Ruby
��Thank God, you recognized me. I thought you wouldn��t even recognize me,�� said Liam Jackson, my former childhood neighbor, and friend.
I got up with a big grin plastered on my face and hugged him. ��Why will you think that, silly?��
��I recognized Vexon and guessed the beautiful woman sitting with him would be you because you told me Vexon was your husband. If the woman wasn��t you, it meant he would be cheating with you, and believe me, I was ready to shoot him,�� Liam elaborated everything to me and looked at Vexon, while I chortled at his words.
��Well, Vexon, meet my childhood friend, Liam Jackson. And Liam, this is my husband, Vexon Bevine,�� I introduced the two of them to each other.
Vexon continued looking at Liam for a moment, and when Liam extended a hand, Vexon shook his hand.
��Nice to meet you, Liam,�� he mumbled. ��Why don��t you sit with us?��
��Yes,�� I said in between. ��Even though we would leave soon, but now, since you are here with us, we can wait and have a nice chit-chat.��
Liam twitched his lips as if thinking about what he should actually do. Then he spoke up, ��Sure. I don��t mind joining.��
A staff member came and placed a separate chair for Liam. After he sat, Vexon handed him the menu. ��What would you like to order?��
Shaking his head, Liam answered, ��No, thanks. I ate a lot since I came here with a colleague. He just got out and I was about to until I saw y��all. However, I don��t mind having dessert.��
��No dessert,�� I protested because now, even thinking about dessert was making me feel nauseous. ��Only espresso.��
Vexon chuckled and glanced at Liam. ��You heard the lady.��
Liam arched an eyebrow in confusion and then, his eyes fell on my stomach. Realizing I was pregnant, he said, ��Congratulations! But why will I suffer because of you?�� When he saw me narrowing my eyes at him, he cleared his throat. ��Fine. Espresso it is.��
Once the order was placed, we decided to talk about life.
��So, what do you do?�� asked Vexon.
I started drinking my espresso, wanting Vexon and Liam to bond at first. Because if they didn��t bond, I would have a hard time. Each time I would talk with Liam, Vexon would hate it, and Liam would try to make Vexon the evil person.
��I am a cop,�� replied Liam. ��You don��t have to tell anything about your company because everyone knows it. So I won��t even ask.��
Vexon hummed in response. ��So, what do you cops do?��
��We catch criminals,�� Liam said and his eyes met Vexon��s as if they were having a battle with their eyes. The question-answer session with Vexon asking, and Liam answering had started.
��What do you do to the cops who take bribes?��
��We arrest them.��
��What about the criminals who buy the cops?��
��We find the criminals and punish the criminals and the cops supporting them.��
��What if the criminal bought the entire police force?��
��I am sure, I am not bought yet. So it is not the entire police force.��
��What is your worth then?��
I gasped hearing the last question asked by Vexon. I decided to interrupt since what I expected didn��t happen. ��Vexon.��
They didn��t seem to be friends at all. How could I forget? Vexon was a gang leader and Liam was a cop. No wonder why they couldn��t just bond properly.
��My worth is not affordable,�� Liam answered.
All this time, the two of them didn��t even avert their gazes. They kept their strong gaze at each other.
��What are the two of you doing?�� I inquired and they smiled at me.
��We are just being friendly to each other. Don��t worry, Gem,�� said Vexon, and looked back at Liam.
Liam told me, ��Yes. This is how men become friends. And I am totally okay with answering his questions. It is nice and funny. Your husband seems like a nice man.��
Heaving a sigh, I even took Vexon��s espresso after finishing mine while the two of them continued to talk. They kept asking each other weird questions.
However, I have to be cautious from now on. It didn��t cross my mind before but if Liam gets the slightest idea of Vexon being in the Mafia, my happy family will be ruined. It won��t be possible to save Vexon if one legal case goes against him.
I have to keep Liam away from me and my family, in order to keep us safe. I can��t let my husband be in danger.
___
After a nice and weird dinner, I was sitting on the bed, reading a book on parenting. Vexon went to drop Liam home since he came here with his colleague. So I was alone right now. Everley and Allison were fast asleep in their respective rooms; I checked on them after returning home.
Vexon and Liam already disliked each other and they were just trying to be nice to each other for my sake. I won��t question any of them about it cause I don��t want to be stuck in the middle.
Why did I have a cop as a friend, to begin with?
I remember, I became friends with Liam when he told me he wanted to be a cop in the future. As I was afraid of the Mafias at first, I wanted Liam to be with me so that if anyone from the Mafia caught me, I could openly share everything with Liam and he would help me.
I am really confused about everything now.
Is it a mistake by bringing Liam back to my life?
When I was lost in my trail of thoughts, Vexon got into the room and his first words were, ��When did Liam start to contact you?��
��Just yesterday,�� I answered and kept my book on the nightstand. ��He called me yesterday and we were supposed to have lunch today, but I postponed it due to Allison. And look at my luck, we met him today during dinner.��
He approached me and gave me a peck on the lips. ��Just give me five minutes to freshen up. Let��s enjoy tonight as you offered before we went out.��
��Okay, but Li���� he cut me off by putting his index finger on my lip.
��I don��t want to hear another man��s name from your mouth tonight.�� He added, ��Or any other night.��
I nodded and caressed my cheek, he went inside the washroom.
I wanted to ask him about how everything went with Liam and whether it would be very harmful to Gladiolus if we kept in touch with him. But tonight was our night, and I didn��t want to ruin it.
Vexon always stayed stressed. So the least I could do was help him by keeping him entertained. Besides, I missed making love to him. Damn, my pregnancy hormones.
