“Oh yeah?” He grips my hips, invading my space the way he’s invading my thoughts. “Good daydreams, I hope.”
I shrug, going for no big deal, but the way my cheeks flame with heat definitely doesn’t work in my favor, and I shove him back. “Finn should be home soon.”
“And?” he asks.
I look from him to the happy baby and the lazy bulldog at her side, not ready for this fantasy to end. “And I’m pretty sure he’d flip out if he walked in here and found you between my legs, looking...”
“Looking like what?” the arrogant ass pushes with a wicked grin.
I mean... he looks like what my roommates and I would have calledsex on a stick.
An incredibly tall, muscley, delicious stick.
A freshly fucked one.
A super-hot, extra-large stick.
But I refuse to tell him that. His ego barely fits through the damn door already.
Although I can safely say he’s earned that sucker.
Instead, I go with the less colorful version of the truth.
“Looking like you spent the afternoon fucking his best friend.”
I kind of expected him to drop his hold on me and maybe step back, but I should have known better. Jamie never does what I expect. Instead, his grip tightens, and he slides me to the edge ofthe counter. “I plan on fucking her all night too, so she’s going to need to be quiet.”
Kyrie shrieks like a baby pterodactyl from one of thoseJurassic Worldmovies, and we both stop and smile at her. “Yeah well, we’ll see if the prehistoric shrieking baby over there lets that happen.”
“Seriously, Ace. He’s going to have to find out at some point. Why not get it over with?”
“Oh, charmer.” I drag my thumb over his lower lip. “Just what every girl wants to hear.”
“You’re pregnant, Ashton. It’s going to be pretty hard to hide from my brother, the doctor, soon enough, considering we live with him and all.
“Yeah... You think?” I push him back and hop off the counter. “I know that. But I want to see a doctor before we tell anyone. Can you give me that, please? I’m not trying to be sneaky or lie to anybody, especially Finn. But I want to get it confirmed. I want to know I have the due date right and that everything is fine... I don’t know, I just want to know something—anything—before we announce it to the world.”
My stomach sinks at the thought of everything crashing down over my head, but not Jamie. His lips tug up into the sexiest silly smile I’ve ever seen, and I kind of want to smack it right off his handsome face. “What are you smiling at?”
He drops to his knees and gently places his hands on either side of my still-flat stomach and presses a kiss right there with his eyes locked on mine. “We’re having a baby, Ace. You’re having my baby.”
I run my fingers through his hair as fear skates alongside... something different. It’s still fear, but a different kind. The kind that warns if it’s too good to be true, it’s too good to be believed. “Aren’t you scared, Jamie?”
He climbs to his feet and pulls me against him. His strong arms hold me, and I almost hate how safe I feel. Almost. For now, I’m going to soak it in. “No. Why would I be?”
“Are you serious?” I push back, wanting to see his face. See his thoughts that are usually completely transparent. He never had a good poker face, not like me. “Jamie... I just finally started to feel like I was getting a hold on all of this with Kyrie. I don’t even know yet if I’m going to be able to keep her or if my mom is going to get out and fight me for her. I have a part-time job making part-time money and the world’s smallest savings account. I live here. With you. I don’t even have health insurance. I’m a mess. I can’t possibly be what you pictured when you imagined the mother of your child.” I motion between us. “We can’t possibly be what you imagined. We’re not even...”
“Not even what, Ashton?” His eyes take on a hard glint, and I want to swallow my words. Take them back. But they’re not wrong. They’re not a lie or exaggeration. Him not being willing to accept that doesn’t change anything. “I thought we got thenot eventhinking out of the way. Because we most definitelyare, beautiful. We areeven. And the rest can be figured out on our time. But we’re going to figure it out. And we’re going to do ittogether. I promise.”
He reaches in his pocket and pulls out a scrap of paper, that he places carefully in the palm of my hand.
“What’s this?” Jamie’s chicken scratch is scrawled all over it, and I think I can make out a phone number, but if that’s a name next to it, I have absolutely no idea what it says.
“It’s Hendrix’s sister-in-law’s office number. She’s an ob-gyn. I thought you might want a recommendation for a doctor and wasn’t sure if you were ready to ask Finn for one or not. But Kenzie is great.” His dimple comes out to play in his cheek as he stumbles over his words, and I have to fight back my laugh.
This man is sweeter than he lets on. “Oh yeah, charmer... Have you been to see many ob-gyns?”
“She’s family, Ace.” He twirls a lock of my hair around his finger, and I might as well melt into a puddle of goo at his feet. “She’ll take care of you.”
