Littler Conversations (Conversations #1.5) Read online

  “Well, it started on the island of Crete. The king’s name was Minos, and he had a lovely daughter, as the kings in these stories tend to have,” Devin’s voice settled into low, dreamlike tones as she began to tell her tale. “He also had a Minotaur, you know, one of those dudes with the bull head that stands upright? Well, Minotaurs were really nasty buggers, and this one was even bad on the Minotaur scale, so they made this incredibly complicated labyrinth to keep him in. In fact, the dude who built the labyrinth could barely find his way out. So Minos figured it would work to keep the Minotaur in. But Minos wanted to keep him sort of satisfied, so every year he’d get the most beautiful and handsome people from Athens and push them into the labyrinth to feed the Minotaur. A sort of sacrifice.”

  “Why did this king want a Minotaur if they were so big and nasty?" Ronin asked.

  “Bragging rights?” she shrugged. “I don’t know, really. Men do weird shit sometimes.” She gave him a knowing sidelong glance with a sweet grin and continued. “So, anyway, along came this guy from Athens who was all super lovely, but kind of dickish. His name was Theseus.”

  “And this is the guy you said is like Jake, right?”

  “Yep, especially the ‘kind of dickish’ part. Anyway, Theseus flashed his baby blues at Ariadne, King Minos’ beautiful daughter, and she went all gaga over him, thinking she was in love with the guy. She offered to help him if he promised to take her away with him when he left. So, Theseus was like, ‘Okay, deal’ and agreed. She gave him a big ball of magic string to unwind when he entered the labyrinth. Theseus found the Minotaur, attacked and killed it, and then followed the string to find his way back out. He snagged Ariadne, and they sailed away together on his boat.”

  Ronin simply eyed Devin skeptically. “So where does this other dude come in?”

  “Well, Theseus ended up abandoning Ariadne. He took her to this island and, when she lay down to get some sleep, he just up and left her there to go home. I guess he got thinking that it wouldn’t be good to take her back to Athens. He probably had another girlfriend there or something, so he took off. See? Dickish…”

  “Hmm, yeah… that’s pretty dickish.”

  “Well, Ariadne was absolutely heartbroken because she totally thought she loved him, even though she barely knew the guy. But she was all kinds of a wreck, all alone with nowhere to go. She didn’t know what to do. And then Dionysus saw her.” Devin's voice went soft with a warm, sweet tone. “He was a son of Zeus who was raised by Nysaean nymphs, so he was kinda godly and shit. But her tears wrenched at his heart, and he instantly wanted to protect her, to heal her.” Devin’s voice lowered to a softer, almost inaudible tone. “He fell deeply in love with her right out of the gate, and he was so tender and kind.” She paused again and tenderly bit her lip. “He saved her, just like you saved me.”

  Ronin’s fingers brushed the hair from her eyes, tenderly caressing the line of her brow.

  “He made her a crown and had it mounted with seven of the most beautiful sparkling jewels ever to be found. He loved her so much that, after she died, he considered her worthy of immortal honors and placed her crown among the stars… the Northern Crown. Ariadne’s crown.”

  He wryly twisted his lips as he tasted her words. Then the twist turned up at the corners of his mouth slightly as his hazel eyes flicked up to hers.

  “Is this just a fancy way to tell me you want a crown?” he murmured.

  Devin quietly chuckled. “No, it’s just… well, I’m glad you love me. I’m glad I ended up with Dionysus and not Theseus. Some stories say that Theseus left her because he wanted someone else, which was very Jake. Others say he was scared of Dionysus,” she smiled and pressed her cheek into his caressing hand, “which is rather like Jake, too. You’ve kind of made him your bitch. A few times.”

  Ronin shrugged modestly, and jutted out his chin a little bit. “He’s an ass, that’s all,” he said. “Can’t back up his shit.”

  “I got the better end of the deal,” Devin whispered. “Ronin, I love you way more than I ever even thought I loved him.”

  Ronin’s gaze lifted to meet hers, reaching deep inside her soul and touching her deeply. Then he gave a slight smile. “You tell the asshat that?” he asked.

