Page 60 of Savage Little War

“Is there anything that I can do?” Dmitri says. “She has to carry so much on her own, I just want to be able to help somehow.”

A gentle ache envelops my heart. He’s done more for me than any other person on the planet, and he still doesn’t feel like he’s done enough.

Dr. Reeves smiles as she takes off her thin-framed glasses and tucks them into the pocket of her white coat. “Cara needs to keep her stress levels down. She should rest, but she should also do some moderate exercise at least a few times a week. And she needs to stay well hydrated. I’m sure you can help her with those things.”

Dmitri nods and places his hand over mine. “I will. After the florist appointment we’ll stop at the store and get whatever you need.”

Admittedly, I don’t mind all this spoiling. Just for a little while.

Once we wrap up at the doctor’s office, Dmitri walks me out to the parking lot, his hand resting on my lower back, as I look through the pictures that Dr. Reeves gave us. “How are you feeling?”

I laugh softly. “You’re being overly protective lately, even more so than normal.”

Dmitri’s serious expression doesn’t shift. “I almost lost you all over again in Italy. Which means I would’ve lost my child before ever meeting them.”

I sigh softly, realizing where all of this is coming from. It’s not just love. It’s fear.

“Actually… I almost lost you.”

Dmitri gives me a pointed look. “I just want you and the baby to stay safe, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen.”

I know that the doctor said I needed to watch my stress levels, but he is the one who needs to relax a little. Dmitri and his men are still searching everywhere they can for any clues as to who else questioned me in the farmhouse, but they haven’t come up with anything yet.

It’s put both Dmitri and my father on edge.

“As long as I’m with you, we’re safe,” I assure him as I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing the front of my body against his.

Dmitri forces himself to take a breath as his fingers splay out across my back. “I won’t relax until everyone who hurt you, or wants to hurt you, is gone.”

“That’s probably a long list, babe,” I tell him as I brush my fingertips along the side of his face, feeling the tension in his jaw.

“That’s why I’ve been so hard at work. All my men are doing everything they can to find out any information that could be relevant,” Dmitri replies before looking away from me as a black car with tinted windows pulls up next to us and parks. “Besides Mark.”

“You’ve basically turned the poor man into my chauffeur,” I say with a slightly pointed look. “Mark has better things to do than take me all over the city.”

“If something happens, I can trust him to protect you,” Dmitri tells me before opening the door to the backseat for me. “We need to go to Elodie’s, Mark.”

Mark glances over his shoulder at us. “That’s a bakery, right?”

“We have to pick out a flavor for the wedding cake,” I add as I put on my seatbelt.

“Just don’t get anything fruit flavored,” Mark mutters as he pulls out of the parking lot and onto the nearest street.

“Are you the one getting married?” Dmitri questions him.

Amusement flickers within me as I nudge him. “What? Do you want something fruit flavored? You said no to raspberries.”

Dmitri shrugs his shoulders. “Strawberry or lemon aren’t bad.”

I hold his arm as I lean against him, my heart warming. These are the moments that I’ve been wanting so badly for what feels like the entirety of our relationship. Simple, normal moments. Moments that we might not even remember in a few months, but they bring us even closer now.

I can only hope that we get to experience more normal moments than crazy ones.

When we arrive at the bakery, we’re quickly seated at a table to try a variety of different cake flavors. Dmitri picks up his fork and pauses, his eyes sweeping over the multiple little squares of different cakes neatly presented on a white platter.

“What do you want to try first?” he asks me.

“Classic chocolate with chocolate ganache,” I say before we both pierce the piece of cake with our forks. We take a bite at the same time, the corners of my mouth immediately turning up in delight. “You can’t go wrong with chocolate.”