Tears were already spilling from her eyes as she cupped my cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Vi.”
I noticed Dad behind her, but he was talking to Jenner and the housekeeper, but my head was too foggy to pay attention to anything they were saying. The tears wouldn’t stop, my entire body was aching, and all I could think was that Remington wouldn’t want me to make myself ill or do anything to upset our love bug, but I couldn’t control it.
The doctor arrived, and the funeral home representatives with him. Dr. Myers asked if I wanted to see Remington one more time before they took him away, but I didn’t know if I could stand, let alone walk upstairs to say goodbye to the man I loved.
“It’s okay, Vi,” Dad said quietly. “I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
“No,” I choked out. “Remington already did all of that.”
“Wait, he…knew?” Mom frowned as she sat beside me.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “Yeah.”
“But…”
“Harper.” Dad stopped her with a shake of his head. “Now isn’t the time. She can’t take much more, beautiful.”
As the morning went on, other people arrived. I wasn’t surprised when Aunt Emmie sat down beside me. She had her phone in one hand as she sat with me, not talking, just silently offering me her strength as I tried to pull myself out of the hell I’d fallen into.
Shaw was in Paris for a photo shoot, but Mom said she was on her way back as soon as she found out. I wanted my best friend, my parents, my aunt, all of them—needed them there so I could just cry and mourn the man who had been my entire world for too short a time.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but when I looked out the window, I saw night had fallen. Mom tried to get me to eat a few times and even made me some tea in an attempt to calm me and get me to drink something. But I couldn’t bear the smell of food or even water when it was put in front of me. It all made me sick, and I fought my gag reflex repeatedly until she took it away.
My love bug didn’t seem to like how upset I was and kept bouncing around in my belly as if she was trying to get out to see what was causing all the commotion. Feeling her should have calmed me. Knowing I still had a part of Remington to hold on to should have soothed something in my soul, but I was too heartbroken to think of it like that.
All I wanted was to have a little more time with my husband. A few more days. I kept praying it was just a bad dream, that I would wake up and Remington would still be reading to our baby girl and I wouldn’t have to face reality without him.
But it wasn’t, and the continued kicks of our precious little girl were a constant reminder.
I touched my hand to where she was angrily kicking close to my navel and remembered how happy her daddy was when the ultrasound tech told us we were having a daughter. He’d repeatedly said he didn’t care what gender the baby was as long as our child was healthy, but I knew he was secretly hoping for a girl. Not just because he knew it would have pissed off his grandfather if the old bastard had still been alive. Every time we went to my parents’ house, he would ask Mom to show him all my baby pictures. He would look at them and tell me how much he hoped our baby looked like me, and that he knew she was going to be the most beautiful little girl in the world.
Krush’s growl drew my head up because I wasn’t used to him making that sound. Frowning when he did it again, I tried to find the cause and gasped when I saw Luca walking toward me through the small crowd that had gathered in my living room. Krush moved in front of me protectively, but I stroked my hand over his back absently, and he instantly calmed down as Luca stopped in front of me before crouching down.
He let Krush smell his hand, and after a moment, my dog licked his palm. “It’s okay, boy,” he said in a firm but quiet voice. “I’m here to take care of your momma.”
I frowned, not understanding what he was saying. “You…are?”
Instead of answering me, he pushed my hair back from my face, his thumb wiping away a lingering tear on my cheek. “You’re ice-cold, babe. And your face is so pale.” He glanced at Mom, who was still sitting beside me, just as shocked at seeing him there as I was. “Has she eaten?”
“No, not a thing. She said her stomach is too upset.”
His lips twisted and he stood. “Not good, Vi. You have to take care of the baby if not yourself.”
“I’m not hungry,” I started to snap at him, getting pissed that he thought he could just walk into my house and try to boss me around. But he lifted me into his arms before I could put any real strength into my voice. “Stop. Put me down. What are you doing?” I demanded when he carried me out of the living room.
As he passed Jenner, I reached out for my bodyguard. “Jenner, make him put me down!”
Ignoring me, the muscled guard nodded at Luca. “Mr. Thornton.”
“Jenner,” he said with a nod, as if they knew each other well. It only confused me, and it made me even angrier.
“Which way to the kitchen?” he asked as he glanced around.
“This way,” Mrs. Briggs told him when I didn’t offer directions.
He followed her to the kitchen, where she left us, and he sat me on the island in front of the refrigerator. “Stay here,” he instructed before opening one of the large double doors. He glanced inside for a moment before pulling out a few containers of leftover roasted chicken and veggies.
Placing everything on the island beside me, he found the bread and then a knife before grabbing a plate and starting to craft a few sandwiches. I sat there, too tired to argue but unable to look away from him as he moved around the kitchen like he belonged there.