Eventually, he did move, and I missed his weight as soon as he pulled off me. I tried not to pout as rolled over and pulled me so that I was on top of him. “That was amazing.”
I lifted my head and smiled at him. “Yeah, it was.”
His satiated smile made me smirk. I placed my head back on his shoulder and enjoyed the silence in the room mixed with the thud of his heart against his chest. His breathing was calm and even and I was almost sure that he had fallen asleep. But I was surprised when I heard him speak.
“Are you excited for your birthday?”
I chuckled and drew circles on his chest. “I think. You didn’t plan anything more than dinner, right?”
“I just planned a simple dinner and presents. Is there anything else you want to do?” he asked.
I flashed a salacious grin. “I do think there is something else I want more of.” I moved my hips just a little to send the message across.
He laughed and hugged me tighter. “That can definitely be arranged.”
I was woken up by a fully dressed Nicholas the next morning.
“Good morning, baby. Happy birthday.” He leaned in to kiss me and he smelled so damn good.
I opened one eye and stretched my arms and legs. “Morning.”
“I am so sorry I have to leave. I would must rather stay here and give you a long, hard, early morning birthday wish that you wanted-” His eyes sparkled mischievously and I shook my head, amused. “But I have an early meeting that I can’t postpone. I wanted to wake you up so you weren’t late.”
I nodded, remembering I had classes this morning. I was still drowsy but I suddenly remembered that I had forgotten to talk to Nicholas about the creepy guy who had been following me the last couple weeks. So much had happened the last two days with Jeff and the baby, it had completely slipped my mind.
With the thought of returning to campus, it was right at the front again.
I swallowed thickly. “Nicholas,” I started.
He was already walking toward the door, but turned my way and frowned as he glanced down at his watch. “Sorry, baby. I really do have to take off. I’m already late.”
I nod. “Okay.”
“I love you. Be prepared to open all the presents I got for you!” He flashed me a huge grin before rushing out the door.
My stomach twisted nervously and I jumped out of bed, racing to make it to the bathroom in time. I hunched over the toilet for what seemed like ages, although I wasn’t sure if it was morning sickness or dread. I was a bit scared and not quite sure what to do.
If it was just me, it wouldn’t have been that big of a deal. I would carry some mace in my purse and spray that H-or whatever his name was-asshole in the face if he got near me again.
But it wasn’t just me anymore. I had to also worry about the baby I was carrying. It simply wasn’t safe for me to go about this without some help. I needed to talk to someone and figure out what to do about attending classes with this guy out there somewhere.
I finally got myself up, taking a quick shower and dressing in some comfortable clothes. I texted Melody, letting her know I wouldn’t be in our classes today and called John to tell him I was staying home. There was one more person- aside from Nicholas, of course-I needed to talk to before I even thought about going to campus again.
Virgil.
I scrolled through my phone and found his cell number. He answered after only one ring.
“Mrs. Rowe?”
“How many times do I have to tell you to call me Willow?” I smiled at his insistence on propriety.
He chuckled. “You’re going to have to get used to it.” I shook my head and sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh. “Virgil, I think I need your help.”
“What’s wrong? Where are you?” He was immediately on alert.
“I’m at home. Is there any way you could come over here? I need to talk to you about something.”
“Yeah, sure. Are you staying there today? No classes?”
“Well, that was part of what I want to talk to you about.”
“Are you okay? Do I need to be there immediately?”
“I’m okay. Everything is fine here. Just come over when you can.”
He was silent for a minute. “I’ll be over around noon. Does Mr. Rowe know you’re calling me?”
“No. Not yet. I didn’t have time to talk to him this morning.”
“All right. I’ll be over in a couple of hours.”
“Thank you, Virgil.”
I felt better after hanging up. If I knew anything about Virgil, it was that he would help me figure out who H was and what he wanted.
I made my way downstairs, finding Laura in the kitchen.
“Willow, are you okay? You aren’t dressed for school.” She was by my side in an instant, her hand brushing my cheeks and forehead. “You’re flushed. Sit down.”
I smiled at her concern. “I’m just feeling a little nauseous this morning. I think I’m going to skip classes today.”
She nodded and hurried over to put a kettle on the burner. It wasn’t long before I had a steaming cup of tea in front of me as well as toast and crackers. My stomach calmed a bit after eating my breakfast.
Before I finished, Laura set something else in front of me.
“Happy Birthday,” she said.
I grinned at her before opening up the gift. She’d gotten me a journal. “I thought maybe you could use this while you’re pregnant. Keep a daily record of everything before and after the baby’s born. That way, one day you can share it with him or her.”
I stood up and hugged her. “Thank you, Laura. It’s perfect.”
I spent the next couple of hours in the library, using the time to study until Virgil showed up a little before noon. I glanced up as he made his way over to take a seat in the chair next to the couch I was on.