“Not really.” I finish making the hot chocolate and let her take hers. “Let’s sit in the living room.”

I wait for her to sit first and then sit beside her. She sits back and holds her hot chocolate in both hands, blowing on the top and sipping it.

“My mom, when you meet her, she’ll talk a lot about doing shows. She was a performer.” I nod. “She did a lot of shows, and my father wasn’t always happy about it, but my mother loved to perform. She did until she had Luka, and then she retired because four kids were too much. Personally, I think she knew Luka was her last and wanted to spend as much time as she could with him.”

She watches me steadily and settles into the sofa. “Your family sounds very close.”

“You’ll find Danil is very serious all the time. He gets quite moody. Arseny is a little psycho, a little bit of a joker. I’m pretty sure my dad dropped him on his head a few too many times.”

“What about Luka?” she asks curiously.

“Luka, despite being head of security, is also a gentle soul. Much like you are. He would die to protect the ones he loves.” I sip my hot chocolate. “Just don’t mention my dad around anyone. It’s a touchy subject.”

“Why are you telling me this?” she asks quietly.

“Because when we go to our first family event together, I want you to fit in more. I want you to feel comfortable. I want you to feel more comfortable with this entire situation.”

I take her mug and set both our mugs down. I take her hands, and she sits up closer to me. “After the theatre…”

She pulls away from me and stretches. “I’m so sorry, Kervyn. I’m so exhausted since being pregnant. Could we talk about this another time? The warm hot chocolate has made me even sleepier.”

“Of course,” I say, standing as she stands. “Penny, if there’s something wrong…” I pause.

“You abducted me from my life that I worked so hard for. That doesn’t change, Kervyn.” She blushes. “No matter how many hot chocolates you make me.”

She walks out, and I stand there for a moment, frustrated and infuriated. All I’m trying to do is make her see that we could work as a team.

Women.

Fucking frustrating as hell.

I leave to check on the club and stay there for several hours, and when I come back, I find the kitchen lights on. I check what’s going on and find Penny scratching through the cupboard.

“Are you looking for something?” I ask.

She jumps slightly. “I thought you were asleep. I’m sorry, I just suddenly had a craving for a tangy, salty pickle.”

“Ah, the pickle. I think we ran out after your last craving. Come on.” I motion for her to walk out of the kitchen. “There’s a convenience store nearby that sells them. Since you’re up, you can go for a drive with me.”

She smiles excitedly, forgetting herself. I see a happy side to her. A pickle can make my fiance happier than I can. How fucking depressing.

I drive us to the convenience store to buy five bottles of pickles. The clerk smiles at us. “Pickles at two in the morning. Is someone pregnant?”

“She is.” I motion to Penny with my head. “It’s why I’m always here.”

“You’re the pickle dude the other clerk always talks about.” He laughs. “That’s brilliant.”

I give him a curt smile and take the bag of pickles. We get back to the car, and Penny opens a jar immediately and pulls one out, biting into it.

She moans softly. “Hmm. Yes, that is exactly what I’m looking for.” She looks at me. “Can we go back in?”

“What? Do you want all the pickles?” I ask.

“No. I want something sweet, too.”

“Okay.” I smile. “Let’s go get your weird food.” I wander around after her with a basket as she picks out various things. I can’t say my stomach doesn’t agree with the selection.

By the time we’re home, I have to call a guard to unload the car. Then Penny and I spend an hour repacking the kitchen so she has a shelf just for her snacks. It’s amusing, to say the least, but it’s a side of her I like to see.

Chapter 12 - Penny

I wake up and yawn, stretching slowly. I’m still overfull from all the weird craving snacks I snacked on at two o'clock in the morning. Who knew Kervyn could be so funny and so witty? It’s a side of him I didn’t know existed. I just assumed he was always bossy and businesslike, but last night was different.

Well, this morning, I should say.

I get up and showered, and for once, I’m actually looking forward to breakfast. I dress in my usual dress and sandals and head downstairs. As I go, I pass Mrs. Beth, who is ordering Maria to polish the banister properly. Maria must have done something wrong to deserve that as a punishment. I’ve never seen them polish the banister.

I practically float onto the terrace, and I’m excited to see it’s a full English fry-up for breakfast. That’s been my favorite lately, and it’s probably the reason that they are making it. I sit down and immediately start dishing up toast, fried eggs, bacon, and fried pork sausages.

“Good morning, Kervyn,” I comment, smiling in his direction.

Kervyn drops his paper for a moment, and a small smile plays on his lips. “Morning, Penny.”

He sets his paper down and picks up a piece of toast to butter it. “I notice it’s your next appointment with the obstetrician this morning. The next scan.” He bites into the toast.

I touch a hand to my belly lightly. He really does care about our well-being. “Yes, it is Kervyn.”

Zakahr walks onto the terrace, and Kervyn clears his throat. “You’re welcome.” It’s a gruff, quick response before he goes back to his newspaper. That boils my blood. Now I know he can be fun and caring, and as soon as someone from his family is here, he acts like a heartless dickhead. He can’t have it both ways.

I eat my food in silence, and when he tries to kiss me goodbye, I shift away from him. He grumbles to himself about women and leaves, and I stare at my plate.

“Trouble in paradise?” Zak asks.

I look up “No.” Why am I lying to cover up for Kervyn? “Well, I’m just upset he can’t come to my prenatal scan.”

“I can,” Zak offers. “I’ll be happy to accompany you.”

I smile. Zak has been a Godsend, and we’ve become fast friends. I know it bugs Kervyn that I hang out with him. I’ve seen the jealous looks he gives. I suppose this could be a fun way of getting back at him.

“Yeah, okay. We should probably get ready to leave.” I stand up, and Zakhar follows suit.

“I’ll drive us,” he says with a charming smile. “That way, we can sneak off and shop if we want to.”

I giggle and nod. “Okay. Deal.”

I get my things and walk out of the house to Zakhar’s Range Rover. I get in the passenger seat and buckle in.

“Ready?” he asks.