Davis, P.O. V.
Lisa returned from her brother's house looking somber. I was concerned that perhaps she was thinking of children again. I hated that she was worried about this. She doesn't deserve to have this happen to her, having gone through enough already.
"What's wrong?" I asked as she crossed the threshold.
"It's Liv."
My heart seized. Is the cancer worse off than we thought? Is she at the hospital?
"What is it?" My voice sounded so serious, probably a little too demanding as I directed it at her. She must have understood it was due to my worry as she didn't bite my head off for it.
"She's pregnant. They won't be able to treat her cancer until she has the baby. It's early so hopefully it won't progress too much as she carries the baby to term."
Lisa seemed so far away even though she was a mere two feet. She might as well have been 100 miles away. Her brows pinched and she nibbled at her lip as she thought.
"We'll be by her side through it all. She'll be okay. She has to be," I assured her and myself, because frankly, no one would survive her loss.
There's no way we're losing her.
"You're right." She nodded her head, but she began to chew at her nail, obviously still worried.
"Come with me." I held my hand out only to receive an arched brow from her. "We need to go out and distract ourselves. There's nothing that our worrying is going to do. She and Lucas will figure this out."
She gave me a quick nod as she took my hand. I could see she was still wary, not ready to let go of this worry, but she took a step forward anyway. She trusts me and that alone was enough to make me feel a bit better. There's one particular place that comes to mind when I need a distraction.
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"Why are we here?" she asked, looking around at the park.
"You' re going to enjoy nature with me. Let's go for a walk as the sun sets." I smiled at her, holding my hand for her to take again.
The ride over seemed to calm her a little as she was no longer biting at her lip. I was determined to grace me with that beautiful smile of hers before the sun set fully. Her smile brings such joy to my heart. I helped her off my bike, even though she didn't need it.
"Okay, my Viking. Why the park?"
"Inwood Hill Park is where I would always go when things were getting to be too much. I don't know what it is, maybe it's the fact that I'm surrounded by woods, but if I am close enough I can still see the city lights. I'll take you to my favorite spot."
We walked hand in hand as the sun set, talking about our wedding plans. Lisa will be shopping with her mother and Liv soon, but the mention of Liv's name made her sad again. I steered the conversation away from anything that might bring Liv's name up, being careful not to bring up children either. I ended up talking about Jared and Izzy instead. That news was still freshly on my mind.
"When do you think Jared started talking to my Izzy?"
Lisa laughed at my question, making me smile. Goal accomplished.
"I am not sure, but probably not too long after we took him to your house. He seemed to like her from the moment he met her. I think they are cute together," she smirked, trying to tease me.
"Of course you do. I don't know how I feel about it, but Jared seems like a good enough guy. He's not a coward at least. If he wants to be with her, he's going to have to get stronger. Izzy should not be defending herself on her own."
"He will. There's no way he doesn't want to. You saw who he had to live with, grow up with. He's going to work hard to get stronger, just like I did. I think I understand him a little too well," she said as her smile faded. Her eyes were focused on the river before us as it reflected the city lights beautifully in its dark water.
The sun had fully set now and I knew I needed to get us back home before it got too late. This isn't exactly the safest place at night. Normally, I wouldn't be too worried if I was alone, but with Lisa here, let's just say there's a deep need to keep her safe. Must avoid dangerous situations even if we can get out of them, no reason to seek them out.
"You' re probably right. He grew up in a house just like yours, only his brother is nothing like yours." Sometimes I forget how similar Jared and Lisa's stories are. "I am glad Lucas didn't turn out like your father. He's a good guy."
"He is," she whispered, tears misting her eyes again.
"I am sorry. I didn't mean to make you sad. It feels like I'm failing at keeping you happy right now."
"It's not your fault. Honestly, you' re the only reason I am not ugly crying right now. You make me feel better by just standing near me, so don't worry about saying the right things. Talk to me the way you always would." She gave my hand a squeeze for reassurance.
"I love you, my warrior. You are such the perfect woman."
"Didn't I just say don't worry about cheering me up." She teased me again, giving me a wink and smile. Although the wink caused a tear to slide out. I quickly wiped it away with my thumb, kissing her forehead tenderly.
"I want your kid Davis, even if I can't carry it," she suddenly admitted. "Let's get a surrogate, if that's okay with you."
"I will do whatever you want to do, Lisa. If that's the way you want to go then I am all for it." I smiled so brightly at her. I can't wait to see those same blue eyes of her on our child. Our child. She smiled back at me before the sound of her stomach growling broke the momentary silence. I laughed but she blushed deeply.
"Don't laugh. I can't help that I'm hungry right now." She slapped my arm playfully as she spoke, making me laugh more.
"How about we head out and go get some dinner? What do you feel like?" I asked her as I grabbed her hand mid-smack, and began to pull her back the way we came. It's probably best we leave now, anyway.
"Hmm, how about a nice juicy steak," she answered, licking her lips hungrily. "Perfect."
There was a sudden rustling beside us, so I picked up the pace, but Lisa dragged as she tried to get a look at what it was.
"Davis, wait!" she yelled at me, sounding so concerned.
"It's fine, Lisa. I'll keep us safe. Let's just keep going." I tried to reassure her, but she pulled at my hand that was firmly gripping hers.
"Davis, hold on." She pulled at me again, trying to free her hand.
"Lisa, we need to go. We can't investigate the sound. It's nothing good, I am sure."
I turned to look at her so she could see how serious I was being, but her eyes would not move from the woods. My eyes caught sight of what she was looking at, making me see why she wanted to stop.
I have got to learn to listen to her more often.