Chapter 221 Chapter 221
“I think either way, we’ll have our hands full,” she grinned. “Especially if the child is anything like the father…”
“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?” he asked and pouted at her. “I’m a perfect gentleman.”
“Yes, you are the politest demon in this whole world, Maxwell,” she teased and pecked his lips.
“I will be the best father ever.”
“I don’t doubt it,” she smiled. She was sure that the next nine months and what would follow after would become exciting. Valerie welcomed the future with open arms—she couldn’t wait for this new chapter in their lives to start.
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Maxwell’s and Valerie’s lives had gradually shifted in the past weeks and months—they were awaiting an addition to their family, and both couldn’t be happier about it.
Valerie was already in her sixth month, and a lot had changed within the course of her pregnancy. Not only herself but also the people around her. Her human friends were excited about the pregnancy, kept talking about the baby, and gave her cute baby clothes. Her demonic friends, on the other hand, had started to tease the hell out of her and Maxwell—the last time they had visited, Maxwell had accidentally burned a hole through the wall with his magic when he had tried to shut Xander up. The couple always had their hands full when the other demons were involved, but they didn’t mean any harm with their shenanigans.
Maxwell himself had become a lot gentler over the past months. He had already been a doting partner before, but ever since she was pregnant, he made it his personal mission to ensure she was in her best health—and that included doing a plethora of things. He treated her like she was made of glass, always kept an eye on her. Valerie was smothered with attention, and sometimes, she didn’t know whether she should be happy or amused about Maxwell’s fussing. Whenever the baby was involved, he either became extremely excited or protective.
His jealousy and possessiveness had also reached a new level. Only recently, he had caught a guy talking to her in a mall—and he made the poor human take off in fear when he glared him down. Valerie had teased him about that later.
But of course, a pregnancy didn’t come without struggles, and for Valerie, they entailed frequent back pain and morning sickness. She had lost count of how many times she had thrown up or felt nauseous, and she hated the crushing sensation of weakness that came with it. Moreover, she disliked worrying Maxwell. When it had occurred for the first time, he had freaked out—until she had told him that it was normal for human women to go through this. Apparently, it was different for demons.
Unfortunately for her, the same thing happened this morning as well. As her consciousness slowly returned and she woke up, wrapped safely in Maxwell’s arms, nausea crept over her. She frowned, opening her eyes.
He smiled at her, gently moving his hand over her stomach. “How are you, love?” he whispered raucously. He leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her head away.
“I… I have to throw up,” she forced out and pushed him away. She hopped out of bed and sprinted into the bathroom with astounding speed, considering she had only just woken up.
Nausea overwhelmed her, and so she had no choice but to empty the contents of her stomach into the toilet bowl. She felt terrible and didn’t even notice Maxwell’s footsteps coming up behind her. He frowned in worry and rubbed her back in a comforting manner, hoping she would feel better soon.
The more her pregnancy progressed, the more she struggled with things that had been fine before. Sometimes, her mood swings could be annoying—she would complain about the weirdest things, and he had quickly learned not to start any arguments because she tended to start crying easily, too. He hated when that happened—it made his heart sink like a stone in water.
“Are you okay?” he asked when she was done.
“Yeah, I am,” she mumbled and sent him a thankful glance when he helped her up. She rinsed her mouth and went on to brush her teeth while she was at it.
While she was busy, Maxwell stood behind her and hugged her swollen belly, putting his palms on it. He rested his chin on her shoulder, planting a teasing kiss on her earlobe.
“Do you want to stay in bed and rest some more?” he asked.
“No, I can’t do that. I have too many things I need to take care of this week,” she rambled and spoke so fast her voice cracked. “I need to buy groceries, and I want to meet my friends, and after that, I have to check in with Thorne and see whether things are going well at work. Maybe he needs me to take care of something. We also haven’t bought the right furniture for the baby’s room yet.”
The longer her rambling held on, the darker Maxwell’s expression became. He huffed. “Sugar, you shouldn’t stress yourself so much,” he chided her. “Let me take care of…”
“No, I want to do it myself,” she insisted. “This is important. We still need toys and plushies. Everything has to be ready when the baby arrives.”
He sighed and shook his head. “But you need to be ready too,” he replied sternly. “Your health comes first. It’s much more important than a bunch of errands.”
Valerie’s face fell, and her body slumped. She lowered her head and stared at the sink. “I just want everything to be perfect,” she whispered.
“It will be perfect, love,” he assured her and lightly ruffled her hair. “But I want you to take a step back. You’re already doing all the work by carrying the little rascal around for nine months. If you don’t let me do something too, I will feel useless.” He somehow managed to sound teasing yet sincere, and when she raised her head to gaze at him, his eyes were vibrant blue.
A small smile found its way on her lips. “I guess you’re right.”
“Good, and now you will go back to bed and wait until I’m done with breakfast,” he ordered and took her hand to lead her back into the bedroom. However, when she sat down on the edge of the mattress, she held his hand and stubbornly gazed at him.
“Stay with me, okay? We can eat breakfast later,” she said.
“Are you in the mood to cuddle?” he chuckled and sat behind her on the bed. She leaned her back against his chest and let him embrace her from behind. They often sat like this because it allowed him to hug her belly—sometimes he felt the baby’s movements. Each of these moments was a miracle to him.