  “I did,” she nodded with a quiet smile. “And then I got all dreamy-eyed talking about you, which I think annoyed him even more.” Devin's eyes grew serious. “I love you, Ronin,” she softly murmured as she slid back to his side, bending over him to bestow a gentle kiss to his lips. “You're everything. My world. My life. You are my… my hero.”

  Chapter 3 ~ Baby

  The next morning, Ronin woke up and realized Devin was still in bed beside him, curled up on her side and tucked into his body as it spooned around her. Ever the early bird, Devin was hardly ever still in bed when he woke up, as she tended to get up before him to make coffee and pack him a lunch. Especially since she’d cut her hours back at Evergreen Floral and was napping more during the day.

  But today, she was still sound asleep. Like really heavily sound asleep. Ronin watched her for a moment, a little concerned at first. But they had been up late talking the night before. And she seemed so restful now, so blissfully out of it, that he quietly crawled out of bed to let her rest.

  She could use all the sleep she could get before the baby showed up. Which could really be any day now. Her due date was still a little over a week away, but the doctor kept reminding them that babies tend to come when they want, not really paying that much attention to the calendar. And Devin said many times that she would be perfectly happy to cut it a few days short.

  For her, Ronin was ready. She was uncomfortable and achy, and she seemed to get more so every day. And she was obviously so very anxious to meet their child. To find out if it was a boy or a girl. To see their familiar characteristics in a tiny little package.

  He was, too. Yet, at the same time, he was terrified. Part of him knew the baby was safe and sound inside her. He worried about the birth, about the pain. And, fuck, what if something went bad. That thought sent icy, sharp pains through his lungs.

  He swallowed his fear and told himself that, every day, women gave birth all over the world. Some, in much worse circumstances. So he kept telling himself, Devin would be fine. Their baby would be fine.

  Granted, he wasn’t sure he’d be fine, but as long as his wife and child made it through okay, he’d fake it well.

  After coffee and a shower, he stepped back into the bedroom to get dressed, pulling on a worn pair of Carhartt work jeans and a faded t-shirt. It was supposed to be hotter than hell today, and another pang went through him as he thought of Devin, with her little internal heater, suffering through the hottest part of the summer right at the end of her pregnancy. Thank God for central air conditioning.

  He sat on the edge of the bed to tie his boots, and Devin emitted a tiny little murmur in her sleep… not really a sigh or a moan or a gasp, but maybe a mixture of the three.

  For a second, Ronin froze at the faintly distressed sound, studying her face which seemed relaxed in her heavy sleep. Her breathing was even and soft, and he let out a deep breath of his own, one he hadn’t even realized he was holding.

  But as he turned back to his laces, she did it again.

  This time when he looked at her, she had knitted her forehead, and her lips fell open slightly as her breathing became sharp. He watched her for a second, although it seemed like forever. She shifted uncomfortably in the bed, and then once again relaxed slightly.

  The unsettled feeling in Ronin’s stomach grew, and he stood, looking around the room. There by the door was a small bag Devin had packed a few days before. He walked through the kitchen and eyed his keys sitting in plain view on the edge of the counter.

  And then he just sort of stood there for a minute.

  It was probably nothing, he told himself. It wasn’t time yet. Not really. Maybe she was just dreaming. Devin was a very animated sleeper at times, talking about all sorts of whacked out things in he
r sleep, restless unless she was wrapped tightly in his arms.

  But the thought of leaving this morning, driving out to the build site in the mountains where he wouldn’t even have cell service, made his gut feel terribly uneasy.

  Rationally, he kept reminding himself that the doctor said labor would more than likely last hours, possibly even a good day or so if not even longer. And he would just be going to work. It wasn’t like he was leaving forever. Hell, he could even come home at lunchtime. It would be a long lunch, but it was only about a thirty-minute drive to the cabin they were contracted to build.

  Okay, he'd go to work.

  So he stepped back into the kitchen, opening the fridge to find the lunchmeat and cheese.

  Yet, he just stood there and stared.

