Groceries

EMERALD

I stared at myself in the mirror. I didn’t look any different. My stomach was still flat; I didn’t see that “glow” people raved about in pregnant women. Nothing at all spoke to the new, tiny life inside of me.

If anything, I looked worse. I still held that pale, shocked look, especially around the eyes, and there was no missing the utter fear I saw flashing around like a bad lightbulb.

It was the middle of the night, and Tate was sleeping while I stood there, trying to see things that couldn’t be seen right now.

He’d been great today, really. He had left for the office briefly and had come back with a bunch of work and sat in bed with me.

He worked, I watched a mind-numbing amount of movies, and then the day ended.

Without Tate distracting me, my mind swam with all the things that would be changing now. And all the things that just weren’t going to be possible.

Traveling? Off the list for at least two to three years.

Lazy days where we don’t get out of bed until we’re too exhausted and dehydrated from endless sex? Yeah, not happening.

I could still go back to school, but I don’t think I could do on-campus.

Leaving my child at a daycare or a sitter for most of the day and missing out on all of those moments made me balk.

Lots of women do it, sure. They were strong, amazing women, but I couldn’t see myself doing that unless I needed to.

Nothing was going to be how I pictured it. Not even our wedding.

“Shit,” I whispered and jumped when there was a soft knock on the door.

“Emerald? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I answered and opened the door.

“You’re supposed to be relaxing, not stressing out more.” He frowned.

“Relaxing stresses me out.” I rolled my eyes.

“You know, that is probably the most accurate statement I’ve ever heard.” He chuckled and took my face in his hands, kissing me quickly before walking backward, leading me back to bed. “Want to talk about it?”

“I’m not sure it’ll help.” I sighed when he sat down on the edge, and I climbed into his lap, straddling his legs.

“The newest addition, though, is our wedding. We went from having months to plan it to a few weeks. I haven’t even ~started~.”

“What’s your dream wedding? Every girl has one, right?”

“Not me. I never really thought about it.” I shook my head. “I might have thought about being married, but the actual event was never something I invested any interest in.”

“So, you have no idea?” he asked, his hands on my hips. “None at all?”

“Small?” I tilted my head. “I don’t really have a lot of family or friends, so it’s kind of pointless to go big, you know?”

“I’m okay with small. It’ll be the biggest talk of the family in years.” He chuckled. “Ostentatious events are kind of the trend for the Kings.”

“And quick. I don’t want to be standing there forever and a day. I’ll get cranky.” I made a face.

“I can’t have my wife cranky, can I?” He laughed, lifting me slightly and moving us so we were lying down on our pillows again. “Anything else? Your dress, maybe?”

“I hate tulle.” I narrowed my eyes. “Beads are a nightmare to deal with on clothing, and the last thing I want is to be sparkly. I like plain. Simple. Easy.”

“I kind of figured that.” He smirked. “I just wanted to make sure.”

I looked at him for a long moment before I sat up on my elbow and leaned forward, eyes narrow. He was planning something.

“What are you about to do?” I asked him, and he barked out a laugh encasing me in his arms again.

“Nothing yet,” he said.

“Tate,” I growled.

“Emerald.” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “I swear, I’m not planning anything at the moment. I can’t say I won’t later, but right now, I’m more interested in this.”

He gave me a small squeeze, and I closed my eyes in blissful comfort.

“I’ll ask in the morning,” I muttered.

“I love you, Emerald,” he said quietly.

“I love you too, Tate.”

***

I wasn’t shocked when Tate turned off the alarm and was gone before I woke up in the morning.

I knew he was about to do something, and with me on bed rest, I couldn’t very well stop him, could I? I mean, I ~could~ but at what risk? No thanks.

So, I stewed and glowered until Devon came over and flopped onto the foot of the bed like he was a high school girl about to dish out some juicy gossip.

“Heard you fainted and are now on strict rest orders,” he said. “Tate sent me to make sure you actually follow them. I am curious if they’re ~his~ orders or some doctor he took you to because he freaked out.”

“He said not to bother her, Devon,” Vince called from down the hallway.

“It was originally a doctor, but I think Tate’s taken it on as his idea.” I laughed.

“That explains the shopping list.” Devon rolled his eyes.

“What shopping list? Did he seriously send you two to get groceries?” I asked, shocked.

