<h4>Chapter 304: Running From Butterflies</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    Dinner finally ended, and I couldn’t have fled the room faster if someone had chased me with a pack of raging rogues.


    My heart was still hammering against my ribs, my cheeks were burning, and every step I took down the hall felt like running from something... or maybe running from someone.


    Before slipping away, I made sure to hand River his coat, his tie, and his phone. I practically shoved them into his hands before I escaped, mumbling a quick thanks that sounded more like a squeak than actual words.


    Only when I reached the safety of my bedroom did I let out a deep, heavy sigh, copsing onto the bed.


    How was I supposed to process all of this?


    Did I love the food? Absolutely. Every dish had been perfect - vors that danced across my tongue in ways I didn’t think food could. Did River make me nervous? Every single second. His sharp gaze, his calm presence, his way of focusing entirely on me... it was enough to make my pulse trip over itself.


    And... did I enjoy hispany, his attention, the subtle ways he made me feel like I mattered?


    Yes.


    The word slipped unbidden into my mind. I buried my face deeper into the sheets as if I could smother it, as if pretending hard enough could make those ridiculous butterflies in my stomach vanish. But no matter how much I tried to deny it, they were there, fluttering furiously like they had found a permanent home.


    Barely a few minutes passed before a soft knock pulled me from my thoughts. The door creaked open a momentter, and in came Oscar and Draven.


    "Little mate," Draven greeted warmly, his voice carrying that steady calm that always made me feel grounded. Oscar, however, wasted no time. He strode across the room, hopped onto the bed, and within seconds, had his head resting against myp.


    I blinked at him.


    His face was turned toward my bump, his breath tickling through the fabric of my sweater as he snuggled closer. "I missed you," he murmured, his tone unusually soft, almost vulnerable.


    My heart warmed, and just as I was about to reply, he pressed a quick kiss against my bump.


    "Did you miss me too, pup?" he whispered.


    My jaw almost dropped. My eyes went wide, and I stared at him as though he just got caught cheating. Wait... what? That "I missed you" hadn’t been for me? It was for the pup?


    Draven must have noticed my scandalized expression because he burst intoughter, the deep, rich sound filling the room. He draped his arm casually around my shoulders, tugging me against his solid warmth. He pressed a gentle kiss to my cheek and said, "Don’t worry, Eva. I missed you."


    I blinked between the two brothers, not sure whether tough, pout, or just shove Oscar off the bed. He clearly knew exactly what he had done because the moment he looked up, he winked and blew me a flying kiss.


    I smacked his shoulder lightly, but I could feel the heat creeping into my cheeks.


    Before I could retort, another knock echoed through the room. This time, when the door opened, it was River.


    The air seemed to change instantly. My spine straightened, and without thinking, I pushed Oscar off myp and shifted away from Draven. Both of them shot me questioning looks, but I ignored them, my eyes fixed on River as he stepped inside.


    He was carrying a paper bag in one hand, his presence asmanding as ever despite the casualness of the moment. Closing the door behind him, he made his way toward the bed and set the bag on the bedside table.


    <fn8004> Updates are released by find·novel</fn8004>


    Without a word, he began unpacking. Bottles and small boxes soon lined the table - massage oils, stretch mark oils, creams with soft pastelbels that looked strangely delicate in hisrge hands.


    "I spoke to your gyno," River said matter-of-factly, his deep voice cutting through the silence. "These are the best brands to use during pregnancy."


    My mouth opened, then closed. I didn’t even know how to respond. The thought of him going out of his way to not only buy these but also confirm with my doctor... it tugged something deep inside me that I wasn’t ready to acknowledge.


    He turned toward me. "Do you want to bathe before bed?"


    For a second, all I could do was blink. Then, wordlessly, I nodded.


    "Good," he said simply, and without waiting for more, he disappeared into my bathroom.


    I whipped my head toward Oscar and Draven. Both of them looked as lost and wide-eyed as I felt. We exchanged silent expressions of <i>is this really happening? and what on earth is he doing?</i>


    He returned a few minutester and informed me the bath was ready. Without wasting any time, I slipped inside the bathroom and locked the door behind me.


    When I finally stepped out after the long, soothing bath, dressed infortable pajamas, I felt lighter, more rxed. But the moment I walked back into the bedroom and found all three men still there, waiting for me, that rxation evaporated instantly.


    "Lay down," River instructed calmly.


    I hesitated, ncing at Oscar and Draven, but neither moved to stop me. With my heart beating far too fast, I settled onto the bed. River picked up one of the massage oils, unscrewed the cap, and rubbed some into his palms.


    Then he took my foot in his hand.


    The first touch sent a shiver racing through me. His fingers were warm, strong, and impossibly gentle as he began to massage my foot. I gasped softly, the sound slipping out before I could stop it.


    He kneaded carefully, his thumbs pressing into the arch with just enough pressure to melt the tension I didn’t even realize I had been carrying all day.


    "Oh..." The sound was barely audible, but I couldn’t help it. My toes curled, my head tipping back against the pillows.


    He didn’tment. His expression remained unreadable, focused entirely on myfort as his hands worked over my foot, then up to my ankle. He slid the hem of my pajama bottoms upward, baring my shin and calf as his fingers trailed higher. Every movement was precise, deliberate, as if he had memorized exactly where to press, where to soothe.


    I couldn’t stop watching him. And yet, every time his fingers pressed into my skin, a strange flutter stirred inside me. Not justfort... something else. Something warmer, softer, far more dangerous.


    Oscar and Draven exchanged looks, though neither interrupted. They seemed just as surprised, just as caught off guard, as I was.


    River’s voice broke the silence. "I have booked a masseur for you. She’s trained in prenatal massage. She’lle tomorrow evening after you return from work."


    My heart skipped a beat.


    He said it so simply, as though it wasn’t one of the most thoughtful things anyone had ever done for me. As though he didn’t just turn my carefully guarded emotions upside down.


    I swallowed, not trusting my voice, not trusting myself to speak when his hands were still gliding over my skin, soothing and awakening me all at once.


    And as Iy there, caught between rxation and butterflies, between disbelief and something dangerously close to yearning, one thing became painfully clear... River had no idea what he was doing to me.


    Or maybe... he did.