  He didn’t know what to do. Something felt strange. Uncertain. This wasn’t him. He wasn’t indecisive. He was the type of guy that just did. He didn’t overthink things and certainly didn’t fuck around by weighing the odds of shit like whether or not he was going to work.

  So he reached into the fridge, and then heard a gasp from the bedroom.

  “Ronin?” Devin’s small, strangely cautious voice called out to him.

  Fuck that. He was so not working today.

  Quickly moving back to the bedroom, he sat on Devin’s side of the bed, brushing her hair back from her barely open eyes.

  “You okay?” he asked, and her gaze seemed a little confused, muddled by sleep.

  “Yeah, I just wasn’t sure if you were still here,” she whispered.

  With a breathy chuckle, he smiled down at her. “I was thinking I might stay home with you.”

  “Why?” she asked, rubbing her eyes.

  “I just… I don’t know. It’s weird. I just feel like I need to.”

  Her fingertips brushed along the angle of his jaw as she sleepily looked up at him with a soft lift to her lips.

  “You don’t need to. I’m not going anywhere. I may not even get out of bed. I’m so tired.”

  “Yeah, baby,” he leaned into her palm. “I know. And that’s not like you.”

  “You’re worrying too much,” she laughed quietly. “You’re not that far away today and—”

  Suddenly Devin’s eyebrows grew tight. Her breath caught and her eyes slammed shut.

  “Dev?” Ronin asked. His hand slid down her side and up over her rounded tummy which felt hard and tense. “Honey?”

  After a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open again and her breathing seemed to restart. “Huh,” she exhaled, “that was weird.”

  Ronin sort of felt like his own stomach contracted. His heart, too. Like his lungs seized up for a minute, and his brain went blank. “What was weird?”

  “It was just kind of a… quick flash. A cramp or something. It’s fine now. I must have just moved wrong, pinched something.”

  “Baby, you weren’t moving,” he eyed her suspiciously.

  Devin only breathed out a small laugh. “You look terrified.”

  “You’re kind of freaking me out, Dev,” he admitted ruefully.

  “Well, don’t worry,” she firmly admonished, running her fingertips soothingly down the length of his arm. “It’s fine. But damn, I’ve gotta pee.”

  Ronin gave her his hand and helped pull her upright. She’d taken to sleeping in his soft flannel shirts, and wore one now that hung to her knees. She was so small that, even in the late stages of pregnancy, she still swam in the shirt. Mostly.

  He tucked his arm around her, as though to support her.

  “Ronin, I can walk to the bathroom.”

  He looked at her with a worried frown, fighting the urge to pick her up and carry her into the adjoining room.

  She really was freaking him out.

  “Really,” she promised. “Go finish getting ready for work. I just need to pee, and then I’m going back to bed.”

  She turned to stand before him, wrapping her arms around his waist and tipping her head up for a kiss. A kiss that Ronin set softly on her lips. He pushed his anxious worry to fade away as he tasted her, and his fingertips trailed along her soft cheek, deepening the kiss ever so slightly.

  Suddenly Devin pulled back, a look of complete shock frozen on her face.

  “Oh my God,” she gasped, “I think I just peed.”

  Ronin choked a laugh at first, the quick thought hitting him that a pregnant woman really had very little control over so many things with her body. But then, something else occurred to him.

  “Wait, are you sure?” he asked. “Or could it be—”

  “My water? Oh my God… oh shit…”

  For a second, they just stared at each other. Then, almost simultaneously, they both looked down to see a small puddle forming at Devin’s bare feet.

  “Oh gross,” Devin gasped.

  “Fuck, we need to get you to the hospital,” Ronin growled. He braced her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Don’t move,” he commanded before he let her go.

  With large, determined strides, he quickly grabbed the bag, throwing the long strap over his shoulder, and stopped to pick up a towel hanging on the back of the bathroom door which he wrapped around her hips and tucked into itself below her belly. Then, without another word, he lifted her into his arms and marched through the kitchen, grabbing his keys on the way to the front door.

  “Ronin, I think I can walk,” Devin said softly.

