I know he doesn’t want me to worry, but not knowing what is going on with my family only makes me worry more.
Before I can press him for details, he reaches for Addison.
“Let me.”
I blink as he takes her into his arms and instinctively adjusts the blanket, and settles her against his chest.
There’s a gentleness in the way he handles her that makes my chest ache with a mixture of awe and relief as I imagine him holding our own baby.
“It’s like peeking into a crystal ball,” Kieran echoes my exact thoughts. “This will be our life soon.”
I nestle closer against his side, resting my head on his shoulder as I stare down at Addison.
“I can’t wait,” I admit.
“You won’t be saying that when we’re deep in the trenches of no sleep and constant diaper changes.” He chuckles.
“That’s the part I’m looking forward to the most.”
I tilt my head up to smile at Kieran, but he quickly captures my mouth with a quick kiss that leaves me breathless and covered in goosebumps.
“Neither can I,” he murmurs against my mouth.
Before I can deepen the kiss, he pulls back and looks down at me with a frown.
“What is it?”
“Your internship…”
“What about it?”
“Did you turn it down because you’re pregnant?”
In all of the craziness that has happened over the past few weeks, I had almost entirely forgotten about the internship.
It was always meant to be a conversation for after I told Kieran about the baby, and seeing as the secret is officially out, I guess it’s time to untangle the rest of the lies I felt I had to feed him in order to keep the pregnancy secret.
My cheeks flood with color as I avoid Kieran’s eye, feeling that familiar twinge of guilt in my stomach.
“Yes.”
“But why? Was there some kind of pregnancy clause in the contract? Because they can’t legally?—”
“No, it was nothing like that,” I interject quickly before Kieran decides to sue Ross Lever.
“Then what was it?”
“Honestly? I didn’t think it was possible for me to balance it all. I figured it was just a sacrifice I was going to have to make…”
When I glance up under my lashes at Kieran, I find him smiling down at me.
“What?”
“I appreciate that you have this ‘strong independent woman’ identity and all, but I want you to know that I’m not going anywhere.”
“I know.”
“Do you? Because turning down the internship because you didn’t think you could do it all makes me feel like you didn’t view me as a true partner.”
