Dallas

My alarm started going off at five, and I knew Beth would wake up quicker than I would. I'd already been working for Darry's company for about a month now, our apartment in New York was sold and Beth was just finishing unpacking everything that her parents brought back. She sat up like I knew she would and went into the bathroom and started the shower. When I went into the washroom she kissed me gently, already changed out of my shirt. This was how every morning went- we'd shower, she'd make breakfast and then I'd go to work and if she were tired she would go back to bed.

Some how I kept getting roped into the night shifts with Theo and it frustrated me until I would come back to bed and see her fast asleep. She was now six and a half months pregnant and her bump was clearly visible now (obviously) but it made it much harder for her to sleep comfortably.

I put some soap onto my hands and started to wash her body- some morning's I'd get lucky and get some sex before work, others she was dead tired and wasn't up to it.

"How did you sleep?" She asked softly, wrapping her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist as tight as I could, her bump getting in the way. She rested her head on my chest however and I knew that this is when she was most content.

"I slept great, I'm not going to lie, my pillow is pretty uncomfortable now, but I still slept fairly well." She grinned and I felt her snicker,

"Maybe you oughta get some better pillows then, you're a real pain in my ass when you're cranky."

I chuckled and slapped her butt. She grinned and kissed me softly before rinsing us off and getting out. She dried off before pulling on her house coat on and heading down the stairs. I went back into my room and into the closet before pulling on a pair of cargo pants and the company shirt. I walked down the stairs and smiled when I saw in front of the stove, holding Theo as she fried some vegetables.

"Really? What the hell are you trying to feed me?" I asked, going around her to steal a piece of fried pepper.

"I'm trying to feed you healthy," She said, handing me Theo and mixing egg in to make an omelette.

"Make your coffee, this will be ready in five minutes." I put the dog under my arm and started making my mug of coffee.

"How do you feel?" I asked her, noticing she was slowly rubbing her bump.

"Like a whale and I'm not even close to the end of the third trimester."

"What do you have planned today?" I asked, and she shrugged,

"My clothes are starting to get tight again so I'm planning to head to the mall, not very long though because Theo will have to go out."

"Well… Why don't you just wait for me to get home babe? Then Theo won't be alone for a long period of time."

"Long? How long do you think I'll be shopping for?"

"I know you, you're so picky with your clothes and now to makes things worse it'll be maternity clothes."

She rolled her eyes and put some toast in the toaster, pouring herself a glass of some sort of smoothie.

"What the hell is in there?" I asked, eyeing it carefully. She sipped some and smiled,

"Peach, apple, grape, some lemonade, strawberry and some coconut water."

"That looks disgusting." I said, happily settling with my coffee.

She buttered my toast and put the omelette on a plate for me, making herself a bowl of cereal with berries and some sort of flavoured milk. I don't know how she ate this healthy- when she did it made me crave a cheeseburger.

We went to the table and started eating, she was reading some pregnancy book and I settled with the newspaper (comics) on my phone.

"Will you be home on time today?" She asked, putting the book down. I nodded,

"As far as I know baby. What's for dinner?"

She shrugged, "I'm going to try and look for some new recipes to try."

I shrugged, "Find some with bacon. I'm dying for bacon."

"Well I didn't pack you a lunch, so go out with your buddies and get a cheeseburger with extra bacon."

I grinned and shrugged, "I'm sold."

She shook her head smiling and I finished my food, getting up to wash the dishes. She finished eating and brought Theo into the backyard. When she came in I was pulling on my boots and she came over, putting Theo down and wrapping her arms around me,

"I love you, work safe please." She said, kissing me. I kissed her back, resting my hands on her bump,

"Always babe, safe is my middle name."

She shook her head grinning and I kissed her head, "Have a great day babe."

"You too." I grabbed my keys and drove to the job site.

"Morning," I said to the temporary project manager as I punched in.

"Morning Winston. Will you be finishing any houses today?" He asked, moving around from behind his desk and sitting against the front side.

"I think so, I've got to pressure check house three and four, and house number one was bought and they wanted bigger pipes and a shower in the basement so I'm going to take Garrett and we're going to install more piping into that house."

