Chapter 15

Somewhere safe

Bubbles. I had always loved bubble baths and I had never seen so big bathtub before. It was heart shaped, meant for two people. Looking at it made me smile; I couldn't remember the last time I would have taken a bubble bath. Now I could, Kol had said that we would stay here for a while. He had promised to look after me and our little one. Maybe it was stupid to believe him, but I did.

He had been very kind to me and he had promised to arrange me clothes and order whatever I wanted from the room service. What I really wanted right now was chocolate cake and he had promised that I would have it. I could have anything I wanted. He had sworn that he would never hurt me. I wouldn't have to be afraid of him. Quickly I undressed and rubbed my bump.

"Did you hear that?" I cooed. "Your daddy promised to look after us."

For a moment I thought about Marcus. Surely he had done his best, but I didn't want to go back to him. I didn't want anyone to hurt my little one. I didn't want to be afraid. A part of me felt guilty for being so ungrateful, but this wasn't about me. My little one's needs came first and I wanted him or her feel safe.

"Mommy loves you so much," I hummed.

I wanted my little one to have a home. A real home. I wanted to decorate it with nice things, make it cozy. That had always been my dream. As I sank into the warm water and felt the bubbles tickling me, I let out an excited cry. The bathroom door flew open immediately and Kol zoomed in.

"Brie? What's wrong?"

I smiled at him, grateful for his concern.

"Nothing, I just love bubbles."

He stared at me for a moment before he smiled too.

"Oh."

"Do you like bubble baths?" I asked.

"I don't know," he replied. "I've never tried one."

"You haven't? You must try, it feels so amazing."

"I'm sure it does."

"You can join me if you want," I suggested as the thought crossed my mind. "There's plenty of room here."

He looked surprised.

"I don't want to intrude…"

"No, no, you wouldn't. This is the biggest bathtub I've ever seen, there's room for both of us."

I smiled at him, wanting to show him that he was welcome to join me. I wanted him to feel the bubbles tickling his skin. He deserved all the nice things in the world.

"Well…" he stated after a moment of silence. "Why not."

My eyes widened and I cried out when he suddenly jumped into the bathtub with his clothes on.

"Kol," I giggled. "What are you doing?"

He grinned and leaned his head back.

"You were right, darling, this feels quite pleasant."

I was still laughing when he pulled his shirt over his head.

"That's better," he sighed after taking his jeans and boxers off.

"You could have undressed first," I pointed out.

"Yes, I could have, but I didn't feel like it. Besides, it was nice to hear you laughing, darling."

I blushed.

"I didn't mean…"

"That was a good thing," he huffed. "You have a cute laugh."

"I have?"

"Yes, absolutely. And a very cute smile."

"Thank you," I muttered, unsure of where he was going with this. I hadn't done anything to deserve kind words.

"You are a beautiful young woman," he continued. "I want you to remember that."

I didn't know how to reply, I just waited for him to tell me what he wanted. Things had always been like that with Marcus. His kindness had never been free.

"This really is nice," Kol sighed after a moment of silence. His eyes were closed and his head was leaning on the edge of the tub.

"Did you have a bathtub in your home?" he continued.

"We… we moved a lot. In some places there was a bathtub."

"Did you have your own room?"

"Usually, but not always. We lived in all kinds of places."

"Hmm. Was that what you wanted?"

I blinked, surprised by his question.

"Me?"

He opened his eyes and smiled at me.

"Yes, darling, you. I want to know what you want. Tell me about your dreams."

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

"I… I want my little have to have a safe home. I would like to decorate it with pretty things. Warm things. I want to love my little one. Make him or her hot chocolate. No one would hurt us and we wouldn't have to be afraid."

Kol was quiet for so long that I was sure that I had said something wrong.

"Brie," he finally said and moved a little closer to me. "You'll have all that, I give you my word."

Cautiously I looked up and saw him smiling at me.

"I'll give you anything you want," he added.

"Why? Why would you…"

"Because I want to," he cut in firmly. "I want you to be happy."

I stared at him in wonder until I finally dared to smile. He meant what he said. The realization filled my heart with joy and brought tears to my eyes.

"Hey…" he said, clearly uncomfortable. "Please don't do that, I'm sorry that I upset you…"

I let out a sob and dried my eyes.

"You didn't. You didn't. That was the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"Oh…" he murmured. "I have to say that I'm sorry to hear that. You deserve much better."

I laughed and pouched on him.

"Thank you. Thank you so much."

His body stiffened before he wrapped his arms around me and patted my back.

"There, there…" he murmured.

I had never felt so safe in my life, so I snuggled against him and rested my head on his shoulder. I hardly noticed that we were both naked, it didn't seem to matter. His body felt more relaxed now as he kept stroking my back. I hadn't realized how exhausted I was, but now I felt myself slowly drifting into sleep. For the first time in my life, I felt completely safe.