Joy.
He turned slowly, expression lit with something deep and wide and warm.
Beth wasn’t prepared for that.
She’d braced for panic. Or relief. Even disappointment.
But joy?
The lump in her throat rose before she could stop it.
Then, slowly, the weight she’d been carrying all day—of judgment, shame, insecurity—lifted just enough for her to breathe again.
They weren’t pregnant.
There wasn’t another weight to carry.
There was still time. Time to discover who they were as a couple, without another layer added.
Bryce stepped forward and cradled her face in both hands, his touch gentle, reverent. She thought he might kiss her forehead—he always kissed her forehead.
But this time, he kissed her mouth—soft but certain, pouring everything into it.
It wasn’t a kiss of lust or even celebration.
It was love. Steady and sure.
When he pulled back, he rested his forehead against hers and voiced a breath against her lips.
“You’re going to be a mom.”
Beth’s eyes widened, shock stealing her voice.
Wait…what?
She pulled back like she’d been slapped, blinking at him, certain she had misunderstood. But then she saw the truth in his eyes—clear and devastatingly sincere.
They were pregnant.
A beat passed. Then another.
Then she turned.
Without a word, she walked out of the bathroom like she was moving through water—each step slow, disconnected, her body ahead of her mind.
Without a word, she gathered her things, moving as if in a trance. She didn’t meet his eyes. Didn’t speak. Didn’t even look back.
She just walked out of the office.
Quiet. Shaken. Numb.
CHAPTER 30
“You’re going to be a mom,” Beth whispered, as she unlocked her Jeep.
“You’re going to be a mom,” she repeated, pulling out of the employee parking lot and heading toward the interstate.
“You’re going to be a mom… and you don’t even remember where you live.” The humorless laugh that followed was thin and brittle as she realized she’d turned into the wrong parking lot—her old apartment complex. With a sigh, she backed out and pointed the Jeep toward the loft.