He nodded, "Great. There is one thing I wanted to talk to you about- I don't want you being on your phone so much. There have been a couple… comments, about your phone usage and I would like that to seize."

I grit my teeth, "Man my fiancée is pregnant so I check my phone to make sure that she's alright. I ain't on my phone no more than Dominic or Garrett for that matter. She's still recovering from three bullet wounds as well."

He rubbed his chin before nodding, "Fine. I'll allow you to keep checking, but still keep it to a minimum. This isn't you working alone anymore."

"Yeah I know. Now I gotta train some idiot that doesn't know the difference between his ass and a hole in the ground."

"Language," He said sternly, "I'm not Olivia and I won't let you walk all over me. I'm going to do the job I got hired for and nothing less. This won't be a vacation like it usually was. I'm going to do the job the right way and not be everyone's friend."

"There's a reason we respect her and not you." I said, grabbing my bag and I got back into my truck, driving to the back of the site.

My phone rang just as I put the truck in park and I sighed when I saw Darry calling me.

"Sup man?"

"Good morning to you too. What's this I hear about your altercation with Chris?"

"It wasn't an altercation. He got pissed at me for checking my phone and started insulting Olivia. He's a sexist pig that's done fuck all since he started here."

Darry sighed, "Just turn your temper down a notch. Check your phone when you need to okay? There's going to be a new apprentice starting today, he's going to be replacing Garrett on your service, I've moved Garrett to be with Michael."

"Sounds great. What's his name?"

"Not his, hers. Hannah will be there around nine today, she just graduated from college in May and she worked for her dad's company for a bit so she has some knowledge."

"Why'd you stick her with me?"

"Because Michael is a pervert and I know that Beth is going to help keep you in place."

I chuckled, "She'd shoot my nuts off."

"Exactly. See you later."

He hung up and I started working. When Hannah showed up I could hear the truck but this house was almost done. My phone started ringing and I saw an unknown number so I picked up,

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Hannah, Chris told me to give you a call once I got to the house."

"You outside of house number one?"

"Yes."

"Come downstairs and bring your tools and a three quarter pipe wrench."

"Okay, bye." She hung up and came downstairs two minutes later.

"Hi Hannah, I'm Dallas."

She smiled, "Nice to meet you."

I started explaining the basics of what we were going before I realized that she knew more than I expected for a recent graduate.

"You work as a plumber before you got your degree?" I asked and she nodded,

"Here and there, my Dad owns a drains business so I worked alongside him since I was eighteen."

"What made you want to get a diploma?"

"Well my husband is in the military and we have five kids, so I needed a job that paid more but gave me solid and steady hours."

"Jesus," I muttered when she said five kids, and she smiled,

"I know what you're thinking. My eldest is eighteen, and the ages range from there. Once we decided to stop at two I divorced my first husband and I met Dave, and then Dave and I decided we wanted one together and I got pregnant with twins, and then our last one was a.. Surprise." She said smiling. "Do you have any kids?"

I shook my head, "Not yet but my fiancée is about six and a half months pregnant with a boy."

"Well congratulations. Will this be the first child for both of you?"

I nodded, "Yeah."

"Are you two planning on having more?"

"Yeah. Our negotiation was that she would be a stay at home Mom if we had at least two kids and a dog."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yeah, why not? She was a police officer and she escaped death once and I knew we wouldn't be that lucky next time."

"Well… If you ever get a divorce you would have to pay her more."

"We're not getting a divorce. We both don't believe in that."

"There are other circumstances to a divorce than you may think." She retorted and I rose my eyebrow,

"Growing up in my neighbourhood I've seen them all. Believe me, divorce isn't an option."

She nodded and we started working. She was much more efficient that Garrett was, and on lunch just as I was driving to the nearest burger joint my phone started ringing,

"Hello?" I said, through the Bluetooth in the work truck. Hannah was sitting next to me and Chuck was in the back seat.

"Hi Dallas…" Beth said softly and I knew something was wrong just by the sound of her voice. I pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car, changing it to my phone.

"Beth what's wrong? What's going on?"

"We have a surprise visitor, um… Brandon is here."

I took a deep breath and rubbed my face, "Do you feel comfortable with being there alone with him?"

She was quiet and I could tell that she wasn't.

"No," She finally said, "I don't feel comfortable or safe being here alone with him."

