Zak POV
I could see the flare of argument in Elle's eyes as I grabbed the front door, silently thanking the crew as they filed in.
Each of them going over to the couches and greeting Elle, leaving me still stood by the door, like the damn butler.
"Come on it." I say sarcastically.
"I got you these!" Aaron says, thrusting a small bunch of flowers into Elle's face making her jump and laugh. "Flowers always make people feel better."
"Only cause you ate the grapes." Billy teases as Aaron tries to protest but eventually admits he ate half the punnet.
"They are beautiful, thank you." Elle smiles, touching the petals with a delicate finger.
"I'll get them some water." I answer, taking them and heading into the kitchen to find a vase.
Why didn't I get her flowers? It should have been the first thing I thought of this morning!
When I head back, Elle smiles as I set down the flowers on the coffee table, admiring them again. I get a pang of jealously strike me as she thanks Aaron again and sits there looking at them as if they were made of gold.
When was the last time you got her flowers?
The fact I struggle to remember, means that it's been too long and slip my phone out to set myself a reminder, whilst the guys begin filling us in on what happened with the lockdown.
I also don't miss the spark of excitement in Elle's eyes when Billy pushes a bag onto the table full of hard drives and recorders for us to get started analysing, if Elle thinks she's gonna help, she's wrong. It's not that I don't think she is capable, she has shown me countless times how quick is she at picking up things, but she is meant to be resting, not working.
I glance over at her as Jay tells her all about the evidence he captured. Her eyes widening with excitement and shock, as well as the smile playing on her lips when he tells her a story of Aaron being frightened half to death. My eyes slowly move to her stomach, I still found it incredible that we created a life. Part me and part Elle.
I pray that whatever genes the baby gets of mine, that they are the good ones, as Elle only brings out the best in me. I also hope that they look like her. Meaning I have another precious item in the world, to guard and protect.
Had I considered what the future holds for us? As a family? Being in the media spot light? Absolutely not. Because I know it will take the shine off this perfect and precious moment.
My life in the public eye displayed me as being a bachelor, there were hints that I had a female companion but nobody knew more than that. I didn't follow Elle on social media as she didn't follow me. We had never had the conversation about that, it was something that just happened, like she almost knew?
Maybe she did, maybe she does? One thing she is not, is a fool.
I know that eventually, me being a father will surface and it's not something I want to hide from. I want to own it with all my heart, roar it out into the air and let the whole fucking world know that I have found someone I want to spend the rest of my life with. But I also know what a wicked and spiteful world we live in and the thought of my actions, career or past life experiences may put Elle and our little prune at risk, leaves me with a bitter taste and anxiety ridden stomach.
Elle's eyes connect with mine across the room, almost as if she can sense my fears. Her head even tilts slightly, it's unnerving to say the least. To have someone so connected with your soul that they can sense the slightest of shifts, but I am glad it's Elle. Nobody else. It's like knowing the back of your hand.
After an hour, I feel it. The shift of energy from Elle and look over to see her eyes looking bleary. She's exhausted, I'm about to kick them all out when she hides her yawn and tucks her legs up tighter to her body. But it's Billy who gets up and announces that he needs food. Aaron and Jay are on their feet too, already working out what they can have to eat. We're guys, we think about our stomachs, always.
They say their goodbyes and I show them out, almost ready to shut the door when Billy turns around. "Look after her man, she looks drained. That medication had hit her hard."
I want to tell her that it's not just the medication, but I can and nod "I know. I'm gonna try and convince her to take a nap."
"Good luck with that." He laughs heading out with the other two.
When I close the door, I find the couch empty and instantly go on high alert, trying to gauge where she is in the house by any sound. My ears go into a heightened sense, picking up the slight sound of glass.
Striding into the kitchen, I am prepared to tell her off for climbing on the counter to get a glass, but come to a halt seeing that the kitchen is empty.
"Huh." I turn and stalk back through the house, checking the bedroom and bathroom, before going into the garden.
When I head glass smash, I vault myself through the glass doors and rush through the house to find Elle, behind the mini bar and stood with a bottle of wine in her hand. Another coating the floor.
"What are you doing?" I ask.
"Picking out wine for dinner." She says causally.
"You can't drink. You're.. You're growing our baby." I tell her, stepping around the bar to see red wine everywhere, as well as large bits of glass, two bare feet and beautiful little toes.
"Not to drink. To cook with. I wanted that one but I lost my grip on it and..." She sighs setting the other bottle onto the side.
Crouching down, she goes to pick it up, when my hand seizes her wrist. "Leave it, you'll cut your fingers to ribbons."
"So will Gracie. Can you grab the sweeper and a mop?"
I nod and do as I'm asked. But when I return, I set them out of reach of Elle and take a big stride over the glass and wine. I have shoes on, so I don't have to worry about a little glass.
"Careful." Elle says, as I stand in front of her.
"Hold on." I reply, causing a confused look to take hold of her face, before I pick her up and set her on the bar counter.
