“I know,” I say, my thumb brushing her cheekbone, wiping away a tear. "I'm horrible."
She hits my chest, but it’s a weak little thing.
“It’s not funny,” she says, even though she’s trying to smile. “I’ve been trying to tell you all day.”
“I know,” I say softly. "But you were just so bad at it."
"That's not funny," she says, but her lips twitch. "I was terrified."
"I know," I say, my lips against her hair. "I'm sorry, baby. I wanted to hear you say it. But I couldn’t wait any longer.”
She points at the table. "This is diabolical."
"I know," I say.
"You're a monster," she whispers.
"I am," I agree, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
She looks at me, her eyes searching mine.
"How long have you known?" she asks.
"I picked up your purse last night and caught a glimpse of it," I said. "I didn't want you to have to carry that alone for one more second."
She pulls back a little, her hands braced on my chest. Her expression shifts. The humor fades. The relief fades.
And what’s left is fear again.
Real fear. The kind that sits deep in your bones.
“I’m scared,” she whispers, and the words are so small they almost disappear between us. “Nico, I’m really, really scared.”
I hold her tighter, my arms a solid band around her.
“Of what?” I ask, pressing my lips to her hair.
“Everything,” she says. “My dad. The baby. Us."
"Why us?"
She looks down at her hands on my chest, her fingers tracing a pattern on the fabric of my shirt like she’s trying to find the right words.
“Because this is… huge,” she whispers. “We haven't been together very long. I'm not even really sure that we are together. And I didn't want you to feel trapped."
I tilt her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. "Oh, I do feel trapped," I say. "Very much so."
She flinches.
"What do you mean?" she asks, her voice shaking.
"When I found that test yesterday, and I realized that we now have this living, breathing, very permanent thing binding us together, I felt like the luckiest man in the world." I kiss her. "I'm not going anywhere. Not now, not ever."
Tears spill over her lashes.
“You mean that?”
I cup her face, my thumbs stroking her cheekbones.
