Spring Blooms When I'm With You

It was a quarter to 5. Tsubaki wondered if her husband could return early today as he had promised.

"He asked to take out the steak..." She mumbled quietly as she walked toward the refrigerator in the kitchen. Her hand went to the handle of the freezer. "I wonder what he wants to cook tonight?"

Filled with antic.i.p.ation, Tsubaki giggled happily. She placed the plastic container of the steak in the sink. The meat had to be thawed down first.

After taking a bottle of roasted almonds, she went to the living room. Her eyes landed on a stack of magazines placed on the coffee table. All of them were pregnancy-related magazines gifted by Grandma.

The Baby"s Steps of a New Mom.

A New Mom"s Guide of Survival.

What to Do When You"re Expecting?

The Dos and Donts of Early Stages of Pregnancy.

Tsubaki curled up on the couch and started reading the magazines seriously. Whenever she saw the cute photos of a baby printed on the pages, she couldn"t help but smile. These little dumplings looked so precious! It was torture to wait for them to arrive but the wait was worth it.

Time pa.s.sed by and it was already 7 PM. Tsubaki was still deep in her world of gaining knowledge as a new mother when the front door opened from the outside. Ren quietly entered the entrance as his eyes were searching for his wife. He had just wanted to speak when he finally spotted her sitting on the couch in the living room. His thin lips turned upwards as he realized she was reading the parenting magazines Grandma had sent over together with additional nourishments.

"Haish... she didn"t even notice me," Ren smiled helplessly.

Ren took silent steps towards his wife. Tsubaki was so engrossed in reading, it was already too late when she noticed a big shadow fell on her from behind. Just as she lifted her head to look up, a pair of strong arms had already encircled her shoulders. Her husband"s warm breath landed on her face as he stared at her from above with a lazy grin on his face.

"You"re so focused! You didn"t even notice that I"m home already," Ren purposely said with a wronged tone, he eyed her startled look with laughter in his heart. "Have you started to forget me because of our little brat?"

"Darling~" Tsubaki giggled as she heard him. Aiya! Her husband was being super clingy with her now. She should play along with him unless he wouldn"t spare her. "I missed you!"

Ren stifled a laugh. He leaned further down and pressed his lips over hers. "I missed you too, sweetheart."

Ren took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves until they reached his arms. After taking all the magazines from the table and placed them on the couch, he sat down on the coffee table facing his wife.

"Does your feet ache?" Ren bent down and gently brought Tsubaki"s right little foot on his knees. He started exerting small pressure on the sole of her feet. "You wore flat shoes earlier right, sweetheart?"

"Uhuh." Tsubaki nodded. She put down the magazine and propped up her elbows on her lap, her head hung low as she recalled what happened before she left the restaurant before. "I... nearly fall down."

"What?" Ren raised his head as soon as her words registered in his mind, a hint of panic glinted in his dark eyes. "Are you hurt somewhere? What happened?"

Ren placed his hands on her waist, his eyes were looking for any sign of injury on her body. Tsubaki quickly held his hands, she sounded so apologetic as she spoke, "I"m not hurting anywhere. Well, a man walked too fast and hit my shoulder. Luckily, one of Kanako"s bodyguards managed to catch me."

Ren looked deeply into her eyes, Tsubaki couldn"t tell what he was thinking at this moment. She didn"t mean to make him panic but she felt like she should tell him.

"I"m sorry, darling," Tsubaki lowered her head, her small hands were holding his wide ones. "I don"t mean to frighten you. It"s just... I"m afraid when I thought back of what would happen if I really fell. It scares me."

She might appeared calm but she couldn"t forget the fear she felt at the moment her body falling down after the stumble. Her arms instinctively went to protect her tummy, as if she knew if she didn"t place the layer of protection over it something bad would happen.

She flinched at the thought.

Ren let out a sigh. He got up from the coffee table and sat beside his wife. He gently placed her on his lap and cradled her in his arms. His hand ran down her long hair while the other one hold onto her waist.

"Nothing happened, sweetheart," He brushed his lips on her temple, trying to dispel the lingering fear in her heart. "Just be careful next time. Maybe you should limit your time being in a crowded place. Other than that, just mind your steps, alright? You"re good, nothing would happen."

Tsubaki nodded meekly. She rested her head on his broad chest, seeking comfort in his embrace. Her hands went to her tummy, she gently rubbed it as if she was caressing a treasure.

Sometimes, she would be in a daze and thought that this little one was just a dream. Day by day, she couldn"t help but feeling worried whether she could give birth safely or would she become a good mother. She didn"t show it to her husband but today, after almost falling down, the fear couldn"t be contained anymore.

Especially after she recalled the mysterious note.

"Darling..." Tsubaki lifted up her eyes, meeting his dark gaze. Her voice was so small and timid when she spoke again after a moment of silence. "Everything would be alright, it is?"

