Free Eternal Faith - Book 4 (The Ruby Ring Saga) by Chrissy Peebles

“Let’s not
get carried away in my aunt’s pool, Victor.”
    “But
surely we’ll finish this tonight, a, uh...rain-check as you say?” he purred in my
ear.
    I
smirked, my cheeks burning. “You can count on it.”
    He
smiled, gazing into my eyes. “I love you so much.”
    “I
love you too.”

Chapter
6
    I was reading a pregnancy book my mom had bought for me. When I got to the chapter
on “Labor and Delivery” chapter, I gasped. I couldn’t imagine going through all
that pain, and my mind went wild with every worst-case scenario that could
possibly happen. As much as I’d been through in my life, I still harbored a
deep fear of the unknown.
    My
mom glanced up at me. “What is it, honey?”
    I
blew out a long breath. “I don’t think I can do this.”
    “It
isn’t like you have a choice,” Dad said with a snort, looking up from his
newspaper. “And don’t listen to Liz with all her labor pain horror stories.”
    My
mom sat next to me on the couch and patted my hand. “Giving birth isn’t easy,
dear, but you can do it. Don’t worry, sweetie. Your body was made to this. I
promise it won’t break you. Women have been having babies all throughout
history.”
    “But
I have such a low pain threshold, and—”
    “Pssh!
Once you’re in full-blown labor, all those endorphins will kick into high gear,
and you’ll be just fine.”
    I
glanced down at the book again. When I read that I might lose control of my
bowels right in front of everyone, I was mortified. The thought of Victor, the
doctor, and the nurses seeing that was humiliating. I slammed the book shut in
complete and utter disbelief. “Where’s Liz with our takeout?” I asked, trying
to change the subject. Not to mention, I was starving.
    “She
should’ve been back by now. Then again, she’s been fighting with Charles, so
maybe she needed some time to cool down. You know your sister.”
    I
dialed her on my cell, but she didn’t pick up. “Something seems odd here. I’m
gonna go check on her.”
    “Honey,
there’s no need to drive up there. I’m sure she’s fine.”
    “I
need some fresh air after all that reading. I’m a nervous wreck. I just need to
get out, so the drive will do me good.”
    “Okay,
but make sure they give you breadsticks. They forgot them last time.”
    I
smiled. “Breadsticks. Got it.”
    The
wind whipped across my hair as I walked down the sidewalk to my mom’s car. A
twig snapped through the trees, and I glanced in that direction. Victor broke
through the vegetation carrying a long, heavy log over his head, presumably
strength training and oozing sex appeal.
    I
let out a long whistle. “Hey!” I shouted over to him. “You stick out like a sore
thumb.” I giggled.
    “What?”
he asked. “No, my thumb is fine, my love.”
    I
rolled my eyes and tried to remind myself to stop with the modern-day idioms
and phrases. “Uh, never mind. It’s just that we don’t usually work out that
way. Why don’t you use my dad’s weights in the workout room?”
    He
shrugged. “I don’t like them.”
    “Well,
it’s way too cold to jog,” I said, “and it’s starting to get dark.”
    “I
have to keep my strength up,” he said, gasping between breaths as he threw the
log down. “Back in Tastia, I had a very intense training regimen, and I must
maintain it.”
    “I
remember you pitting your strength against your knights in wrestling, rope-pulling,
rock-throwing and all those other manly games.”
    “Would
you care to joust with me? You may use any handheld weapon of your choice,” he
asked.
    “It’s
very tempting, but, uh...”
    He
laughed, knowing very well that it wasn’t my kind of thing.
    I
couldn’t help but smirk. “Listen, babe, running around the neighborhood with a
log over your head is bound to draw attention. We’re supposed to remain
inconspicuous, remember?”
    “Would
you rather have me run with a heavy sword and in fifty pounds of chain armor.”
    “Goodness
no! That would draw too much