“Wow,” I said softly. “That’s good.”
One of his shoulders lifted slightly with another shrug. “It’s bittersweet. I’m grateful, but... I can’t undo what happened, and neither can he.” He gave his head a little shake, and his attention refocused on me. “How was your weekend?”
I blinked up at him, feeling my lips curl into a smile because I was just so freaking happy he was home. “It was a weekend. I worked. Nothing amazing happened.”
“How was work?” His lips teased at the corners, and my belly did a little shimmy.
“It was good.” I chuckled softly, feeling unaccountably abashed—almost nervous—at just how happy I was that he was here with me.
Although the buzz of him being here felt so good, in a back corner of my thoughts was the reality that I had to tell him something big. Really big. I didn’t know how he was going to feel about it. I still didn’t know how I felt about it. I had gone from ninety-eight percent sure I wanted this baby to ninety-nine percent sure, and yet the clock was ticking. I had to tell Kincaid about the situation and soon.
My doubts were burgeoning because his presence made it all so very real. It was no longer just me counting on someone and learning to trust someone, but our hypothetical baby, an eventual child.
“I’m glad you’re home,” I said, my words feeling inadequate for the moment.
“I am, too,” he murmured, his familiar voice, the low rumble of it, sliding over me like a soothing balm along my nerve endings.
He dropped his forehead to mine, his hand shifting from teasing through my hair lightly to sliding up to cup my nape. “Missed you, Tori,” he murmured against my lips, each word shaping a promise.
Before I could take another breath, he was kissing me, and I was kissing him back with need spinning like liquid fire through my veins. We tumbled into the force of our desire, swept into a current.
Chapter Thirty
Tori
The following morning, we showered together. My sated body, the one Kincaid had played like his own personal instrument the night before, sang for him yet again. I was starting to wonder if I could ever get enough of him.
After we got dressed, he came outside with me while I took Bella out. I still called it a walk with her, but these days it was more of a meander of slow, lazy loops around the yard. When we came back inside, after I made us coffee, we sat at the kitchen table.
His gaze sobered as he looked over at me. “I need to tell you something,” he began.
My pulse immediately sped up, kicking along faster. My chest tightened, my heart feeling like it was trying to escape from the anxiety churning inside me. “Okay,” I said carefully.
Kincaid took a quick gulp of his coffee, his eyes locking with mine. “I’m in love with you,” he said.
Joy rose inside of me, as if bells ringing in unison, announcing to the world its presence and power.
“I love you,” he repeated, his tone low and clear.
For this moment, I forgot all the reasons I was afraid. Tears splashed down my cheeks. “I love you, too,” I whispered hoarsely.
He reached for my hands. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, though I couldn’t quite speak for a few seconds. “Yeah, I just...” I cleared my throat, blinking the tears away. His touch grounded me and slowed the spinning sensation inside. “I just didn’t expect any of this.”
“I didn’t either. Meeting my dad brought home how important it is to tell people what you’re feeling. Especially when it matters.”
“Was he in love with your mom?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could second-guess it.
He paused before he shook his head a little. “I think they liked each other a lot, but they were young. He talked about how, if he’d known she was pregnant before he was stationed somewhere else, he might have handled things differently. He understands now what’s important and what it means to show up.” He let out a breath and looked back at me. “I’m ballpark ten years older than he was when all of that happened. I like to think I’m older and wiser, maybe at least a little bit.” He paused, as if gathering his thoughts. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with us. But I didn’t want to let myself get in the way and let how important you are to me slide by just because I didn’t expect it.”
We stared at each other across the table. While my heart pounded along, his last sentence echoed in my mind. Because it wasn’t just Kincaid I didn’t expect.
Chapter Thirty-One
Kincaid
A few days later
