Chapter 39

Hannah Six Months Later “I don’t need you to hire a housekeeper or whatever you call a female butler!”

Tobias takes the water glass out of my hands and looks down at me with sensual eyes. Tall and muscle-

bound, with a deceptively seductive smile. Gosh. Is it hot in here? He is basically walking sex.

“I don’t want you to put a strain on yourself, and that will happen since you’re carrying around the largest belly I’ve ever seen and refusing to take it easy.”

“The house needed cleaning!”

Tobias sighs. “Our life would be much easier if you let me hire this housekeeper. You wouldn’t have to move a muscle, and I wouldn’t have to go to work worrying about you.”

“I can still do basic tasks. I’m not that big…”

Tobias’s eyelashes flicker down, and his smile grows when I pout at him. We both know I’m huge, but my pride doesn’t allow me to admit it. Tobias won’t repeat himself, either.

Instead, he looks amused. “No, of course not. How silly of me. My wife is as tiny and fragile as a flower,”

he steps closer, sliding a hand to my stomach. His lips stifle a laugh. “The bump isn’t visible at all.”

“You’re damn right it’s not.”

“Which is a shame… you know what I think about pregnant women.” Heat spreads between my legs as Tobias strokes my skin. He is gentle, but his eyes are dark. “Do you remember this morning?”

I slowly inhale. “I do…”

Tobias woke me up by going down on me, and he wouldn’t stop, no matter the sounds I made. He kept going until I wanted to escape, but I couldn’t since my belly was in the way. In the end, I came so hard that my vision momentarily flicked.

Goddamn it.

I’m horny again!

My hormones are making me insane, and Tobias might not stay in his clothes until dinner.

Tobias kisses me right below my navel. He is down on his knees, and the visual is crazy. Especially when he lifts his eyes to mine. “I think your pregnancy body is beautiful.”

“Me too,” I say breathlessly, and I mean it. “But I don’t like to take it easy and relax. It’s stressful not to work around the house. I feel useless if I don’t, even if I’m pregnant.”

He chuckles. “I can’t believe I married another workaholic…”

I pout. “I’m not a workaholic.”

“You begin cleaning the dishes and the frying pan before we have even finished eating our dinner.”

A blush works over my face. I feel called out. “There is usually some time to rinse off the frying pan before dinner…”

“You also go cleaning after me a second after I’ve entered the house. Hanging up my robe and putting my shoes where they need to be.”

“Because you won’t do it yourself!”

Tobias smiles against my belly and kisses it. “When did you become such a perfectionist?”

“I’m not a perfectionist!” I argue, even though I can see his point. I seldom relax, and that could potentially be dangerous for the baby. The thought of that makes me feel guilty. “But I get your point…”

Tobias rises to his full height. Towering over me with nothing but fondness in his eyes as he looks at me.”

Let me hire this housekeeper while you sit back and relax, okay?”

I take a deep breath. “Okay.”

***

A few days later, I’m trying my hardest not to interfere when I notice that my housekeeper is sorting the shoes in the wrong order.

Her name is Dora. She is a young, pretty little thing, and it’s taking me every ounce of self-control not to take over. Which makes me realize that I probably have a bigger control need than I thought..

When did I develop this bad personality trait?

Have I always had it within me?

Good lord. I’m naturally curious, and I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes I demand answers right away, and…

worry slashes through me. What if I’m a controlling bitch in more instances than this one?!

what if Tobias thinks I’m too bossy in our relationship?

“There, I’m all done with the hallway,” Dora announces and dries her forehead on her sleeve. “I was thinking of cooking lunch for us. Is there anything special you would like me to make?”

“Oh, I’m not picky,” I smile back at her. I like her. I picked her myself out of the ones Tobias interviewed.”

Cook me anything. I will eat it, but… try to keep it healthy.”

Her dutiful eyes fall to my stomach, and she nods as if understanding the assignment. “You got it.”

Dora leaves me to cook lunch, and I sigh. Tobias is busy working, but my head is a total mess. What if he thinks I’m a bitch, and he hired Dora to… I don’t know. Make me relax because I’m just… unbearable?

Is this why he is working late so often?

My heart is bleeding, but I’m not stupid enough to wall in self-pity before checking facts.

I take up my phone and begin typing from the couch. My dog, Ruby, is curled beside me, and she glares at me when I stop stroking her. It brings a smile to my face.

“I will soon be back to petting you. Just wait a second. This is important… I just need to text daddy…”

Ruby immediately relaxes, and I shoot a text to Tobias.

Me: Do you think I’m controlling?

Husband: Woah, good morning to you too! And, um, is that a trick question? If I answer this honestly, and you don’t like my answer, do I still get to sleep beside you?

There is a playful smiley at the end of his message, yet my stomach churns with self-pity. I already know the answer after Tobias’s response, and it’s devastating. I’m a fucking bitch. My husband confirmed it, and shit-why didn’t I realize this until now?!

If I had known it sooner, i could have saved our marriage!

Tears crawl out of the corner of my eyes, and my bottom lip quivers. This is a disaster. Tobias is going to leave me, and everything is horrible. Does he even love me anymore?!

“Mrs. Ford.”

I look up, blinking, when Dora holds a plate with chocolate cake right in front of my nose. Even extral cream is added to it, and a silver spoon has been stuck underneath it.

“Mr. Ford said something like this might happen. He said you’re… sensitive due to the pregnancy and that this is the remedy.”

“W-what else did he say?” I ask in a soft tone. I can’t believe Tobias gave instructions to keep me happy to the housekeeper.

Dora beams at me. “To text him immediately if it happened. He is on his way home. I sent him the alarm.

emoji as soon as I heard you sniffling,” she pauses with a look of panic “Wait… I won’t get fired, right?

Tobias instructed me not to mention your hormones or your pregnancy, and I definitely wasn’t supposed to tell you I texted him-”

“You’re not fired,” I tell her and push myself up from the couch. I’ve already eaten most of the cake. “Did you bake this?”

Dora shakes her head. “No, I found it in the fridge.

Jake.

Tobias must have gotten his brother to bake this cake for me. Jake is one of the few people whose baking can make me happy if I don’t include my own on that list. Either way. Tobias is lovely for doing this.

for me.

I raise my chin and lock eyes with Dora. “Tell Tobias that it’s a false alarm and that he doesn’t have to come home. I’m fine with him staying at work,” I wet my lips while humming. “In fact, tell him I prefer if he stays at work. I wish to be alone.”

Since Tobias is such a lovely man and husband, I need to try harder to become a better person myself. I will start by being more independent. I’m sure Tobias will appreciate that.

“Uh, will do, Mrs. Ford,” Dora beams at me. “Will do.”