53: Pair Protection

"What's up? What did we miss?"

They don't know if they should tell about it to them. Talia and Kiel wants to surprise them, not this early since they has not confirmed yet if Talia is really pregnant. It is already obvious that she is but they must have assurance. In the end, they did not tell to them about it yet to be safe.

"You want to eat something?" Kiel immediately asked about Talia's cravings. But she just rolled her eyes especially when she saw Kiel's grinning face. She find it annoying, really. "Come on, babe. I will buy pregnancy test right now and maybe you want me to buy something to eat?"

Talia then hissed. "I want to eat vegetable salad."

Kiel agreed to Talia. As he left, Talia sighed in subtlety then she looked down at her stomach. She gently caress it and smiled. In her mind, she is already talking to her baby inside her stomach. She can't help but to feel grateful than ever. Having kids, that is her least dream with Kiel Alexandro. No one is more than happier to her today.

She then stopped from touching her stomach when she heard a knock outside the door. Eman then went inside with a small smile plastering on his lips. With his face, he is already sorry because he went inside without any of her permission. That does not matter anyway.

"What is it?" she asked him as he sat at the edge of her bed. Eman heaved a deep sigh first and looked at her inwardly. "You look problematic, brother. What is it?"

"I feel like you love hiding secrets from us," he said and hissed. Talia then shut after she heard that. "I know that it is none of my business but curiosity kills someone, Tal."

Talia then let out a silent chuckle. "In the right time, Eman."

"When is that?" he asked with his brows furrowed.

"Anytime in the right time," Talia simply said.

"Yeah, right, sorry," Eman then said and stood up quickly. "I mean, I could wait. It was just that I want to talk to you. Anyway, Tal. Mom and Dad wants to talk with you. Are you fine with it?"

"Sure, why not?"

Eman stared at her for a second then he grabbed his phone inside his pocket. He typed something first then he gave to Talia his phone with their parents already appearing in the screen, She automatically smiled while Eman excused himself out of the room to give them space to talk to one another.

"Hey, Mom, Dad!" Talia greeted them with a smile planting on her lip and then she waved a little. "I miss you. How are you doing there?"

"Doing all right, dear Talia. Are you fine there?" said Trist with a worrying face. Ysmael just waved his hands to her and proceeded to working with a file. "I miss you so much, our princess."

"Yeah, me too. I am just fine here," she said. Not to mention about what happened to her because of Cage. She has no plans of telling them about it because she does not want them to worry and give them shoulders to carry. And they are too busy in their work, she can not afford to divert their attention to her instead of focusing in work.

"Nah, I want you to come home," Trist said all of a sudden, making Talia to swallow her own saliva. "I don't want to worry about you while you are away from us, Talia. It would be better if you will live with us here in the mansion."

She sighed and looked away. She does not know what to say. She does not want to come back in the mansion yet because it just reminds her the pain and loneliness whenever she is inside her room and doing nothing. "Mom..." she slowly uttered with a small voice. "I can't."

"Oh, why?" sadness is evident on Trist's voice, making Talia to feel sorry and guilty.

"I am more comfortable here," she said without giving her mother a look. "But I will visit you there when I want to. It was just that I love it here, nature is surrounding me."

"Make sure to have time for us, okay?" her mother assured which made her to nod her head. "Anyway, Ysiah is here. Do you want to talk with him?"

Talia's lips parted before she let out a soft chuckle. "That man hates me all over his existence," she said. "But if he wants to talk to me, why not? I am not that immature."

Trist laughed and turned the camera back for Talia to see Ysiah that is sitting pretty in the couch and is reading a document silently. When Ysiah felt the camera hitting his direction, he looked at the phone with his brows creased then he rolled his eyes. That action made Talia and Trist to burst into laughter. Ysiah was like an attitude, like a woman who is having her menstruation just now.

"Come on, Ysiah! Just talk to Talia!" their mother suggested, laughing. But Ysiah did not bother them anymore. He acted like an unbothered prince that does not care about his family, especially his sibling. When will he accept Talia in his life, though? He was just the one who is so bitter and making Talia's presence in the Zanea's big of a deal, in a negative way.

At the end, Ysiah still did not care about Talia's. After minutes, Trist excused herself because she has work to do. After Talia hang up the call, she stared at the blank ceiling with an unreadable expression. She does not know what she should feel. Should she be thankful because of her parents? Or to pity herself because Ysiah still treats her the same?

"Hey, babe." Kiel came back with a pregnancy test and with the vegetable salad she made him buy. "I brought you this," he said then handed her a bouquet of flowers.

She hissed. "Whew, thanks! How lovely."

"No worries, anything about you."

Kiel kissed her head first before he went inside the restroom to change his clothes. Then, Talia get the paper bag with the pregnancy test and the salad. She smell the food first and gulped as she started to drool the way it tastes and smell. Talia then decided to take the pregnancy test. After Kiel uses the restroom, she went inside. After minutes, the result in the test is positive with two lines.

"How is it?" Kiel asked immediately as soon as she went out of the restroom. Then, Talia jumped over Kiel to hug him tightly. "Positive?" He now look so excited with the thought.

"Yes," she said and bit her lower lip. She was encircling her arms around his neck while his was wrapped around her waist. Their reaction was like they just know about it because they jumped in so much happiness. Their reaction lately and recently were differently the same and that sounds so cute of them.

"Should we announce it already?" Kiel queried while beaming widely. That is when Talia stopped and decided to sit in the bed. "Hey, are you fine?"

