The Woman He Married

38. Fire

"I miss the babies," Mae murmured when she woke up to Zane playing her hair and just staring at her in the morning.

"Me too," Zane hummed, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "You were talking in your sleep."

"I did?"

"Yeah. Something along the lines of 'pick up your toys' and 'gosh, but I still want more babies'. Like you're secretly hating on our babies for cluttering the house with toys."

"Yes," Mae hummed, smiling when Zane pinned her front against the bed and trailed kisses down her spine. "Well, I don't hate them. I just hate cleaning up."

"I suggested hiring more house helper, you said no." Zane reminded her, sitting up to reach for his phone on the bedside drawer.

"I have nothing else to do anyway," replied the full-time housewife. She gave up her dreams for the time being so she could be there and watch every inch of her children's growth. Zane called it an incubation intermission in her career after they were told that Mae was probably in the most fertile phase of her life while they were planning to have Morgan. Zane expressed both concern and excitement after hearing the news.

Mae did not put much hope on the statement, because her family was not big, neither was Zane's. She was thankful and content with just having Kate and Morgan, so she did not hope for more.

"Alaia's in labor," Zane told her, showing Mae a picture of Alaia lying on the hospital bed somewhere in Italy, where the couple were visiting Alaia's extended family. They were supposed to be home last week, but her grandaunt fell sick, and Alaia foreseen herself giving birth far away from home.

"Poor baby," Mae pouted. "I promised to be there for her, too."

"I told you we should've gone to Italy for this honeymoon but you said no," Zane shook his head, storing the phone away and planting a kiss on her cheek.

"But my babies are on my top priority," Mae hummed.

Their peaceful morning was then interrupted by the alarm going off. Zane looked over his shoulder, then got up to check the door while Mae put on her robe. He made his way to the front door to check what happened, and found the construction workers who had just arrived walking around outside.

"What happened?" Mae asked him, peeking at the door.

"False alarm. Maybe the workers tried to force the gate open," Zane told her. He paced to the kitchen while Mae stood at the door, still looking out. "I'm going to surf," Zane told her, shifting her attention back at him. Mae joined him and sat down on the bar stool.

"I think I'll rest," she hummed, "Didn't get enough sleep; in need of more sleep so I can do better tonight."

"Ooh," Zane smirked, pouring himself a glass of cold water. "I love it when you do better."

"Perv," Mae rolled her eyes. She looked around the house, and Zane noticed the slight discomfort in her body language. She inhaled sharply and exhaled, then she cocked her brows when she noticed he was staring.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"You. Your breath. You just sighed"

"I just feel... weird," Mae told him.

"You can't already be pregnant."

"No. I mean, it would be nice if I was, but I feel uneasy."

"Uneasy. Why?" He looked around, "This house creeps you out? I don't think there's a ghost in here but I'm no psychic."

"Quit playing," Mae scoffed.