Alexander King
I used to love work and by love I mean it stole me away from the loneliness that secretly inhabited my life. It was my entire life. I worked and worked and then worked some more because there simply wasn't anything else for me and I didn't want anything else. I hated people and I still do, it's just that my hate rule has an exception.
That all changed a few months after I met the dumb smart, tiny brunette woman. Now work is a part of my life and every single time I leave our cottage to go to work I dread it. I try and do as much work as I can from home, wanting to spend as much time with the love of my life as possible but I have to be in the office a few days a week, making sure everything is running smoothly, sitting in meetings and doing stuff that can't be done from home.
Those are the days I dread, the days where I have to leave my family for hours, feeling irritated and agitated and not feeling any peace or happiness until I see her with my eyes and feel her in my arms.
When I stepped inside our cottage, having to duck slightly because of my large height, searching the kitchen for both a quick snack and Oaklee. My search for her continues after grabbing a crossaint from the pack of eight, finding her in the living room.
I enter quietly and press a kiss to my wife's forehead who's currently on the phone. She mouths 'publisher' to me and I nod in understanding. Her face tells me everything I need to know:
She's been on the phone too long, she's starting to get anxious and uncomfortable and she wants my crossaint.
I can help with two of them. She's not having my crossaint.
"-A new book series? Well... I can have a think but... yes... yes... okay." She sighs and deflates.
Stroking her back to help calm her, my gaze settles on the three dogs that are also calming her. Dionysus has his tiny head over one thigh, Loki had his on the other while Zeus is in the middle with his nose to her stomach.
They've been even more protective than they used to be, always having to touch her if they're with her. They don't even like it when I touch her.
My free hand heads to her swollen belly, snatching it back when all three of them growl at me, Zeus trying to nip my hand.
A glare settled on my face. "She's my wife and it's my child. I'm going to touch her if I damn well want to!" I say in a hushed whisper.
"Yep but I have to go now, Dionysus is scratching up the carpet... okay bye!" Exhalling, she throws her phone to the other end of the sofa and collapses in to the cushions. "They want more books. An entire new book series."
"That means they love your writing." I smile, picking up Dion so I can sit next to her and placing him on my lap to curl up.
That little Dachshund really loves sleep.
Sighing, she leans in to me and I embrace her. "I know but I have you, the dogs, a baby on the way. How am I supposed to find the time or energy when the baby arrives?"
"You'll find the time and energy because I'm here." I kiss her temple. "We're in this together, it's our baby meaning I will be wanting quality father-child bonding time. It's us Oak, you are definitely not alone. Plus we have our family and friends who will love to look after a baby. We'll find time for both alone time and book time."
"You're the best, Alex."
Smiling, I kiss her temple. "I know. How's our beautiful baby doing?"
We decided to not find out the gender, even though the thought of not knowing what gender our baby will be causes Oaklee anxiety due to not knowing what clothes to buy but she insisted on not finding out. She wanted the baby to be a complete surprise because then once we meet it we'll be even more grateful and in love.
"Kicked a dozen times when I was on the phone and is very hungry." She eyes the crossaint in my hand. Knowing I can't say no to her, I sigh and hand it over. She takes with a grin and pecks my lips. "I love you."
We first found out she was pregnant when she was being sick non stop. She had terrible morning sickness which she called ironic since she was being sick all day and not just in the morning. The only foods she could keeo down most of the time, funnily enough, were crossaints and toast so we've been buying them in bulk since she now craves them.
She said her pregnancy is pretty easy compared to some women's stories she's read on the internet but that doesn't stop me from worrying when she has to cut our walks short because her feet and back ache so much and when her feet inflate to the size of a balloon. But she wasn't worried and she told me -the usually calm and collected one in the relationship- to calm the hell down and get her a crossaint.
"Yea yea." I roll my eyes, a smile fighting to curl my lips. My hand goes to her belly again but I snatch it back when the dogs growl again. "I can't rub my own wife's pregnant belly without them threatening to eat my hand."
"They're protective." She shrugs, stroking their heads one by one.
I glare at Zeus. "It's my child as well."
"You know you can't rub my stomach whenever they're in the room."
And didn't I know it. When Oaklee started showing we were both incredibly excited and while we were lay on the sofa watching TV I went to rub her stomach, forgetting that Zeus was nearby. Just before I could even touch my pregnant wife he bit me and didn't stop growling until I was on the other side of the sofa. They were incredibly protective and as much as I loved them for it, I also hated them because I couldn't properly bond with my unborn child. I had to sneak around to touch my wife's belly. How stupid is that?
Shaking my head, I smile down at her. "What does the baby want for tea tonight?"
"Pizza... a whole box of pizza. With garlic bread. And cookies."
I stifle a chuckle and nod at her never-ending list of demands. "Will you be alright if I go pick it up?"
She nods and leans in to me. "I have three guards, I think I'll be alright."
I'm back at the house an hour later with two large pizzas and a few boxes of sides. As soon as I put the food on the coffee table Oaklee bounces in her seat, grabbing the cheese pizza I ordered for her and scoffing a slice down her throat.
Laughing at her antics, I grab a bottle of ketchup and mayonnaise from the fridge and return to my place on the sofa, rubbing her stomach quickly when Zeus turned his back.
"Do you have any ideas for your new books?"
She takes another big bite and swallows before answering. Even scoffing down pizza she's absolutely gorgeous. "I'm thinking supernatural romance."
Raising my eyebrow, I send a teasing grin. "You're gonna have your own Bella and Edward?"
"I knew you secretly liked Twilight." My grin drops. "I was thinking about creating my own species. I'll have a brain storm over the weekend."
I nod. "I'll take the dogs over the fields for a few hours, leave you alone to properly think." She sends me a thankful smile and we spend the next half an hour eating in silence while watching the TV.
I never thought I'd fall in love, get married or have a baby, it was practically impossible with my view on people but here I was. I was a married man, completely and unequivocally in love with Oaklee King and we were having a child together, a child conceived from our love. I was going to be a father and every single day, the further and further Oaklee got in to pregnancy and her stomach got bigger, my fear increased along with it.
Was I going to be a good father?
"Oak..." She turns to me licking her greasy fingers. "Do you think I'll be a good dad?"
Her eyes soften at my worried tone and she cups my face. I try not to grimace at her greasy fingers but as soon as I stare in to her eyes they're forgotten about. "I think you're going to be the best dad in the world. It's okay to be scared, I'm scared too... I'm terrified but we'll do this together. All we can do is our best and love our baby."
I didn't know if I was going to be a good father but I did know that I was going to love that baby with my whole heart -I already did.
"I think the real question is how are we going to manage with three dogs and a newborn." She smiles adoringly from her stomach to the three dogs curled up next to each other.
"We might have to lose Zeus- ow! It was a joke."
Pregnancy makes her violent. How can someone so tiny be so strong? She can't even pull herself up to sit on the counter yet here she is, throwing punches like Mike Tyson.
"There's no way Zeusy is going anywhere."
"He'll run away if you keep calling him Zeusy."
She sends me a pointed look. "Do you want to sleep on the sofa?"
Shaking my head violently, I grin and kiss her forehead, both cheeks, nose and finally her lips. Our lips caress each others in a slow and sweet dance. I've known her four years, we've been married just over a year, and I've kissed her a thousand times but I just can't get enough of her.
Everything about her is my drug, my addiction. I crave her and no amount will ever be too much.
Words can't describe how much I love her but maybe if I say 'I love you' so many times it might add up to the actual amount.
Probably not.
Our love is never-ending.