My hand found her waist, brushing my thumb over the curve of her hip. “Of course, baby. Are you okay?”
She took a second before nodding slowly. Her lips parted like she was about to say something, but nothing came out.
“Avery, you’re looking at me like I scared you.” I kissed her forehead and pulled her into my body. “Or like you want to start planning the wedding. I honestly can’t tell which.”
She giggled, but it was half-hearted. “Last night was just…a lot.”
I waited for more.
“I wasn’t expecting you to… I didn’t know you…” She squeezed me like I was her lifeline. “Did you mean what you said?”
“I said a lot of things.”
She sighed. “About getting me…pregnant.”
I tucked my fingers under her chin and lifted until she was looking at me. “Every fucking word.”
Her breath hitched, and I could see the moisture pooling in her eyes.
I wasn’t sure I was going to give her a choice in the matter, but I still wondered what went through her head when she thought about having a baby with the stepbrother she used to despise. Iwas too afraid to ask, though, afraid to know the truth—that she might not want that, want me, at all.
For me, I couldn’t wait to see Avery pregnant, holding a baby, singing soft lullabies to our children as they fell asleep.
Our perfect little family.
A single tear fell from her eye, but I didn’t try to catch it as it cascaded down her cheek and onto my chest.
“We don’t have to talk about anything until you’re ready,” I assured her.
She nodded and tucked herself back against me, placing her hand over my heart like she wanted to reach in and take it.
I’d let her. Avery owned my entire being. She didn’t understand the lengths I’d go to keep everything perfect for us, to keep us together.
But I couldn’t risk scaring her off now, when nothing was tying us together. Even just the thought of losing Avery made my heart ache.
“How does breakfast sound?” I asked her, needing to get out of bed, needing something to focus my energy on.
“I could eat,” she offered.
Once downstairs, Avery started looking around the house, opening doors and walking through the rooms while I busied myself in the kitchen.
“This house is amazing,” she said once she finished her tour.
“So it has your approval?”
She rolled her eyes. I put my hands on her hips and dragged her body to mine.
“Come on, baby,” I murmured against her lips, teasing her, enjoying the way she chased me. “Just admit you love the house so we can move on.”
“You shou—”
“Next time, I’ll ask you before I do anything crazy like this, okay? I promise.”
Her eyes searched mine, looking for something. “Fine,” she finally admitted. “I do like the house.”
“Just like?” I asked as I dug my fingers into her ribs, making her laugh. “I spent all this money on a house youlike?”
She tried to talk, but she was laughing too hard to get any words out. When I let up, she said, “I love it. It’s unbelievable, but I love it. It’s everything I dreamed about.”
