Tachina shook her head. Why was she having all of these fears and worries? Vic had said multiple times that he had no interest in getting back with Sydney.
She inhaled sharply and focused on the road. She was getting early pregnant brain…hormones…stress… That had to be what was wrong with her. She pulled into his driveway. Lights glowed through the front windows. It looked like a home. She couldn’t deny the part of her that longed to just come here and call it her home, not Vic’s home.
She parked, then shut the engine off. She exhaled and tried to get back in her right mind. Vic had never lied to her before, and she doubted he would start now. She had nothing to worry about. They would have an adult conversation tonight, and everything would be better.
She stepped out of the vehicle. Her stomach fluttered harder than usual as she snagged her bag from the back seat and made her way to the front door.
Vic opened it before she could even ring the bell. They stared at each other for a brief moment. The memory of the way he’d gazed down at the ultrasound picture in awe came to the forefront. She offered him a small smile.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” he replied.
So much needed to be said between them, but she was sure a little five-year-old would keep them from talking at the moment.
He reached for her bag. “I hope you’re hungry. Tony cooked for us.”
“I am famished.” She patted her stomach as she entered the foyer while he shut the door behind her. Once she had returned to her office, she’d been swamped. The only thing she had eaten today was an apple.
Vic’s focus dropped down to her belly. His eyes darkened. He walked to her, and she remained in the same spot, unable to move. His hand came to rest at the small of her back while his head lowered slowly. He placed a kiss on her lips.
“I’ve been thinking of you all day,” he murmured.
“Really?” Being this close to him made her feel welcomed. She glanced up at him, and her chest tightened. She suddenly felt silly for believing everything she’d heard. This man right here would never hurt her. Not in a million years. She melted against him, needing another one of his kisses.
“Aww…not again,” Kian whined behind Vic.
They pulled apart and turned around to find him staring at them with a scowl and rolling his eyesdramatically.
“Excuse me?” Tachina grinned at her son and held out her arms.
He ran to her and slammed into her.
She wrapped her arms around him and peppered kisses on his face. “There is nothing wrong with my kisses.”
“Okay! Okay!” He could barely breathe between his fit of giggles.
She finally released him.
He grinned wide and bounced around. “Guess what happened today? Guess!”
“Why don’t you let your mother in the house, then you can tell her while we eat dinner,” Vic said.
Dinner smelled amazing. They quickly washed up and made their way into the kitchen. Tony had outdone himself again. Pot roast, roasted potatoes, and fresh green beans. She had thought she was hungry, but once her plate was in front of her, she lost her appetite. She chewed a few green beans and looked over at Vic and Kian who were putting their food away like they hadn’t had a good meal in weeks.
Vic paused and glanced over at her plate. He wiped his mouth with his napkin and jerked his head toward her.
“Do you want some ginger tea? I think we have some.” His concern for her continued to soothe her.
She shook her head and stabbed one of the potatoes with her fork.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’m just taking mytime.” She bit into the potato that was very buttery and flavorful, but she just couldn’t eat much tonight.
“Mom, can I tell you now?” Kian asked around the food in his mouth.
“Of course, buddy. What happened at school today?”
“In art class, I did an awesome drawing, and Mr. Brown said that it was going to be displayed with the special pictures in the hallway!” he said proudly.