Sarah glances at her watch and then to Hudson’s office door. “How much longer do you think they’re going to be?”
I know that she’s anxious, she wants to go back to Allie. Jagger’s mom has her today, that woman absolutely adores her granddaughter. Whenever she can, she wants to be with her, it’s something I absolutely love, I hope Marline is like that with our baby.
Grabbing my phone off the table I quickly send a text to Hudson asking him if he’s okay. He doesn’t respond and it hurts but there’s nothing I can do about it. If he’s not ready or not able to talk right now, then I’m going to have to wait. Until then, I’m going to have to make myself busy so that I don’t go crazy. The thoughts are the worst, my mind is spinning with different scenarios, each one worse than the last.
I walk into the kitchen, I’m starting to get hungry and I know if I am, Hudson and Jagger are too. I chop garlic and coriander, I heat up butter over the stove and wait for it to melt, once it has, I add the garlic and coriander. I rub it under the skin of the chicken, it’s something that Lacey taught me once, she said her grandmother showed her and it was the only meal she could cook. Once I have rubbed it into the chicken, I put the chicken into the oven and start peeling the potatoes and carrots. I can hear Sarah on the phone in the sitting room, she’s checking up on Allie, she’s been texting Jagger’s mom all day.
I heat up a cooking tray with some Olive oil as my potatoes and carrots are boiling. Once the potatoes are par-boiled I put them into the heated tray and love hearing that sizzle as the olive oil hits them.
“Damn, something smells nice in here.” I turn my head at that voice and smile. “You should be resting,” Harrison tells me.
“I needed to keep busy, is your meeting finished?” I ask hopefully.
“Yeah, do you need any help?”
I shake my head. “No thank you. Grab a beer and take a load off. Dinner wil
l be ready in thirty minutes.”
He kisses my cheek. “Yell if you need a hand, I’ll send Jagger in.” He grabs a couple of beers from the fridge and I laugh, I can imagine him sending Jagger in here to help although if I really needed help, they’d all be here helping me.
Once Harrison leaves, I take out the potatoes out of the oven, placing the tray on top of the counter and turn the potatoes. They’re crispy on the outside, just the way I wanted them to be. Once I put the tray back into the oven, I reach for the cupboard above my head and grab plates.
Hands slide around my waist and cup my bump, I smile as his head rests against my shoulder, his lips on my neck. “You okay, Princess?” he murmurs.
“Yeah,” I lie. “Are you?” He makes a humming noise, I know that he’s not, even though he’s holding me he’s still really tense. “Dinner’s almost ready, will you set the table for me please?”
He places another kiss against my neck. “Of course.” His hands withdraw from my stomach, and I instantly feel the loss. I bend down to take the chicken out of the oven, and jump when Hudson’s voice booms. “What are you doing?”
Placing a hand on my chest, I turn to face him. “God, you scared the life out of me. I’m getting the chicken out of the oven, what does it look like?”
He glares at me, his jaw clenching. “Mia, you’re six months pregnant, you shouldn’t be bending over.”
“Hudson, I am pregnant, not an invalid. I’m capable of bending over. Please just set the table.” I feel as though he’s scrutinizing every little thing I do. He’s been checking up on seeing what a pregnant woman shouldn’t be doing. It’s driving me crazy, I’m not stupid, I would never put my child at risk.
His face blanks, he knows that he’s been annoying me by constantly saying things, it’s as though he doesn’t trust me or something and it’s hurtful. I turn away from him and go back to doing what I was doing before he rudely interrupted me. He leaves the kitchen and I sigh with relief, we’re not going to argue.
Once I have the dinner dished out, I bring it into the dining room. Everyone is sitting around the table waiting, the mood is tense and no one is talking. Placing the plates down in front of Hudson and Harrison, I don’t say a word, I hate how awkward it is right now. I turn around and walk back into the kitchen, Sarah hot on my heels.
“They’re all brooding assholes today. None of them have uttered a single word. They’re so tense. I hate it,” she tells me, her eyes so full of sadness. “I’m scared,” she confesses.
“We’re going to find out what the hell is going on.” I’m not sitting in the dark, it’s obvious that something has happened and I want to get to the bottom of it.
“Do you think they’re going to say anything?” she asks as I hand her a plate.
I pick up the two remaining plates. “Hudson promised he wouldn’t lie to me.” I shrug, it’s as simple as that.
Walking back into the dining room, the men are still wound up tight. I place a plate down in front of Jagger and walk to my seat.
“Thank you, Mia.” Harrison says, Hudson and Jagger follow suit.
“You made Lacey’s meal,” Sarah whispers, her eyes glassy with unshed tears.
I smile at her, “Let’s hope I do it justice.” The men stare at us with confusion. “Dig in,” I tell them, and they instantly start to eat.
“This is so good,” Sarah says as she eats. “Lacey would be so proud.”
Tears well in my eyes, I really do hope that she would be. I miss her so much, she’s always in my heart. She was like a sister to me, it’s like there’s a piece of my heart missing and I know that I’ll never get it back.