"Okay, do you feel comfortable telling him to leave and going to stay with someone or did you need me to come home?"

"You can't come home or you'll lose your job." She said,

"That doesn't matter, there's no shortage of jobs for a plumber. Do you need me to come home?"

I heard some talking in the background and I heard Beth take a deep breath, "Yes please."

"Okay, don't hang up, I'm going to get someone to drop me off okay?"

"Okay," She answered softly and I got back in the truck,

"Chuck I need to get home, do you mind driving back from my place?"

He shook his head, "Go man."

I started driving and when I pulled in front of the driveway I practically hopped out of the car and went inside quickly. I noticed that Beth was trying to keep as much distance as she could between Brandon and herself.

"Hi baby," I said, going over and kissing her more passionately than usual.

"Hey," She said, a little breathlessly.

"How you doin'?" I asked, making sure to put on the New York accent and do my best to appear threatening. I knew it wasn't hard, Brandon was a nerd and a timid one at that. How he scored Beth in the first place I'll never know.

"I'm okay, Dallas, this is Brandon, my ex… This is my fiancé Dallas." She said, taking my hand in hers tightly. He nodded stiffly. I guess the ring wasn't enough of an indication that she was engaged.

I only nodded at him. It wasn't nice to meet him, well I guess in a way it was. Because he fucked up I got the girl I've always wanted.

"What are you doing here?" I asked him and he shrugged,

"I was just passing through and thought I'd stop in and see how Beth was doing."

"She's been fantastic without you. Now that you've stopped in uninvited please get out of my house."

He looked at Beth and she nodded, "You left me Brandon… You left me at the alter and I've moved on and I'm happy then I've ever been."

He glanced at her and she shrugged, "I love Dallas in a way that I've never loved you. He supports me in a way you never did and he was there for me when I needed him the most and you weren't."

"That's ridiculous Elizabeth. I gave you everything, your dream house, your dream car, your dream wedding, I let you work as a police officer and I supported you when you moved to New York."

"But what you don't understand is that you left me. You still left me at the alter and I wasn't happy with you no matter what you think you gave me. You gave me all of that to make up for the fact that you were never home and sleeping around on me."

"You weren't supposed to find out about that." He stated and I grit my teeth,

"Like I said before get out of my house. All that matters is you fucked up and you lost the best thing that could ever happen to you." He looked between Beth and I and he sighed,

"As long as you're happy Elizabeth…"

"I am happy. I'm the happiest that I've ever been."

He nodded and walked out and just as he walked out my phone started ringing. It was my boss Chris,

"Dallas where the hell are you?"

"I'm at home."

"Excuse me?"

"Look I had to come home. I'm on my way back in now and I'll come and talk to you once I'm back."

"You're damn right you will, and you'll be explaining yourself in front of the owner too."

I sighed, "Okay. See you soon."

I hung up and Beth picked Theo up, getting the keys to her SUV. She drove me back to the site and when we pulled in Darry came over and shook his head,

"Dallas I didn't hire-" He saw Beth still looking scared and uncomfortable and his annoyed look disappeared,

"What happened?"

"Her ex showed up and forced his way inside," I said, getting out of the car. Darry sighed,

"I'm sorry Beth. Charolette should be home, I'm sure she'd love some company." Beth nodded and I leaned back into the car and kissed her,

"I love you."

She smiled softly looking into the back of the car to check on Theo. I moved him into the passenger seat for her and kissed her again,

"Drive safe." She nodded and turned around, driving away. I looked at Darry and I shrugged,

"Fire me if you want, but that girl is more important than any job."

He nodded and sighed, "You know I won't fire you but don't make me look bad okay? I hired you, I did the right process but if I keeps sticking my neck out for you it'll make me look bad."

I grinned and shrugged, "Lay in to me like you used to when we were younger."

Darry started smiling and shook his head, "Dallas I'm not going to do that. Not today at least, you had a logical excuse. Your fiancée and your child were in danger."

I nodded and followed him into the trailer.