“Not enough to be called ‘groceries,’ but from the looks of the empty cabinets, I think he should have asked us to get more.” Vince came in with a plastic bag in one hand and a takeout bowl of soup in his other hand.

“What do you mean? We just got groceries, like two days ago.” I frowned.

“Well, there’s hardly anything there now.” He shrugged. “Lunch and entertainment.”

I glared and grabbed my phone, dialing Tate’s number while Vince put the bowl on the stand beside me, and I made a face.

“The fuck is that disgusting swill?” I asked him.

“Fuck if I know.” Vince shrugged.

“It’s called food, and it’s good for you, Emerald,” I heard Tate say.

“That is not food. That is a toxic biohazard.” I eyed it suspiciously. “And what did you do with all of our groceries?”

“Do you know the kinds of chemicals and shit that are in half of those things?” he replied.

“Most of which are naturally occurring, which you would know if you put more effort into your crackpot research. What the hell, Tate?”

“You’re supposed to be resting, not scolding me.” He chuckled.

“If I were scolding you, you would know it.” I glared, and Devon slipped my slippers off my feet and tossed them across the room.

“And I don’t need rest. I need my Twinkies, and so help me, Tate Andrew King, if you threw them out, I will make you suffer ~for months~.”

“I didn’t throw them out,” he said. “I gave them away.”

“Are you fucking ~kidding~ me!” I threw the blankets back and went to the kitchen, opening cabinets and finding hardly anything. “Goddammit, Tate!”

“Bed rest works if you stay in bed, Emerald.” He sighed.

“Don’t you dare,” I growled into the phone. “And I don’t need fucking babysitters, asshole!”

I hung up and stomped into the bedroom again, picking up my slippers, and Devon ran with Vince, following at a more relaxed hustle.

I changed into jeans and a shirt, jammed my feet into my shoes, and grabbed the bank card that Tate had given me and that I had refused to use from the drawer that held his cuff links and watches.

“Where are you going?” Vince asked as I stomped to the private elevator and grabbed the keys for the sedan.

“I’m getting my fucking Twinkies,” I snapped as I got in the elevator and slapped the button to take me down just as Vince slid between the doors.

“Devon can plead self-preservation, but Tate would kill me if I let you go alone,” he said when I huffed.

“What did he tell you, exactly?” I asked.

“That you passed out and were told to rest and avoid stress, which clearly isn’t going well,” he snorted.

“And to make sure you followed the doctor’s orders to stay in bed. Again, clearly not going well.”

I growled again as the doors opened in the garage, and I stormed over to the car and unlocked the doors. Vince took the keys from me before I even noticed and escorted me to the passenger side.

“I’m driving because you kind of scare me right now,” he said.

I couldn’t argue with his logic, so I got in and programmed the GPS to take us to a grocery store, all while muttering insults and profanities under my breath.

“Do you want to know what’s going on with the case?” he asked after a moment. When I nodded, he snorted and shook his head.

“Well, Nicole is being brought up on official charges of fraud, slander, and submitting false evidence.

“The judge has already made it clear that she either does community service or time in jail, which is a kindness.

“It’ll likely deal a blow to her pride and her father’s company that neither will be able to recover from since Mr. Everett was bellowing the loudest to make Tate pay for what he did.”

“He would have known she was lying, though, right?” I frowned.

“It was his name on the original documents, so he had to have known.” Vince nodded.

“So, the liars get what was coming to them.” I nodded.

“It looks that way.” He smiled.

“And Ginger?” I asked.

“She has committed crimes, so she does have to pay for them, but she’s only looking at a minimal fine since she was the one that brought the evidence to us,” he said.

“And she’ll be monitored when she and her family are relocated.”

“You think that’s necessary, still?” I asked.

“I went back to the apartment with Ginger to pack up a few more things before they were put into custody, and…the place was trashed.” He shook his head.

“Threats were painted on the walls; their cat was dead and nailed to the kitchen table with a knife. Pretty sure they’d feel safer someplace else.”

“Jesus. Any idea who it could have been? Well, obviously hired thugs, but who hired them, I mean.” I shook my head.

“No, and even if the police could track them down, I doubt they would talk,” he said with a pinched look on his face.

