Shackled (The Lord Series) by Carlos

"I just need a few days to think things through. In the hospital, I panicked, but now that I'm home, I might see things from another perspective."

While I don't like her considering keeping the baby, the choice is hers in the end. If she wants the baby, he will be mine as well. In time, I will learn how to love him because it came from Olivia. "I just want you to be happy," I say.

We spend a few hours together until Olivia says she is tired and wants to take a nap. I tuck her in and go to the kitchen. The smell of spices makes me realize I missed cooking just as much as Olivia.

I open the fridge and rummage through it. There's mostly junk food in there. That won't do. Olivia needs a healthy, balanced diet, especially now that she's pregnant. I take out vegetables and fruits before looking in the freezer for meat. I end up finding chicken and fish.

I wash my hands and get to work. Chopping, slicing, and dicing food always calms me and allows me to focus on my thoughts. I put the chicken and then the fish to defrost in the air fryer.

It doesn't take long for my blood-brothers to come to the kitchen. They each hug me, which is more than awkward before they sit at the table. I quickly explain to them what happened between my demon and me.

"You've been trapped in your body for three months, and the first thing you do is cook," Jasper comments.

"What else am I supposed to do when you are slowly killing yourself with the food you've been eating so far? Order takeout?" I wonder.

My blood-brothers laugh.

I finish cooking the fish. I will save it for Olivia and put it together with vegetables.

"While we liked your demon, we are so happy you are back," Tyson says.

I finish seasoning the chicken. "You missed me or my kimchi?"

Jasper chuckles. "For sure your kimchi. Tyson had to buy from the store, and he hated it. He was bitching about it all the time."

"I wasn't bitching," Tyson denies it.

Jasper interlaces his fingers with Tyson's and kisses his cheek. It's strange to see them two together. "Right. That's why you have been searching the internet for a recipe close to Mose's."

I grin. "My recipe is a family secret."

"Like my mama's meatballs spaghetti," Jasper rubs it in my face because he knows how much I want him to tell me how they are made. There's one or two ingredients that I can't identify no matter how many times I eat the damn dish. We might talk about food, but it's only to avoid the main subject-Olivia's pregnancy. So, I break the ice. "What are we going to do about the baby?"

Four pairs of eyes blink at me. "What do you mean?" Rueben asks.

I shrug. "Olivia wants an abortion."

"We heard her, but the baby is also ours," Jasper mutters.

I fold my arms across my chest. "So are we going to force her to keep the pregnancy if it's not something she wants?"

Ansel drums his fingers on the table. "She's scared that she will have the baby early and he won't make it. I think she's only trying to protect herself from more pain. She still mourns Spencer's death."

Tyson turns pale. "I don't think I'll ever be over the death of my child." His throat bobs and Jasper gently squeezes his hand. "I understand Olivia's fear, but I'll never let anything happen to her and the baby." The others quickly agree with him. "I'll find the best doctor to look after her, no matter the cost. Hell, he can have all my money. I just want Olivia to be happy. If that means she won't keep the baby, so be it. But she's too agitated to make decisions right now. Once she is calmer, we can all sit together and discuss our options."

I start putting dishes on the table. "Back at the hospital, Olivia had a PTSD episode. I'm worried that if she chooses to keep the baby, her mental state will suffer. She might even lose the baby or enter premature labor because of the stress." We start to eat. The food tastes like ashes. Probably because of everything going on.

Jasper takes a bite from his chicken and chokes on it. "I forgot how spicy your food is," he says before going to the fridge and grabbing the milk.

I taste the chicken. "I don't know why you are complaining. It's not even that spicy."

Jasper rolls his eyes at me before asking, "What if we take her on a vacation? Do you think it can help her?"

I see what Jasper is trying to do.

"Proposing to her now will only add to the pressure she's feeling."

Ansel takes a bite from the broccoli and grimaces. He has always hated it. I don't know why he keeps forcing himself to eat it when there are plenty of vegetables to choose from. “Olivia wants to get married. I don't see why we should postpone our plans. The ring is ready, the tickets have been bought, and the hotel suite has been reserved. Wasp has agreed to take care of the animals in our absence."

Because you are keeping secrets from us, I want to say, but bite my tongue. "Fine," I agree because it is useless to protest when the others have already made up their minds.

"We should start packing today," Rueben says.

After we finish eating, we clean after ourselves and wait for Olivia to wake up from her nap, but to everyone's surprise, she sleeps for the remainder of the day and the entire night and wakes up in time for breakfast.

She still looks tired when she sits at the table next to Ansel. The others are out video chatting with Wasp and explaining things to her about the animals. "I can't believe I slept so much."noveldrama

Ansel pulls her into his lap. "I'm not surprised. You barely rested at the hospital."

"I was too stressed to sleep," Olivia says. "Are you making pancakes?" she asks me.

I put a plate in front of her. "Do you want maple syrup?"

"Do you have the spicy kind? Since I woke up, I've been craving something spicy like crazy," Olivia says.

My eyebrows shoot up. I thought she couldn't eat spicy stuff. "I have kimchi if you want that."

"Yes," Olivia says. I give her a jar of the quick version of kimchi I made yesterday, and she spreads some on a pancake and starts eating it. Then another and another until all the pancakes are gone. Ansel laughs. "This is irrefutable proof that the baby is yours," he tells me.

Maybe Ansel is right, but even so, I won't force Olivia to keep the baby.

Olivia finally notices the half-packed suitcases in the living room. "Are we moving again?"

"No, we are going on a vacation in Malta," Ansel replies.