Leah stormed out of the room, past Mitch to the kitchen. She needed a drink of water. Her anger was getting the better of her. The windows were wide open to deal with the fumes created from the paint. She wasn’t doing any heavy lifting.
Mitch wrapped his arms around her waist. His hand stroked her stomach. She leaned against him loving his comfort. “He worries about you all the time.”
“If you ever came home you’d see I was safe. I’m not going to wait around for you to do the nursery.”
“I know.”
“I know you’re hard at work, and I hate it. I want to help you, but I can’t do anything to help,” she said. Her frustration grew as his comfort reminded her how much time they missed together.
“We’re doing really well, Leah. There won’t be much more work to do. Our previous clients are there, and we’re building a base. The money we’ve been given is perfect.”
“I miss you.”
“Am I forgiven?” Chase asked, standing in front of her.
“Are you going to stop accusing me of putting my son at risk?”
He nodded his head. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“You shouldn’t.”
After that night Mitch and Chase tried to do as much of the work possible. Leah didn’t mind doing the work. She’d tried to assemble the cot she’d bought, but it looked more like a wooden igloo by the time she was finished. Her men fixed all the furniture, and as she went into her seventh month of pregnancy, the nursery was complete.
The time was going by so fast. Her pregnancy was speeding along. She’d felt her son kick. Chase and Mitch were still waiting for that privilege. Whenever they cuddled up to her, he’d fall asleep inside her. She figured their son was already forming a protest over the lack of time. It felt like she’d turned into a giant penguin overnight. She waddled with each step she took. Mitch and Chase teased her constantly over how she moved.
Leah woke up one night to hear Chase and Mitch shouting in the sitting room. She rolled off the bed onto her knees. It was humiliating how she had to get herself out of bed in the mornings. She moved closer and was shocked to see Mitch shaking a pair of keys at Chase.
“I told you I haven’t seen them in months,” Chase said.
“What’s going on?” Leah asked, rubbing her stomach.
“Chase has misplaced a set of keys.”
“I haven’t misplaced them. I can’t misplace what I’ve not had in months.”
“Are you seriously arguing about a set of keys at two in the morning?” Leah asked.
Mitch walked over, wrapping his arms around her body. She snuggled in close and reached for Chase. Her other man came to her without any hesitation.
“I bumped into the lady who lives downstairs, and she’s had a break-in recently,” Mitch said.
“What?”
“The burglaries are getting closer to here.”
Leah shivered. She was alone in this apartment by herself most days. She didn’t like the thought of being at risk.
“Leah, have you seen my set of keys?” Chase asked.
“No.”
She yawned. “I need to go to sleep, guys.”
Mitch carried her through to their room. Leah couldn’t wait for their baby to be born. It had been months since she’d had any energy left.
****
Mitch stayed with her until she fell asleep. He felt guilty for leaving her while she was heavily pregnant. It was getting harder and harder each day to close the door behind him. She’d left her job where she’d been a receptionist several weeks ago. Her energy levels were low all the time. She couldn’t keep up with the heavy work-load, and he didn’t like the stress she was under. When he’d bumped into the lady downstairs and she’d warned him about the break-in, his fear had been increased. In Leah’s condition she was in no state to handle a situation like that.
“I love you,” he said, kissing her head.
She mumbled something, turned over, and went back to sleep.
He walked out to find Chase coming out of the shower.
“Are you sure you haven’t misplaced your keys?” Mitch asked.
“I’ve not seen them in months.”
“We better get the locks changed. I’m not risking her or the baby.”
Chase nodded his head. “How is she?”
“Tired?”
“Only a few weeks left to go.”
Mitch nodded.
“I’m going to go and keep her warm. I’ll see you in a minute.” Chase walked into their bedroom as Mitch closed the bathroom door.
He removed his clothes climbing into the already running shower. Rinsing his hair, Mitch thought about everything that had happened in the last few months. Their business was running okay. It was not as successful as he’d like it to be, but they had a constant supply of clients and their work load was increasing. He hoped by the end of the year they’d be able to hire someone to help out. Leah helped with filing the paperwork away leaving them to go out and make the urgent calls. The time they spent away was the hardest part.