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I stared up, my body reacting to his—my dragon recognizing our mate on a primal level—even as I wanted to stomp right past him. That was immature, but I was feeling about as emotional as a teenager right now.
Sofia cooed softly in her stroller, oblivious to the tension between her parents. A breeze rustled through the trees, cooling the brisk air further, but heat blazed in my chest.
“Mariah,” he said again, his voice laced with agony, and his features etched with regret. “I’m sorry doesn’t begin to cover it.” When I didn’t say anything, he ventured another step closer. “I honestly don’t have the words to express how I feel, but you have to know how much I love you… and our growing family.”
His lip hitched up on one side as he glanced at my stomach. The look in his eyes shifted then. No regret or fear or unhappiness, but…awe. Evan reached out and gently placed his hand on my belly.
“I can feel it,” he said.
“What?” My eyes grew wide, and I rested my hand on top of his, where he was feeling the new life blossoming within me. Warmth bloomed in my stomach, my chest. My dragon stirred. “Can you really?”
He brought his gaze back to mine. It was full of awe when he stepped in close and wrapped an arm around my waist, the other going to my cheek. “Yes, just barely. Like another source of energy pulsing.”
I frowned. “Why don’t I feel anything?”
“Maybe because your dragon hasn’t fully woken up yet. I’m sure it won’t be long. But listen…” He rubbed his fingertips along my cheekbone. “I mean it. I am so deeply sorry. Yes, we have a lot going on, and yes, I’m overwhelmed, but that's no excuse.”
My chest tightened as all his words from before echoed in my mind, and I pushed against his chest, shook my head, and stepped out of his reach.
“No, it isn't, Evan. You don’t get to stomp on my heart like that, then just say you’re sorry and expect everything to be okay.” My throat constricted, and I knew my words had hit home. His face dropped, pain marring his features, and my chest ached. Being at odds with my mate over something like this just felt wrong.
Evan gave me a pleading look as he reached for me, then seemed to think better of it and dropped his hands to his sides. He shook his head. “You’re right. Of course you’re right. I’m not going to be blind to everything that’s going on around us, and this has a very real effect on how we move forward. But I never should have let my fear overshadow the joy of what we’ve created together, Mariah. Not for a second. Please forgive me for not making that moment everything it should have been for you. Everything you deserve.”
We stared at each other, and all I could think was that it should've gone down differently. But what could I do about that now? He ventured one step forward, lifting a hand to me, and for a moment I thought it might devastate him completely if I stepped away again. That’s when I realized I didn’t want to. Yes, I was pissed about his reaction, but this was just as unexpected for him as it was for me.
“Mariah, I love you, and I am honored that you’re carrying my child. You have to know that.”
I swallowed against the tightness in my throat, then whispered, “I love you, too. More than anything.” Some of the tension in my chest loosened even as I lifted a finger and jabbed him in his own chest. “But if you ever act like such an obtuse ass again, you’re going to question the day you crossed a pregnant dragon lady.”
His lips conjured up a smile as he caught my finger and yanked me to his chest, holding me tightly. “Now I’m intrigued.”
“Watch it,” I said. I allowed him to hold me close this time, and rest his chin atop my head. We stood like that for a moment, taking solace in each other's warmth and strength.
“I truly am sorry,” he murmured, his breath ruffling my hair.
I nodded and looked up at him. “We’re going to have a baby.”
That awe was back in his eyes as he bent a brushed kiss over my lips. “Yes, we are. And there’s one more thing we’re going to have to deal with soon.” Before I could get too worried about what new twist fate had thrown us, he gave me a wide grin. “I spoke to Jax earlier. He's coming back.”
Relief rushed over me, and I felt like I could breathe a bit deeper. One less thing to plague us. I wasn’t afraid to admit it’d been hard without Jax around, especially after he just took off after the ordeal we'd been through together. He was closer than a friend—more like family now. Knowing he was returning and that he was safe brought a sense of comfort and stability I'd been craving.
“When did you hear from him?”
“Just a bit ago.” Evan tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.
“I’m so glad.” I bit my lip. “How did he sound?”
Jax had carried a lot of guilt on his shoulders the last time I saw him, despite my reassurances that none of his father’s doings were his fault. He’d said leaving me there alone with his father in that clinic had gutted him, even though he’d known it was the only true chance to save me.
Evan’s grip tightened ever so slightly. “It’s hard to say, but we’ll make sure he feels at home, and that he knows he's part of this family, too.”
When I heard that, my heart felt full, and though I was still hurt, I understood how much of a shock the news was. I was still reeling from it myself. One thing was clear, though. We were a family, and we’d do what we always did. We’d figure it all out together.
“Dada!”
We turned to Sofia, who was just watching us from her stroller, though she’d clearly grown impatient if her rapidly opening and closing fists were any indication.
Evan laughed, brushing his hand over my stomach once more before reaching for Sofia. He plucked her up out of the stroller and tossed her high in the air. The last rays of the setting sun cast them in silhouette while Sofia squealed with laughter. I watched them, enjoying the reprieve from what was going on outside of this moment. Love flooded me then, but hot on its heels was a white-hot flash of heat, of… jealousy?
