96

96
RAINA
I stared at him awestruck. I mean he'd been insisting we got back together but he had never said it with such vulnerability before. It warmed every part of me till I was moments from melting into him myself. I was still processing his words, those damn three words, barely recovered, when his lips crashed on mine. On instinct, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer. 
I had wanted this, wanted to feel his lips on mine again and now that I had, I couldn't stop. I tightened my hold on him and kissed him back with everything in me. My body hummed in appreciation. 
Suddenly he pulled back, breathless. "Are you still mad at me?" I blurted, not sure what to think. I had been about to eat the man whole and he pulled away?
He chuckled, "Definitely not while you're carrying my child." His lips pulled in the most devilish smirk. I had totally forgotten that I was pronounced pregnant. I laughed. I was actually pregnant. With his baby. Again. My laughter died the next second. My heart raced as that damn silver of doubt crept in again. What if the past repeated itself. What if...
Alex cupped my face before I could finish the thought, "You're doing it again." He leaned his forehead against mine, we were so close I could feel his breath on my cheek.
"What?" I blinked.
"You're overthinking again." He hummed, the deep rumble of his voice vibrated to my very core. I slid my eyes, just loving the scent of him, the feel of his hands against my skin again. "I know I was acting foolish before, but I've learnt from it. I would never risk losing you ever again. Never." He tilted my chin to meet his gaze. The longer he stop, the more sincere he looked, like he was making a promised to himself too in that moment. It melted away whatever little resistance I had left. 
I sighed and leaned into his hold. He stroked my arm, leaving slow swirl patterns on his way down. I enjoyed the silence, just happy to be there, in his arms again, without questioning his real intentions.
"I promise this time I would be a better husb- a better lover." He pulled me snug against his chest as if he was worried I would disappear any moment, "But only if you'd let me." He said so quietly I almost missed it. I tilted my head up to catch his gaze and I froze. The usual bravado, impassive mask, it was gone and in its place was something my heart hadn't been prepared for. Alex. Being vulnerable. Like all things bare kind of vulnerable. But more unnerving, had he been about to call himself my husband? As in, me? His wife again.
The question clung to the tip of my tongue. I shook my head instead, "I jus- I'm scared." I sighed, but remained in his hold. "I knows it happened years ago, but it doesn't change the fact that you hurt me, left when I needed you the most, you scarred me, Alex. I don't know if I can go through it again, or if I even want to." My fingers twitched to run through my hair. I fisted them. 
He was silent for a moment, deep in thought. "So, what are you saying?"
"I think it would be best for us if we didn't see each other again. Atleast until the baby is born. I'm afraid that might be the only way I would ever be able to let the past go, or at least I hope it's enough." I rubbed the spot between my eyebrows, rubbing at an ache that was non-existent.
Again, he went quiet. His hold loosened and fear I couldn't explain gripped me at the thought of him leaving again in that moment. 
I needed him to understand, I wanted to explain, but before I could, "I do not accept your terms." He gruffed before he slammed his lips on mine. It was nothing like the first kiss. It was aggressive, possessive and had my toes curling for more in seconds. Just as quickly as it started, Alex pulled away, leaving me a gasping mess, like a fish learning to breathe on land.
Our gazes crash and my insides curled over itself. Something dark crawled and spread over his eyes, so deeply imbedded, all signs of the unsure Alex was non existent. Nothing but determination shone in his eyes. Determination to have what he considered his. It scared the shit out of me, but I couldn't look away.
"There's no way I'm going to be away from you for that long." His voice had dropped so low, I wouldn't have heard him if I wasn't wrapped so tightly against him. "Do you really think I can love without you?" He asked, nuzzling his chin into my hair. 
Did I? To be honest, I wasn't sure. I mean, when he was upset with me, he managed to, but he'd been in my face at the hospital, had breakfast ready by 6am that morning. He loved at least an hour drive away and thirty minutes if he drove like a man on drugs. Could he live without me? I knew for sure I couldn't without him, but could be? I kept my mouth shut.
Alex sighed, but his hold on me never loosened. "I want to be a part of your life as much as the baby too. And if would be unfair of you to take him or her from me. I won't let that happen."
Tears pooled at the corner of my eyes. What the hell?
"Shit." Alex cursed and was on his knees the next second. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that." He swept a thumb over my cheeks, taking tears with it. "I'm so sorry. I would never. I just wanted you to know I want you in my life as much as I would love our child in it too, heck, more." He rushed, wiping tears after tear. "Just give me a chance to right my wrongs and fix my stupid mistakes."
