If she didn’t know him like she did, she would be worried he was running around having sex with someone else. Someone less pregnant. Maybe he found her unattractive now? No, that wasn’t it. She felt his hard-on every time he had touched her. He had at least allowed her to give him several hand jobs and one blow job, but that was it. She knew fear of hurting the baby was making him abstain from sex, she just for the life of her couldn’t figure out why. If the doctor had told them not to have sex she would have understood, but that’s not what happened.
She pushed off the counter and headed into the living room to find Peanut and Jasmine. They’d gone in there to watch some sci-fi show they liked. She entered to find them curled up on the couch with Jasmine tucked under her dad’s arm. They were both focused on the TV allowing her to watch them, a soft glow of love taking up residence inside her. She felt such joy when she saw them and it made her realize just how broken her relationship with Johnny had been from the moment she’d started it. These two had healed all the pain that had filled her when she’d arrived here. She loved them both to distraction and couldn’t even imagine her life without them in it. She was sure that would be a cold dark place that she didn’t want to ever have to face. Even if her man was a stubborn idiot determined to deny her what she so desperately needed.
Peanut looked up and saw her standing there watching them and held out his hand to her, inviting her to join them. Phoebe took the offer, liking the way he kissed her head and tucked her under his other arm. She knew that her bad life with Johnny had led her here to this man and his daughter. She wondered if she’d never met Johnny and been his wife, would she have ever met Peanut and found this perfect life. She didn’t know but she was glad she’d found her place here.
Even Viking had come around and seemed to be warming up to her. Peanut no longer frowned darkly when he came home to find Viking here. Jasmine was excited about Phoebe marrying her dad and being her new stepmother. Not that he’d asked her yet, but she suspected her would. He was likely waiting until after the baby was born because he knew she felt fat and bloated. Since Jasmine always wanted to help with getting things ready for the baby, they’d let her pick out the colors for the nursey. She’d even helped them move her bedroom upstairs so that the baby could have her old room.
Phoebe had worried that the little girl would feel like the baby was taking her place but Jasmine was too excited to have a bigger room and a baby brother to worry about all the changes. It might also be because Phoebe had made a point to ask for Jasmine’s help with preparing for the baby’s arrival. Having her help set up the room seemed to smooth over any worries the little girl might have had about her place now that their family was growing. Jasmine was even getting a vote on the name of the baby, which was going to be interesting since her current offering was Bandit thanks to her Uncle Hemp who thought it was funny to suggest horrid names to Jasmine every time he came over.
Phoebe didn’t know what was happening to Johnny and she didn’t ask. She knew that he was still breathing only because she’d over-heard Peanut talking to Viking about when the club lawyer had said that the divorce would be finalized. Apparently Johnny was allowed to live until a few weeks after those papers he’d signed went through the system. She knew she should probably have some moral objections to them killing him, but she didn’t. Johnny had come after her once and he was crazy enough to do it again if they let him go. She didn’t want any details and she was glad that Peanut left her out of the plan for his demise, but she wasn’t sorry he’d be dead soon. It might make her a horrible person, but she didn’t give a shit. He’d made her life a living hell that she almost hadn’t escaped, and she wasn’t sorry he couldn’t ever do that to her or anyone else ever again.
“You’re thinking too hard,” Peanut whispered into her ear as he kissed her cheek.
“Sorry,” Phoebe whispered back, hugging his arm to her. Jasmine stirred on his other side and moved across the couch until she was sitting snuggled up to Phoebe’s side. Phoebe smiled and ruffled Jasmine’s hair as she rested her small hand over the baby. They’d had another ultrasound last week to check the baby’s position and they’d let Jasmine tag along. Jasmine had told her as she’d looked at the 3D image of her little brother that she was going to be the bestest big sister ever and Phoebe believed her.
“You okay?” Peanut asked in her ear, placing another kiss just above it.