"Have a seat," Darry said, shaking Chris's hand and I sat in one of the chairs,

"Would you like to explain what was so important you left work and came back an hour late on top of your lunch break?" Chris asked, sitting back in his chair. Darry sat on my side and I sighed,

"My fiancée's ex showed up from New York. He forced his way into our house and my fiancée didn't feel safe or comfortable being there alone with him. My fiancée is six and a half months pregnant- she may be a retired officer but there's only so much you can do with a beach ball attached on your stomach." I glanced at Darry and saw the look he was giving me. I swallowed my pride and looked back at Chris,

"I realize that what I did was wrong, I should have let you know my whereabouts in case of an emergency. I honestly didn't think about anything other than Beth. I'm sorry that I didn't keep you updated."

Chris was silent for a minute before he nodded, "I don't mind you taking care of Beth, especially in a situation like this. But you are right, it was wrong for you not to tell me that you left the job site. Had there been a fire or explosion I would have figured you were dead because I couldn't get a hold of you. I have a child Dallas, I understand what it's like to deal with the appointments. I know your situation is different, with Beth still mentally recovering from her… From when she was shot, but I can understand as long as you keep me in the loop."

I nodded, "Alright Chris. I will do my best to keep you in the loop more. And I will do my best to make sure I'm not on my phone as much."

"Thank you. I assume for any time that you have to miss you'll be working more hours to make sure we stay on track?"

"That's not a problem."

"Okay great. Are there any other issues we need to bring up while I'm here?" Darry asked, clearly happy I didn't blow up on Chris. Seems like we may have just gotten off on the wrong foot.

"The only other thing I'm wondering is when Beth has our baby I'd like to take a week or two off to make sure she doesn't overexert herself."

Chris and Darry both nodded, "That's fine, just try and get most of the bigger jobs done and leave the jobs that Hannah is able to tackle."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Speaking of which, how is Hannah doing?"

"She's good," I said, leaning back, "She knows her stuff, it's unfortunate that she has to start out as an apprentice."

Chris shrugged, "It is what it is. But as long as she'll fit in here then it'll be fine."

Darry nodded in agreement before checking his watch,

"Well I gotta go, I have a meeting to attend but I'm glad this was resolved and we're all on the same page."

"Thank you Darrel." We both shook Darry's hand and I went back to work.

Later that night I started packing my tools up to head home (about an hour later than I should have finished). I'd heard from Beth, she visited with Charolette until the kids finished school and then she went back home. She asked me to pick up some Chinese food and dog food for Theo.

When I got home the house was quiet and I put the food on the table, going upstairs to the washroom to see Beth laying in the soaker tub, Theo sleeping on a towel beside the tub.

"Hey," I said, grinning when I saw all the candles lit.

"Hey… I know you had a rough day after what we dealt with so I thought that maybe we could just take some time to unwind, the two of us."

I couldn't help but grin, undressing and getting into the bath overrun by bubbles with her.

She smiled softly and kissed me, wrapping her arms around my neck. I noticed there was a beer beside the tub and I kissed Beth, happily opening the beer.

"Did you bring home Theo's dog food?" She asked, running her fingers up and down my chest,

"Yes babe, Chinese is also downstairs on the table."

She nodded and rested her head on my chest. I knew she was started to doze off, and I rubbed her back. We soaked in the tub for another twenty minutes or so and I let her nap before I woke her up for dinner.

She carried Theo downstairs and I warmed up the Chinese before we went and sat in front of the television and I turned on our favourite show, a show about murders that happened between friends.

Once we finished eating she adjusted herself so she was in more of a recline position and Theo curled into her.

"Did you get into a lot of trouble for coming home?" She asked and I shrugged,

"Not too much babe, Chris understands the circumstances but he just wants me to keep him updated if I'm off site."

"I really do appreciate you coming home… Right before you got here he started saying things… Like how he missed the pass… Then he started commenting on how good our sex was and he kept trying to move closer to me."

"Babe no job is ever important enough to me to risk your safety. Ever."

She nodded and took my hand in hers and we watched tv for the rest of the night silently.

Around bed time she took Theo outside and I went upstairs to pull the covers back and get into bed.

She brought Theo up and put him in his crate and changed into another one of my shirts and got into bed beside me.

She adjusted all of her pillows before comfortably before she fell asleep. I watched her as she slept, she was perfect to me. I gently reached over and stroked her cheek. I don't think she had any idea how much she meant to me.