“You’re using the silver flatware?” Eliza asks incredulously, coming into the kitchen with a spoon in her hand.
I look up from the bowl of potatoes I’m mashing. “Uh, yeah. It’s what we always use.”
“Your glasses have gold trim and you have gold flatware.”
“Oh, right.” I brush my hair back with my wrist and look at the time. I have about an hour until my family and friends start arriving for Thanksgiving dinner, and I’m a little behind.
Okay, a lot behind.
Usually, we split up who’s responsible for what, and Tabatha always makes the turkey. For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to make it all myself, though it’s made the last two days go by rather fast. Lucas has had fun cooking with me, and we might have gone a little overboard with everything we’ve prepared.
“Honestly, what would you do without me?” Eliza scoffs and turns around, blonde hair swinging down her back as she walks. Planning parties is Eliza’s thing, and she’s damn good at it. She came up with an elegant yet functional tablescape for the formal dining room, and went out and bought the fancy dishes we’re eating off of tonight.
“Thank you,” I call after her and go back to mashing the potatoes.
“I’ll do that,” Lucas says and comes up behind me, both hands wrapping around my waist. He kisses my neck and slides one hand over my stomach. I’m nearing twelve weeks now, still tired as fucking ever, and no one who looked at me would know I’m pregnant. But my stomach isn’t quite as flat as it used to be, and Lucas can’t keep his hands off me.
“Thanks.” I lean back against him, taking a few seconds to just breathe. The last week and a half has passed slow yet fast at the same time. I keep waiting for something to happen, for Bael to show up the second I leave the house. I almost threw an energy ball at an old man at the pet store a few days ago. He had on a long, brown jacket and smelled like sulfur, which must have been from him eating eggs for lunch or something.
Needless to say, I’m on edge, which was part of the reason I offered to go all out for Thanksgiving. It’s giving me something to focus on, and I’m trying hard to just live my life. I’ll always be in danger. Having archangel blood has promised that, and I’m not going to live in fear, hiding from the next threat. I don’t want to just survive, I want to live.
“What else needs to be done?” Lucas asks, mashing the potatoes with vampire speed.
“I’m going to set out the desserts in here, and don’t even think about it, Scarlet.”
It took her a few weeks to realize her newfound size enables her to reach just about anything off the counters. I arrange cookies on a three-tiered tray and put two pumpkin pies next to it. Then I fly back to the food, check on the turkey, stir the stuffing, stick the corn pudding in the oven, and get out the appetizers.
Finally, everything is set and ready, and I’m already exhausted. The snow melted, and it’s an oddly bright and sunny day in late November. It took a full day to enchant all the windows in this huge house, making it safe for Lucas and Eliza to be exposed to the light.
I use magic to do my hair as I go upstairs to change out of my leggings and t-shirt, putting on a dress instead.
“You look beautiful,” Lucas tells me when I come back downstairs. He takes me in his arms, pulling me in for a hug. He kisses me and then drops to his knees, pressing his ear against my stomach.
“Can you hear them?” I ask, raking my fingers through his hair.
“I can. They’re strong.”
“I wouldn’t expect anything less from your child,” I say with a smile.
Lucas stands up. “I have good genes.”
“You do.” I lean up and kiss him, and he slips his tongue past my lips. Picking me up, he carries me into the sitting room off the foyer. We’ve checked off quite a few locations in the house already. The doorbell rings not long after we get onto the couch, and I run my fingers through his hair once more.
He moves off of me and takes my hand, pulling me to my feet. Scarlet runs through the house, barking.