I snorted at the fear in his eyes, just moment ago he sounded like a man ready for war, it was all so ugh! But I loved him still.
"Okay fine. But can I at least take my icecream before it becomes mush?" I laughed, wiping tears from my cheeks.
He chuckled and nodded before handing the chocolate bowl. I wolfed the thing down and grabbed the vanilla next. By the time I had taken all three flavours, the Oreo one was more cream than ice and my eyes were heavier than a shopping cart.
Alex slipped under the sheets and pulled me closer. I melted into him, letting the shields drop for a moment.
I stretched, feeling lighter than I have in years. I reached for him, but the bed was empty. I looked around the private care unit, but Dom wasn't around either, but I sighed when I saw Faith approaching the bed.
"Are you okay?" She asked, worry coated her voice, but something else swirled in her eyes. An emotion I couldn't quite place but if she was trying to hide it, it could only mean one thing, something was wrong.
I pulled myself up using my elbows. I needed to see Alex. Dom. Make sure they were okay. Before I could get out of bed, Faith was by my side. She held me back by clocking my path with her hand.
"You need to rest if you want to get out of here sooner. Stay in bed." Faith advised, but I knew I would be going nowhere if she had anything to do about it.
"What's wrong, Faith?" 
She sighed, "The board. They keep demanding to meet with you."
I arched my brows at her, "and that is a problem why?" I haven't been around for a while, of course they would want to see me.
She shook her head, "it's not what you think. They want you there because they want you to step down. Something about a new board member with more shares." She scoffed, and I could feel her building annoyance with each word.
What?! It's barely been..."I can't stay in bed."
"You have to." Alex insisted, walking to us. "You will stay in bed." When did he come back? 
"A new person is waving his shares around for my inheritance, I can't be sleeping while he takes it." I dragged, exhaustion weighed on me still, but I had to clear things.
"Relax. We did some digging. Apparently whoever this person is got the members of the board to sell their shares to them at a ridiculous price. Like insanely overpriced, I don't blame them for not resisting, but the downside is he or she definitely going to want to force you out if he or she is willing to burn through such amounts."
Ugh! My head was throbbing. I hadn't even returned, yet problems kept piling up.
"J would love to see how I can help, but you would have to trust me and stay in bed like the doctor advised." He pinned me with a warning gaze. I rolled my eyes. 
"Doctor or not, I can't be away for much longer, especially now with all of this." I groaned, already resting on my elbows.
"She's right." Dom agreed just as Alex opened his mouth to speak. Where do they keep appearing from?! But at least this time, the intruder was in my favour. "I told the board you would be present tomorrow. So, for now, please rest." He shot me a bored look, tired of my antics, but he never complained with his words, so that was good enough.
"Why would you do that with talking with me about it first?!" Alex snapped, his eyes wide with anger. What the hell? 
"Because I'm her proxy?" Dom tilted his head like Alex wasn't even capable of laying a finger on him. He was infact. Capable of giving him an upper cut that would book him an appointment with the dentist, but Dom remained unfazed even as Alex got in his personal space then longer they argued back and forth.
"And who discovered the reason a stranger has such a high percentage of shares in the first place?" Alex shot back, not ready to let Dom off the hook. Was I missing something? Alex was never one to argue so...aggressively, yet, he did.  
"Enough!" I snapped when their exchange only got more heated by the minute. Both men snapped to me. Before I could process what was happening, Alex scoffed and stormed out of the room, leaving an indifferent Dom, a shocked me and a confused Faith, behind.
I waited the entire day for him to come back. Even as Dom and Faith left, I still waited, fighting sleep. 
I was certain I had gotten atleast a good hour of sleep before the door slid open. All traces of sleep vanished the moment I saw him. I stilled and waited till he slid into the bed.
"This is slowly becoming a habit." Instead of calling me out, he chuckled and planted a lingering kiss on my forehead.
I sighed, "are you mad at me?"
"No. Why would I be?" His response was immediate. "I'm just worried about you, that's all." He ran a hand through his hair.
"Alex, I know you. I know there's more you're not telling me." I turned to face him on the bed. "Now, tell me."
He sighed, "we would talk about it in the morning."
I shook my head immediately, I waited years before I finally got an answer for why he left those years. I was not about to wait more years.
"Can we get married now that we have a baby on the way." He rushed. My heart raced in my chest, skipping a beat every now and then. Marriage. Another one. With Alex. That would mean moving into his house, being fully in his space.
"Okay, we can talk tomorrow instead."