Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
But then Rick showed up and everything turned into chaos.
And now definitely isn’t the right time. Not when he’s stretched beside me, calm and satisfied. Not when I’m still catching my breath from the way he unraveled me.
I rest my hand against his chest and feel the slow, steady beat of his heart. He reaches over and runs his fingers along my arm.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice low and a little rough.
I nod. “I’m perfect.” I let out a happy sigh. “Are you okay?”
His mouth lifts in a faint smile. “I’m not the one who was stalked by a former coworker. You’re not too shaken up?”
“A little. But I’m okay now.”
His hand moves to cup my cheek, and his thumb brushes just under my eye. “If he ever comes near you again—”
“He won’t,” I say quickly, gently placing my hand over his. “You scared the shit out of him. Trust me.”
I don’t say that a small part of me was scared too. Not of Damien, not really. But of how easily he slipped into that version of himself. I didn’t know he was capable of such casual violence. The strangest part is that it didn’t just scare me. It thrilled me.
Not the violence itself, but the fact that he was willing to go that far to protect me. The way he looked at me afterward, like making sure I was okay mattered more than anything else, made my heart speed up.
I press a kiss to his chest, then tuck my face against it again. I don’t want to move. I don’t want to talk. I just want to stay here, wrapped up in the warmth of him, pretending there’s nothing complicated about any of this.
Except there is.
The words linger just behind my lips, waiting to be spoken. Every time I think I’ve built up enough courage to say them, something holds me back. Maybe it’s the way he’s looking at me now, like everything is right in the world. Maybe it’s because I’m not ready for that look to disappear. Maybe I’m not ready for him to treat me differently, or worse, for him to pull away.
I close my eyes and try to convince myself that it’s okay to wait a little longer. It’s only been a few days since I found out. Nothing’s really changed yet. I don’t look different. I don’t feel different, aside from the morning sickness and the way every smell in the apartment has turned on me.
Still, the weight of the secret presses harder on my chest than I expected.
“Hey,” Damien says suddenly, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “I actually came here to tell you something.”
My body tenses instinctively, and I push myself up slightly to look at him. “What is it?”
“I have to leave town for a few days.”
It takes a second for that to register. “Oh. Okay.”
He brushes my hair back, tucking it behind my ear like it’s something he does all the time. “It’s last-minute business. Nothing to worry about. I actually came here tonight just to spend some time with you before I have to go.”
I can’t tell him now. Not like this. Dropping something this heavy on him right before he gets on a plane wouldn’t be fair.
I force a smile. “When are you leaving?”
“Soon,” he says as he pulls the sheets down and sits up, reaching for his clothes.
My chest tightens.
He starts getting dressed, and I follow suit, pulling on one of my oversized T-shirts. We move around each other in comfortable silence, like a couple who’s done this a hundred times before. When he finishes, he crosses back to the bed and kisses me slowly, like he’s memorizing me before he has to go.
I lean into it, trying to hold on just a second longer.
“Be safe,” I tell him when he pulls back.
His eyes darken slightly, and he nods. “Always.”
He walks to the door, then pauses. “I’ll call you when I land.”
“Okay.”
The door closes behind him with a quiet click.
And just like that, he’s gone.
I stand there in the stillness, trying to process a hundred thoughts running through my head. His scent still lingers in the room. The sheets are tangled from where we were lying together. I drop back onto the bed, pull the covers up to my chest, and stare at the ceiling.
It’s strange how fast things change. One minute I’m in his arms, feeling more wanted than I’ve ever felt in my life. The next, he’s out the door and I’m left with the secret I’m still too afraid to share.
I press a hand to my stomach. It’s nothing yet. Just a whisper of what’s coming. But I already feel connected to my child.
I thought I would be more panicked about it. I expected it to hit when the doctor confirmed the news, or when I had to tell Becca. I thought it would hit when I got back home and realized my whole life was going to change.