’s the first time he’s ever told me this and my belly squirms. “You got a hard on for me? That first night?”
“Lauren. Baby, I have been hard for you since the moment I set eyes on you. I have never been affected by a woman like I am you, it’s embarrassing, I had more control when I was thirteen and hormonal than I do now. We sat in a meeting with all the big wigs from the South Australian Health Department, and their finance and legal teams yesterday, and all I could think about was when you dressed up as my naughty secretary and I fucked you over my desk. I missed half of what was being said, Coop kicked me more than once and the woman taking notes looked at me like I was mad when I called her Ms Day. After she had just told me her name was Michelle.”
We smile at each other for a long moment. “Get in, come and wash my back.”
“I would rather wash your front.”