The purring sigh leaving her lips almost has me forgetting about the wine, but I then think of why she's up there and quickly clean up.
When I'm done, I can go back to her arms and spread knees.
"Well hello there." She smiles. "I like this height."
"You do huh?"
She nods "I haven't got to tiptoe for a kiss and you don't have to be a hunch back. I wish I was taller sometimes."
"I think you're perfect this size, it means I can pick you up."
"Almost like a dolly." She says, wrapping her legs around my waist. When her fingers dig into my shoulder, I know she's feeling a little more energetic, but I can see the lines under her eyes, I also didn't forget the yawning earlier.
Sliding my hands up her sides and under her t-shirt, I feel her skin, warm, soft and inviting.
Like a kitten, Elle purrs for me and pulls my mouth to hers. I almost fall into her wicked charm, until I remember my reason for being here.
Lifting her off the bar, I carry her through the house and into the bedroom, setting her down gently. Her eyes flare but I soon disappoint her when I tell her that my clothes and hers are staying on and she's to get some rest.
"Fine." She sulks, pouting her lips. "Then you better lay with me."
Not one to miss an opportunity, I lay down beside her and close my eyes, listening to her breathing.
"Wrong answer game?" She suggests.
"I prefer the sleeping game."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. I'll go first."
"Hush." I say softly, pulling her onto my chest and wrapping her up all tightly, her foot begins rubbing on the bottom of mine gently.
I know she's tired, and when she begins fiddling with the hem of my shirt, I know she wants it off and out her way. But when I fail to play ball, she pulls away, sticks her head up my shirt and then falls asleep. On my bare chest.
I want to laugh, it's rattling my bones but I can't incase I wake her, so I lay there, with my phone held up above me, looking down the neckline of my shirt every now and then to check on her.
My stage 5 clinger.
It took a while for Elle to overheat and push me away as if I was the cause of it all. Muttering to herself about radiators and werewolves. I think my teeth almost went through my lip from biting down on it so hard, especially when she muttered the last words of 'feeling like Satan's Balls on a Sunday.'
God I fucking love her.
****
I'm not usually tired through the day, but I take a snooze beside Elle and soon wake to an empty bed.
My teeth clench as she keeps doing that and I really don't freakin' like it!
It doesn't take me long to find her, stood over the stove, pan in one hand, wooden spoon in the other whilst the kitchen air is full of flavour.
"Welcome back sleepy head." She beams, causing the annoyance I had felt to dwindle away. She can disarm me with just a smile now.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Because you were up early this morning, plus you looked too cute to wake up."
I pull myself up onto the side and sit there, picking at the fresh peppers which haven't ended up in the pan yet. "I'm not gonna sleep well tonight."
She gives me a look. "I can think of many ways to combat that."
We both share a laugh as I know what she's getting at instantly. "What's with the new look?"
"It got too hot." She says, stepping back for me to get a good look at her. My shirt hangs down around the tops of her thighs, I can see a hint of shorts under them. Bare feet, her little toes are painted white, seeming to illuminate against her tanned skin.
The collar of the shirt is open and the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Such a simply outfit has me sighing and leaning down onto my elbow, to simply admire.
"Stop it with those eyes." She says, swatting me playfully on the leg.
"Don't know what you're talking about."
"The eyes that say you want me all over this kitchen... Well you can't, I'm cooking."
"I can change that." I answer, reaching for the cooker switch when she laughs and takes my hand away.
"No. Now set the table and stop being such a flirt."
"Yes ma'am."
We have the most amazing spaghetti bolognese and I'd be a liar if I didn't look over to the cooker for a second helping. After we took Gracie for a stroll, with the sun setting and the air a little cooler.
"God I love it on this community." Elle sighs looking across the desert towards the Vegas strip.
"Good, I don't plan on moving anytime soon."
She smiles over her shoulder, temporarily stealing the oxygen from my lungs. She's glowing, and I don't know if it's the pregnancy glow people always talk about, the glow after sex or the sunsetting and her hitting golden hour.
I slide out my phone and take a few pictures of her, before she poses with her hand on her tummy, the nonexistent bump. But as I go to snap it, she laughs moving her hands away quickly. "There's nothing there yet."
"Still-"
"No." She shakes her head coming over. "When I have a bump, I want you in the photo too. This is our baby. Our little prune."
"It will be something else by then.. Maybe a mango or some fruit."
"I find it totally adorable that you've looked it up. You take good care of me." She says, scratching the back of my head lightly with her nails.
"And I'll keep looking after you. Always."
I place a kiss on her lips. "Good. Because it makes this next bit a whole lot easier."
"What?"
"I'm still working and you're gonna be supportive about it too." She smiles, before looking back towards the desert.
My ears pick up a growl and I almost go on high alert that some wild dog is about to attack us, when I realise the growl was from my chest.
"Hold those growls for the bedroom later."
I keep that sentence in mind, but I also know that I have to put in some ground work here. Elle is growing something precious within her and I plan on making sure nothing goes wrong...