Ren looked into her bright eyes, a thin mist had formed a layer in them. He nodded. He tightened his embrace.

"Everything will be alright, I promise."

After comforting his wife for a while, both of them went to the kitchen. Ren wanted Tsubaki to rest in their bedroom as he cooked but she was having none of it. She insisted to help him so he could only fulfill her wish.

"What do you want to cook?" Tsubaki tied the pink ap.r.o.n around her waist as she looked at her husband who was scrolling down a recipe app in his phone.

Ren glanced at his wife, he showed what he was reading to her. A photo of meat bites glazed with sauce was displayed on the screen. "How about something simple? Steak bites with honey garlic sauce, is that okay?"

"Okay!"
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Ren cut the sirloin steak into small bites while Tsubaki at his side preparing some tomato chickpea salad to be paired with the steak bites. She was still full due to her late lunch while he had something planned tonight so he foregone a heavy meal.

"Sweetheart, this amount of sauce is okay, right?" Ren showed the bowl containing honey, garlic, water, sesame oil and other ingredients at Tsubaki. He was mixing the ingredients for the sauce.

"Add some dried oregano and soy sauce," Tsubaki pa.s.sed him two gla.s.s bottles of the said ingredients at her husband. "They should do the extra kick."

"Alright."

After marinating the steak with salt and pepper for a few minutes, Ren began to sear them in a hot skillet. The dish didn"t need a long time to be cooked. Once he was done searing all the steak bites, he poured the sauce in the pan together with them. After the sauce thickened, he took a white plate and placed all the steak bites coated with honey garlic sauce in it. Tsubaki garnished the dish with some sesame seeds.

"Wow! It looks yummy!" Tsubaki"s eyes lit up when she saw the glossy shine appearance of the meats. "Quick! Quick! I want to eat!"

Ren laughed heartily as he looked at her brightened expression. He placed the plate and the bowl of salad on a tray, ready to be served on the dining table. "Take the plates and cutleries. Be careful."

"Okay!"

Tsubaki went to the dining table with two sets of plates and cutlery each. Her husband was already brewing tea for them. The divine smell of the dish increased Tsubaki"s appet.i.te. She quickly sat down and waited for Ren to return from the kitchen.

"You look like you haven"t eaten, sweetheart," Ren"s lips curled up as he was teasing her. "Are you that hungry?"

"No~ I"m full but my husband"s cooking is so tempting," Tsubaki deliberately answered with a flirty voice.

Ren shook his head, showing her his helpless smile. He fondly rubbed her head before he sat down opposite her. After serving her the main dish, he placed some salad on her plate.

"Eat well and then go to rest, alright?" Ren took the fork and began to eat. "I have some work to do, contact Kaede if you need anything."

"Where are you going?" Tsubaki eyed her husband with suspicions. "You"ve just recovered from fever and now you want to overwork again?"

"No, sweetheart. I"m not going back to the company," Ren quickly dismissed her thoughts. "Akashi and Toshiro want to see me. I"ll be back as soon as I could, okay?"

Tsubaki pursed her lips. It took her a moment before she finally nodded. She planned to tell him about the note but it seemed like it had to wait. She didn"t want to delay him from attending to his matter tonight.

After dinner, both of them went upstairs. Since he was worried, he planned to leave after she slept. Ren drew a bath for his wife, he put her favorite bath bomb in the tub. The sweet scent of vanilla and raspberry filled the s.p.a.cious bathroom.

"Be careful," Ren gathered her long hair and tied it into a loose bun. "Call me if you need anything. Take your sweet time bathing, okay?"

"Okay," Tsubaki answered with a smile. She took a careful step into the tub, she was still mindful of the incident earlier.

After he made sure she had safely entered the tub, Ren stepped out from the bathroom. He took off his shirt and tossed it inside a laundry bag. The warehouse was located north of the city and it would take him almost 2 hours through the expressway. Akashi had texted him, saying that Toshiro had arrived. Toshiro would examine Yagi Takashi first since he had tried to escape and almost broke his legs in the process.

Ren"s gaze trained on Tsubaki"s dress and handbag from her outing today, lying on the bed. It was a light green floral dress he bought for her. He extended his long hand, taking the dress to be placed inside the laundry bag together with his clothes. In his hurry, he accidentally tripped on the handbag"s shoulder strap dangling from the bed. The bag fell down, its contents scattered on the floor.

Ren immediately crouched down to pick up the items together with the bag. There was her purse, favorite lipstick, sunscreen, wet wipes and a few small things. He put them back inside the bag carefully once he inspected there was no damage done. His eyes went to the paper left on the floor. Thinking that it was just a receipt, he casually tossed it inside together with the other items.

It was not until his eyes subconsciously read the content did his hand froze in the air.

What is this?

Ren didn"t believe his eyes yet the content of the paper had successfully attracted his attention.

What is the meaning of this?

His gaze diverted from the paper and landed on the bathroom"s door. He could hear her sweet voice humming a melody.