“Yes,” he sighed.
I knew I should be happy. I would get to keep my brothers forever. But instead I felt guilt. I loved Jonathon but this was not a life that I would wish for my brothers or anyone. But then again, maybe it was just me. Maybe human-vampire relationships weren’t normally so complicated. Maybe I just had really bad luck. My life had been a roller coaster ever since I met Jonathon. I wouldn’t trade it for anything but I wouldn’t wish it on someone else either. Jonathon was the love of my life, no, the love of my existence, but sometimes it felt like everything was conspiring against us. Like we weren’t meant to have a happy ending. I was happy that my brothers had found a love like what Jonathon and I had, I only hoped that my brothers’ lives would be drama free.
“At least they get to experience this,” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him. The baby kicked. “A love like no other.”
He smiled. “That’s very true. But it doesn’t change that it’s a hard life.”
“I know,” I sighed. “But I’m ready for it and apparently they are too. It’s their decision to make. Fate brought them Vivian and Viola just like it brought me to you. You were right when you said that everything happens for a reason, even the bad.”
His arm rubbed mine and he was quiet. After a couple of minutes of silence though he whispered, “I’ll miss this.”
“What?” I asked.
“Your smell, your heartbeat, your warmth, your green eyes. For so many years I’ve been surrounded by cold and then you came and you warmed me up again. I could lay and listen to the sounds of your breaths for the rest of my existence and I would never tire of he
aring it.”
“I’ll still be me,” I whispered. “And I thought I was the one that wanted me to stay human?”
He chuckled. “I want you forever. I just wish forever would last as a human. But it doesn’t. And if I could change what I am for you I would. But I can’t.”
I snuggled closer to his cold hard body. I didn’t mind the cold much anymore but he still pulled a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around me. I kissed his cheek. “Forever would hold no meaning without you, just as a normal life would be nothing without you.”
“I feel the same,” he said into my hair. “It took so long to finally find you that I don’t want to waste a second of our time together. I already feel like we’ve lost so much of it. But I had to live seven hundred years without you; so at least, I get to spend the next seven hundred with you by my side.”
“The thought of all that time used to scare me. Like you would get tired of me or something but now I worry that we won’t have enough of it.”
His fingers combed through my hair. “I could never tire of you, principessa. You are my only reason for living, for existing, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure we have those next seven hundred years and another seven hundred after that.”
“I know you will,” my eyes closed. But the thing I left unspoken was, at what cost? I wiggled. “I have to pee.”
He chuckled. “Again?” He raised his brows.
I pouted. “I’m pregnant, I think I have a good excuse for increased urination.” I crossed my arms in challenge.
“That is a pretty good excuse. Just inconvenient. Every time we try to talk your bladder interrupts.”
“Maybe that’s the baby’s way of telling us to shut up?” I said sarcastically. I stood and put my hand to my back. I had never experienced back pain like this before I became pregnant for the fourth time. It felt like someone had taken a sledge hammer to my back.
I waddled towards the bathroom and heard a chuckled behind me. I turned around and narrowed my eyes at my husband. “Don’t you dare say a word,” I warned.
Jonathon, Joseph, Danny, and especially Mason found my wattle amusing.
“I don’t think it’s amusing,” said Jonathon reading my thoughts. Normally, I would be mad, but since I was practically shouting them I couldn’t blame him. Vampires could read their soul mates minds and in turn the soul mate could read the vampires. We didn’t hear every thought only the ones we wanted the other to hear. Otherwise I would probably have figured out a lot more about the prophecies by now. “I actually think it’s quite adorable.”
I groaned. “You are one strange vampire.”
He smiled. “As long as you love me.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I waved my hand in dismissal, making my way to the bathroom before my bladder burst, and Jonathon thought my water broke.
Once I had relieved myself, and washed up, I waddled back to the couch. “I’m so huge,” I complained. “This kid must way ten pounds already.”
Jonathon chuckled. “Doubtful.”
I settled myself onto the couch and adjusted the pillows. I groaned. “Ugh, no matter what I do I can’t get comfortable,” I complained.
Just as Jonathon was adjusting a pillow that was out of my reach there was a knock at the door.