"Yes, I am. Uh, about telling it to them, maybe we should not yet? Let's surprise them."

Kiel stared at her for a second because he found Talia acting weird. "Oh, okay," he just agreed even though his thoughts were likewise to what he said. He wants to ask about the reason except of wanting to surprise them. That she might have another valid one because she looked problematic just by her eyes.

***

"Good morning, my wife."

Talia woke up with a greet from Kiel. She felt him kissing her cheeks down to her neck and then to her ear. She groaned a little and chuckled because she felt tickling. "Good morning, love," she greeted back and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How is your sleep?"

"I dreamt of you," Kiel uttered and played with Talia's hair. "You look more gorgeous every morning."

"Liar," she hissed and played with his hair. "Thanks to you I woke up in a good mood. Hmm, maybe we should go shopping for us not to feel bored? I will buy some clothes for our baby."

Kiel's brows shut after he heard that. While Talia is still closing her eyes, Kiel went on top of her and then he started to kiss her from her forehead, down to his lips.

"Hey, I have not take toothbrush yet!" Talia exclaimed but Kiel seemed not to care. She pushed him making him to chuckle. She knew that Kiel was already awake for almost an hour already because she tasted toothpaste from his mouth and she feel ashamed because she know that she has not clean herself yet.

"Oh, what again? Shopping for our baby? We do not know about the gender yet," said Kiel and caressed Talia's stomach. "You want to go out? Hmm, all right."

Talia sighed. "I want to go shopping."

"Yeah, and you will go out."

Talia then rolled her eyes and fixed her hair, Kiel helped him to tie her messy and tousled hair though. "I love to stare to every kids in the park. Maybe we should go and stay there?"

"Sure thing, babe," he sad and winked. And just like what is planned, they prepared themselves to go out. Talia just wore a white hoodie and a short that is above the knee while Kiel wore a V-neck shirt and a short that is leveling the knee.

"Where are you going?" Plian asked while she was watering the flowers outside the house. Eman and Axel was already not around, probably they already went home because they can not stay longer, perks of being in business. 

Talia and Kiel looked at each other. "Uh, we are going to the mall," Talia answered. Plian stared at the both of them first like she were reading their minds if they are really saying the truth. What was that for, though? They are already adult that does not need any guardian to update them everything they do like going somewhere. "Why?"

Plian then shakes her head. "Vionna told me that you are not allowed to go somewhere without a guard."

She bit her lower lip in disbelief. She took a glance at Kiel that was currently raising his left eyebrow, probably having the thought that they were babysitting Talia. "I can be her guard," Kiel said with a smirk at the side of his lips.

"Take care of her," Plian said and proceeded to watering the plants. They both shrugged because they find Plian weird. Maybe that is just her when worrying and also, she has orders from Vionna to take care of Talia.

They excused themselves to Plian first before they got inside Kiel's car. Without any second, Kiel started the engine. Talia get her phone and checked her inbox, upon seeing Zed in the lane of messages, she stopped in realization.

"How is he?" she muttered like Kiel already know who she is referring to. When Kiel did not answer, she tilted her head towards him and looked at him with a questioning look. "Kiel?"

"Huh? What were you saying again?" Yeah, he did not hear what Talia asked him. He glanced at her and went back to focusing on the road.

"I am asking about Zed, where is he? I mean, how is he?"

Kiel licked his lower lip and answered her. "He was not there when cops came. Maybe he is hiding with that Deguzman."

Talia leaned against her seat and did not know what to react. "Can we find him? I want to talk to Zed."

"For what?"

"I want to ask him why he is doing those things, that he is willing to ruin our relationship by abducting me, by hurting us." Talia was so down with the thought of her best friend betraying her. She can not imagine those things to happen. She did not expect Zed to turn his back against her someday.

"His parents died," Kiel stated. "And was killed as well like yours. He wants Cage's team to help him find the person who killed his parents that is why he is willing to do everything for justice."

Talia gulped her own saliva. So, Zed was like just her, huh? Willing to do everything for justice? Justice for their parents? Mourning for being alone? Because they were left behind by their parents they thought would stay longer beside them. Yet, their differences is that Talia does not do things that she knows that is off the line. She does not hurt anyone, she does not send anyone to death.

They were both seeking justice in a very different way.

Talia stared at Zed's name in the message line and thought of reaching him out, in case he would text back. And when she planned to type a message, Kiel stopped her from her plans. "Why?" she looked at him with her brows furrowed, curious about why he stopped her

"That's useless," he said. "He will not text you back even if you are you."

"How do you know? What if he will answer me?" Talia hoped that Zed might really answer her text even though it is already clear from Kiel that he would not even if what you are to him. No exception. That is witty to be honest, because what if Talia planned to track him and he'd text back?

"Zed is hiding, Tal," Kiel said in monotone, trying to make Talia understand. "He is guilty. He was the one who put a camera on your neck, he was following you since then."

"How sure are you?" she was like challenging him. Kiel then chuckled and played his lips using his thumb and index finger while his elbow were leaning in the window of the car door.

"I am sure as hell because I am following him," he answered, making Talia to gulp. 

"If you are, then who is the guy who kept on following me even when we were in Canada back then?"

"His team," he said. "They always keep an eye on you that is why I am conscious when you get out with you alone. Whenever I see you, there is an urge that is keeping me near you because I want to protect you."

Talia gasped. "You are the man who has two eyes from my back, then. I hope that pair would stay and would keep on protecting me..."