I woke with a start, immediately aware of the emptiness beside me. Alaric's side of the bed was cold—he must have left hours ago. Running my hand over the vacant space where my husband should be, I sighed heavily. Once again, he was out dealing with the messes my family had created.
The pale light of dawn filtered through the curtains as I sat up slowly, fighting a sudden wave of nausea. My hand instinctively moved to my still-flat stomach. The early signs of pregnancy were making themselves known: the constant fatigue, the unsettled stomach, the strange cravings that struck at odd hours.
Like now.
