“You on birth control?” he gritted between clenched teeth.
“Yes.”
“Fuck,” he groaned while pumping harder and faster.
Rage kissed me passionately and as my pussy muscles began spasming, he released into me with a deep moan. Feeling Rage’s heart pound against his chest as he rested on top of me was one of the best feelings in the world.
Two days later, I smiled as Rage walked out to my car. I brought Jaxon over to meet him, and he met us at the car, so he could get the carrier. Before getting Jaxon, he opened the door for me, leaned in, and kissed me on the lips.
Since our date, Rage and I hadn’t missed a beat. I had been at a photoshoot all day, and I was exhausted, but Rage was ready to meet Jaxon. I tried to grab Jaxon’s diaper bag, and Rage swatted my hand away.
“I got this.”
“Excuse me.”
Inside the apartment, I noticed a swing sitting in the living room, and I looked over at Rage. “Where did you get a swing?”
“I bought it,” he chuckled. “I knew little man wouldn’t want to be in his carrier the entire time.”
“Thank you.” I never had a thought that Rage wouldn’t fully accept Jaxon but him going out and getting a swing melted my heart.
I let him take Jaxon out of the carrier. “He’s chunky. I can tell little man likes to eat. He looks like you too,” I observed him as his gaze lingered on my baby’s face.
“Thank God,” I mumbled.
Sitting on the couch, I saw that his laptop was on an airline website.
“You booking a flight?”
“Yeah. I heard about a trade show in Chicago next month. I need to hustle and get some bread. At trade shows I can meet wholesale manufacturers, and all kinds of people when it comes to being connected in the jewelry game. I want to be able to place a large order for my shop.”
“What’s the date? Unless you want to go alone,” I hurriedly added. I didn’t want him to think I was trying to crowd him or overstep.
“Why would I want to go alone if you’re willing to make the time to come with me? It’s the twenty-first.”
Unlocking my phone, I checked my calendar. “I’m free. I already know my parents will keep Jaxon. After this fashion show, I’ll be able to concentrate on looking for places. My parents want me to stay with them and save money, but I don’t know…” my voice trailed off. “I feel like I’m old as hell with a kid. I don’t want a room at my parents’ house. If the show does well and I get a lot of orders, I should be good.”
“Why don’t you technically move in with your parents but stay here with me a few nights a week? That way you still save money and have some space from me and them when you need it. We can ease back into the relationship and when my lease is up, we can get something bigger. Together.”
Smiling at Rage, I observed how comfortable he looked holding Jaxon. “When did you get this perfect?”
“I was always perfect. Players just fuck up sometimes.”
If I had been careful, I never would have gotten pregnant by Markell, but I didn’t regret my son. It would have been ideal to have a child by a man that I was married to or that I would at least raise him with, but that wasn’t how it turned out. I took comfort in knowing that Jaxon would have positive male role models in his life regardless of whether or not Markell came around, and I was fine with that. I should have made better choices when it came to dealing with men and having unprotected sex. I had to own that.
Jaxon became a little fussy, and I reached for him. “He’s probably sleepy.”
“Okay,” Rage frowned. “I know how to put a baby to sleep. Fall back.”
“I’m not about to keep adding to the list of people I have to fight for the baby that I carried for nine months.”
“I only have two arms. Have another baby and one of us will always be able to have one.”
“Yeah, that’s my cue to ignore you,” I laughed.
Rage laid Jaxon on his chest and rubbed his back. With a smile on my face, I unlocked my phone and went to social media. The pictures from my photoshoot had been posted, and I wanted to see the response. I had temporarily closed my website and was going to open it for sales after the fashion show. Nervous was an understatement. The most I’d ever sold in one monthfrom my clothing line was $900. I needed to make that times twenty.
Before I could go to my notifications, I saw a post from a gossip blog that made my jaw drop.