  “Uh uh,” he argued curtly. The concern had made his voice rather terse. “Your water broke. I don’t want you walking because of that shit that can happen with the cord.”

  “I wasn’t planning on going grocery shopping or something,” she argued. “I was just going to walk to the car. I think that’s probably okay.”

  “Dev, I read about prolapsed cords and shit in those fucking books of yours. Scared the fuck out of me. I don’t want you walking,”

  Devin’s mouth fell open. “You read the books?”

  “Started to,” he replied, pulling the door shut behind him and heading to his pickup, “a couple times. And then they would start going into detail about some of the things that were going to happen, and I’d have to put 'em aside.” He huffed out a grunt. “But then I’d start thinking it would be better if I knew about it all, so I’d start again.”

  “Ronin…” she breathed.

  “Although, right now,” he shot her a lamentable, wry smile, “I kinda wish I didn’t know any of that shit, Dev.”

  The ride to the hospital was relatively uneventful. It was only about a half mile away, a few blocks really. There was only one stoplight in the entire town, and that was back where the highways met, so it wasn’t like they had to worry about red lights and such. As well, it was super early in the morning and most of the town likely still slept.

  Ronin pulled the pickup to a stop in front of the emergency room entrance as the rest of the reception areas wouldn’t be manned just yet.

  “Stay,” he ordered pointing a warning finger at Devin.

  Devin nodded mutely feeling a little off-guard by his domineering mood. But she also realized that it didn’t invite any form of argument.

  Ronin hopped out and crossed to the passenger side, opening the door and lifting her out of the truck. In a few quick strides, he had her in the ER and was demanding a bed.

  “How far apart are the contractions,” the nurse calmly asked as they walked towards an exam area.

  “I’m not sure I’m even having any,” Devin quietly said.

  The nurse turned and looked at the two of them. “Then why do you think you’re in labor?”

  “Her water broke,” Ronin sad sternly, “and she’s gonna be in a bed. Now.”

  “Sir—” the nurse began.

  “Now,” Ronin repeated, narrowing his eyes at the nurse’s doubtful expression.

  “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a look, right?” she softly said as she pulled back a curtain and led them into a small private area.

  A short time later, Devin lay on her back in the bed, legs s
pread wide with Ronin leaning over her. He gently pushed her hair back out of her face as the nurse ‘took a look’ to get an idea of if and how far along labor had progressed. Just as she had begun the examination, a heavy, dull ache spread through Devin’s hips and lower abdomen, and she arched her back with a sharp gasp.

  The nurse peeked up over her knees and belly at Devin’s face, watching for a second before murmuring a quiet “Huh…”

  The tightness held on a little longer this time, and Devin clutched at Ronin's forearm as though she could absorb his strength.

  “Well, surprise,” the nurse said to Devin after it ended. “I dare say you’re in labor.”

  “No shit,” Ronin muttered under his breath.

  Devin gave a slight breathy laugh, her body coming to rest after the contraction. “Be nice,” she scolded quietly, running her hand up Ronin's arm to his chest. Her fingertips curled into his shirt to pull him closer.

  Ronin looked into her eyes, his voice deep with a thick emotion. “I’m not letting anyone fuck around, Devin,” he growled softly.

  “Just try not to piss off any of the hospital staff, okay?” she smiled.

  “So, how long have you been having the pains?” the nurse asked as she lowered Devin’s legs and nudged her to lie on her side.

  “Not very long, I don’t think,” Devin responded. “I just woke up.”

  “I think she was having some when she was still asleep, though,” Ronin added.

  “Really?” Devin asked him in a little wonder.

  “Yeah, really,” he answered.

  “Well,” the nurse explained, “I’d say you’re about four centimeters dilated and about eighty percent effaced. So, it’s a good thing you’re here, I’d reckon.”

  “Shit,” Devin gasped, and looked up at Ronin, then gasped as another pain began low in her belly. This one seemed to hang on a little longer. Actually, it seemed to go on forever, even though it probably only went on for a minute or two.

  “Why did we think this was a good idea?” Devin asked on a deep exhale as the contraction began to fade.