“Shockingly, Devon is going with them. He’s pretty good with Ginger’s younger siblings, and with everything going on, he volunteered to help smooth things out while they adjusted.”

“Can you tell me where they’re going?” I asked him.

“Sorry, but no,” he said with a lopsided grin.

My phone rang, and I frowned at Macy’s name on the screen.

“Did your dick boss do something? Need an alibi? I’m in a car with a lawyer. He’s pretty good,” I answered.

“He fucking fired me!” she shouted loud enough to make me wince and pull the phone away from my ear. “That bastard said I was unreliable in my performance and fired me!”

“What? How are you unreliable? You’ve worked for him for two years,” I asked.

“Apparently, I slack off and blame it on ‘womanly issues,’” she raged. “I can’t even deny it because I do slack off while I’m suffering in agony.”

“I mean, who doesn’t slack off a little bit when their uterus is revolting?” I frowned and looked at Vince. “Is that even legal?”

He made a face and raised his hand, palm down, wiggling it from side to side.

“Wow. Proactive work laws for the win, right?” I rolled my eyes.

“Emma, I just got back from an unpaid vacation!” she spewed. “I have rent due in a week and nothing in my fridge to eat, and I can’t do both unless I find a job, but my lady bits are ~killing~ me!”

“Whoa there, Mace.” I blinked as the wheels started turning in my head. “Can you make rent, at least?”

“Yeah, but I can’t live off a half cup of rice and a spoonful of peanut butter.” She huffed.

“I think… I think I might be able to solve your problems.” I looked at the card still in my hand. “Well, not the murderous lady bits part, but the rest? Definitely. Can you make it through a grocery run?”

***

I swear, it was like a cartoon. Vince left me at the front of the store to park the car, and Macy showed up before he got back.

So, we went inside and grabbed our carts while I explained my solutions. She wasn’t thrilled about using Tate’s money to buy herself groceries, but it was a few hundred in food or a couple thousand for her rent.

When Vince caught up with us in the bread aisle, it was like I saw the arrow fired from the creepy man-baby in a diaper hit him right between the eyes. Like, he visibly staggered in a subtle way.

He had stars in his eyes and hearts floating over his head as he walked over and made his move.

“Do you like bread?”

I wanted to die for him; that was so bad. And the look she gave him? Ha! She ignored him after that as we walked up and down aisles, getting our groceries together. After checking out, he tried again.

“Do you want a car to ride in?”

What. The. Hell! God, I think I broke a rib trying not to laugh at how quickly he walked away, taking the cart of my things and loading them in the trunk without waiting for Macy to say a thing.

When she thanked me again and promised to email Tate her résumé, we parted ways since she’d parked on the other side of the lot.

Vince stared after her, looking like a kicked puppy.

“What the fuck was that?” I asked him, and he glared at me.

“Not a word,” he ground out and started driving while I tore open the box of Twinkies and started chewing on one.

We got the groceries inside, with Devon’s help, just in time for Tate to come home and see the bags of food.

“Emerald.” He glared at me when he saw what was inside.

“For the record, I stayed here. It was Vince. He went with her.” Devon held up his hands.

“You’re supposed to be ~resting~.” Tate glared at Vince.

“And I would have been if you hadn’t got rid of all the edible food in the house,” I replied as I started putting things away.

“I told Vince to pick up that soup so I could go get groceries later.” He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Man, after they left, I tried that crap. I agree with Emma. That shit was disgusting.” Devon shuddered. “I had to use half a tube of toothpaste and a whole bottle of mouthwash to get that taste out of my mouth.”

“We all know you’ve never shopped for groceries in your life, Tate. You would have ordered whatever popped up in some insane search you did.” I rolled my eyes.

“Why did you get rid of it all, anyhow?” Devon asked, flipping through his phone. “Now there’s no homemade dinner and I have to order pizza.”

“No pizza. It’s not healthy.” Tate frowned.

I blinked slowly, my hand frozen on its way to put a can of enchilada sauce into the cabinet as it started to make sense.

“Oh dear god, will you stop it with the overprotective thing?” I laughed and shook my head. “I’m supposed to be the one freaking out about this stuff, not you.”

“What am I missing?” Devon frowned. “Am I still ordering pizza?”

“Yes, Devon. Order pizza, but can mine have no cheese?” I said.

