Chapter Seven
Maceo
After finishing up a few more details with Chase, I make my way upstairs. I’m greeted at our suite’s door with snarling.
I squeeze into the room and shut the door, but Hades won’t let me past the first few steps. “Let me through, big boy. You can’t be mad at me forever. I would never hurt yourmamá. I love her.”
Hades barks like he’s trying to say, ‘you loved her too much, asshole.’
I rub a hand over my face. “Pixie, will you please call off our hellhound?”
Josephine pops her head out of the bathroom. “Hades, come here. You can keep me company while I unpack.”
Hades grumbles, showing me his teeth, and clomps over to my woman. He lies right in the doorway between the bedroom and bathroom, cutting me off. The dog is nearly as stubborn as hismamá.
Exhausted from our flight, I sit on the side of the bed and kick off my Kodiak mid-cut sneakers. The shoes are trendy, but I miss my boots. Getting back into a routine will do my body good. I roll my shoulders, stretching out along the bed. First-class is better than coach, but not by a lot for a guy my size. I was like a compressed accordion for the entire time we were on the plane.
I lay like a useless lump while Josephine sorts our laundry, puts toiletries away, and stores clean clothes where they belong. She only calls me for help when she needs the luggage lifted to the top shelf of our walk-in closet.
Feeling like I did my wife a disservice, I grab our hamper and head downstairs to the laundry room. When I come back to our room, I see Josephine has shucked her jeans and is sprawled out on the bed with Hades lying next to her.
Thank fuck!If Josephine is relaxing, it means I can relax too and not feel like a total bum.
I yank my shirt over my head and make my way to the bed. Hades gives me a warning growl when I approach. I roll my eyes. “It’s not like I can get yourmamáanymore pregnant. Move over.”
Hades shakes his colossal head, his jaws flopping. He looks at me, then at his XL-twin mattress in the corner, and back at me.
“Ah, fuck no! I’m not sleeping in the corner. I’m sleeping right here, in my bed, with yourmamá. Now scoot.” I look to Josephine for support. “Can you believe this shit? The damn dog won’t let me in our bed.”
Josephine gives me a sympathetic smile. “Come around the other side. I’ll be in the middle.”
Annoyed, I make my way around to the other side of the bed and crawl in against her back. I dare to wrap my arms around her. Hades snarls when my hand lies protectively over her lower stomach.
“Deal with it,” I scold him. The damn dog is a pain in my ass.
“Hubby, try to understand. We were gone for two weeks and now he knows I’m pregnant. He’s vulnerable and scared. He’s trying to figure out where he fits into this new dynamic. Give him time. He’ll come around.”
I try to hide my irritation, but I can’t stop myself from sighing. “I understand him being more protective of you because you’re pregnant. However, I don’t understand, nor should I tolerate, how he’s acting toward me and all of my crew. It’s not cool, Pixie. Hades better get on board quick.”
“I realize you don’t want to hear it again, but maybe a companion for Hades will help him adjust. He’ll have someone like him to focus his attention on and keep him active.”
“Not this again,” I groan. I may be baby crazy, but my woman is puppy crazy.
Josephine rolls toward me, her lovely elfin face mere inches from mine. It always drives me into a frenzy having her this close. I want to reach out and kiss her senseless. Hades would probably shit a brick in the bed before attacking me.
My beautiful wife looks at me with her coastal-blue eyes, and my harden-heart melts a fraction.Fuuuck.“Nope. No more pets.”
Josephine’s bottom lip juts out.
Damn, she’s cute when she sulks.It takes all my willpower not to suck her bottom lip into my mouth. “There’s no room. Things are busy between your workload, my job, and now the babies. It’s not fair to bring a puppy into the equation when we can’t dedicate all of our time to it.”
Baby, please see reason!
Josephine walks her fingers up the muscled panels of my abdomen directly to my chest where her infamous lips impression is tattooed over my heart. “Would you be open to the idea after we move into our new house?”
No.“Maybe.” The woman can get whatever she wants out of me. “But it won’t help Hades out right now.”
“Scheduling a vet appointment is on my to-do list. Perhaps the vet will have some helpful suggestions to make the transition for him smoother.”