“And I want to hear you tell me.”
“Twenty weeks. B-Banana baby.”
His deep, warm laughter wrapped around her like a gentle hug.
“That’s right. Our banana bumblebee.”
She smiled, the disconnected feeling leaving her body enough that she could focus on Hawk’s face.
“And we’re going to name her Jessie Junior, after her incredible mom, right?” he asked.
She pushed away from him, sucking in a harsh breath before shaking her head.
“Never. That’s an awful name.”
Hawk smiled, his fingers running along her cheek. “There you are.”
A big breath whooshed out from her lungs.
“Here I am. I’m so sorry.” Heat rose in her cheeks, a bright red blush left in its wake.
“Where did you go, just now?”
“Why am I here?” she blurted out before thinking.
His forehead wrinkled as he shook his head. “We were having dinner?—”
“No. Why am I here? At your apartment. Still. When I’m doing so much better. I-I know the stuff happened out at the ranch, but I could stay with Lach, or Colt would let me move into his spare room. Even Birdie offered?—.”
“Why are we talking about this again? You’re not staying with anyone but me,” he grumbled. “I thought you wanted to be here?”
“I do,” she whispered.
“I want you here, too. I love taking care of you. I love getting to wake up next to you in the morning and all I think about all fucking day long is coming home and falling asleep with you in my arms.”
“It’s not because you know I’m not capable of taking care of the baby on my own? Because you can afford nice things and I’ll never be able to provide for her like that? It’s not because you think she’s at a disadvantage with me as a mom?”
“What. The. Fuck?” His growl had her eyes jumping from his chest up to meet his gaze. “Of course you could take care of our baby on your own. But I don’t want you to. Not for one goddamn minute of your pregnancy and certainly not for one single second once the baby is here.”
She shook her head. “But I’m not doing anything for you. I wash the laundry and put everything back in the wrong spot. I bake for you and you end up doing the dishes because I get dizzy, or sick, or I’m exhausted. I’m not taking care of you.”
“Who told you that you need to be doing something for me in order for me to love you?”
Her heart was beating so loud in her ears that it was hard to focus on the weight of the words he’d just said.
“Do you really believe that?” Hawk asked. “That the only way I could possibly love you is if you were taking care of something for me? Doing things for me?”
“That’s how I show people I care about them. And when I do all the things they expect of me, then they’re happy with me and I know they love me.”
“Jess.” His voice had dropped to a whisper, and she bit her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. Because the instant the words were out there, she heard how wrong they were.
“Would you stop loving Bee if you asked her to fold the laundry and she didn’t? If she was tired and took a nap instead?”
“Of course not.”
“And what if she had a fun day baking with you, but then was too tired to pick up. Would you stop loving her because she was listening to her body and decided to rest?”
“No. But she’s my child. I would do anything for her. I’ll love her always.”