“Ew. Why?” He recoiled.

“Cheese makes her nauseous,” Tate answered.

“Wait, wait, wait.” Vince held up his hands as he processed everything. Slowly, his eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. “Holy shit. Holy ~shit~! ~Holy shit~!”

“Yes, the shit is quite holy.” I giggled.

“~You~… You went ~far~ around the cheese section! ~And~ you said the fishy smell from the butcher counter was too strong, but I could barely smell it at all!”

He pointed at me, jumping off the stool at the island. “And you didn’t even blink at the wine section.”

“Um…I’m not following,” Devon said, and his face slowly broke out of the confused pinch and morphed into horror and shock. “Does this have anything to do with you cussing me out yesterday?”

“Maybe.” Tate narrowed his eyes at his brother.

“Yes, it does.” I laughed and kept putting things away. “Glad to see I’m not the only one freaking out about it.”

“Holy shit,” Vince repeated, running his fingers through his hair.

“You’re…pregnant?” Devon gasped.

“And supposed to be ~in bed~.” Tate huffed and crossed his arms.

“What? Emerald! Why are you not in bed?” Vince looked horror-struck. “You ~passed out~!”

“That’s why you asked about the condoms I took?” Devon asked. His eyes went wider and his mouth fell open. “I got my sister-in-law pregnant?”

“Fuck off, Devon. ~I~ got ~my~ fiancée pregnant.” Tate glared at his brother.

“Wow, this conversation is bordering on indecent.” I shook my head.

“PornHub would kill for the rights to it.” Vince snorted. “Now, go to bed.”

“I am ~not~ letting men put my groceries away.” I gave him a look. “I don’t trust Tate not to throw shit out again and I would like to be able to find things later.”

Tate growled, and I suddenly found myself being carried down the hallway by an angry Treeman.

“Tate! I’m still in jeans!” I wiggled in his arms when he stalked toward the bed.

He sat me down, pulled my pants off and tossed them across the room, and pointed toward the pillows.

Knowing better than to push my luck more, I scooted back and pulled the covers over my legs, reaching behind myself to unhook my bra and pull it off and out of my sleeve.

“That was reckless, Emerald.” He glared at me.

I didn’t do anything wrong, but I still felt like a scolded child as I hung my head and picked at the blanket on my legs.

“I hardly did anything,” I muttered.

“You were told to take it easy, to stay in bed and rest after you passed out at the doctor’s office ~yesterday~,” he said, each word hitting like an arrow in the gut.

“You’ve been under a lot of stress already and this could have been the straw that tipped the scales and put our child at risk.”

“That’s a really cheap shot, Tate.” I flinched.

He sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.

“I have no idea what I’m doing, Emerald,” he finally said. “I have no fucking clue how to be what I want to be for you. What you need me to be. I just… I just want you and our baby to be safe.”

Now I really felt like shit. I scooted back down the bed until I was sitting behind Tate, putting my legs around his waist and my arms around his chest, my face pressed between his shoulders.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I know you’re just trying to look out for me and our baby. You could probably loosen the reins a ~little~ bit, though.”

“Yeah, I kind of went off the deep end, huh?” He sighed.

“A bit,” I agreed. “Maybe don’t throw out all of our food, yeah? We need to be on the same page for this and we can’t do that if we don’t tell each other where we are from time to time.”

“We’re terrible at communicating,” he snorted.

“Yeah, but hey? We’re still in the same book, at least, so there’s progress, right?” I sat up and kissed the back of his neck. “Fucking Treeman, I swear.”

“Shut up, Shrimp,” he chuckled, patting my hands. “Lay back, baby. Do you want anything before the pizza gets here?”

“I bought some of that ice that’s really good for eating,” I grinned as I moved back to the pillows. “And I could probably stand to drink some water with it.”

“And a Twinkie?” he smirked, handing me the remote.

“No, but I did grab one of those single-serving apple pies,” I wiggled down until I was comfy. “And a second for me. And a third for you. And a fourth, just in case.”

“O-ho-kay. How much pie did you get, Emerald?” he laughed.

“Don’t look in the cabinet over the toaster,” I smiled sheepishly and pulled the blanket over my head. “I regret nothing.”

“God, I love you,” he laughed and went to get my ice water and pie.