“Jonnas—”
“Hmm?”
“You make it sound easy.”
His expression softened completely. “Maybe it should be easy. I just want to take care of you, baby girl. Will you let me do that for you and our baby?” he asked. He felt as though he was holding his breath, waiting for her to give him her answer. And when she nodded her agreement, he felt as though his whole world was right again. What was it about this woman that had him feeling that way? He had no idea, but he planned on figuring it out.
Jonnas had never realized how intimate domesticity could feel. Not sex, seduction, or lust, but domesticity. Standing in his kitchen while Dani sat barefoot on the counter beside him, eating macaroni and cheese straight out of the pot, somehow felt more dangerous than getting her naked ever had. Mostly because she looked comfortable, and Jonnas was starting to understand just how rare that was for her.
“You’re staring again,” Dani mumbled around a bite of pasta.
“I’m supervising,” he insisted.
“I don’t need supervision,” she insisted, causing him to chuckle.
“I think that you do. You’re messy.” He grabbed a napkin from the drawer and wiped some cheese sauce from her cheek. She gasped in fake offense before nearly dropping a noodle onto her shirt. Jonnas caught the fork before it hit her lap. “See?” Dani narrowed her eyes at him while chewing.
He was beginning to find everything that she did to be entirely too cute for his own good. The way that the oversized hospital hoodie swallowed her frame. The way she tucked one leg beneath herself while sitting on the counter. Even the sleepy softness in her eyes now that she’d finally eaten something. His chest tightened painfully at the sight of her.
“You look happier,” she said quietly.
The observation caught him off guard. “What?”
“You look happier than you did before all this happened between us,” she said.
Jonnas leaned back against the counter across from her slowly. “That probably should concern me, right?” he asked.
“No.” Dani smiled faintly. “It’s nice.” He studied her carefully for a long moment. She looked relaxed, maybe for the first time since showing up in his office with that pregnancy test. The realization settled heavily into his chest because that was what he wanted—for her to feel safe here with him.
“Come here,” he said softly. Dani blinked once before sliding off the counter and walking toward him without hesitation. Every single time she responded to him so instinctively, something deep inside him tightened possessively. She stopped directly in front of him, tilting her head up slightly to look at him.
“What?” she asked.
Jonnas brushed a thumb beneath her eye gently. “You look about ready to drop.”
“I’m tired,” she admitted.
“I know, how about we get you tucked into bed? I can work on these dishes later.”
She nodded her agreement. “Pregnancy is rude,” she said around a yawn. “I’m either cranky, nauseous, or exhausted, all the time.” A laugh rumbled out of him automatically, and Dani smiled softly at the sound. Suddenly, he understoodsomething dangerous—she liked making him happy. Not in a people-pleasing way, but in a connected way. Like his reactions mattered to her now, too. That realization wrapped around his ribs tightly.
“Did you take your vitamins today?” he asked. Dani immediately made a guilty face. Jonnas narrowed his eyes. “Baby girl.”
“I forgot,” she admitted.
“You forgot, or you avoided them because they make you nauseous?” She looked personally attacked, and he couldn’t help his smile.
“The second one,” she admitted.
“Mhm,” he hummed.
“They’re gross,” she insisted.
“You still need to take them,” he said.
Dani sighed dramatically. “You sound like a dad already.” The word hit him square in the chest. Jonnas reached around her and grabbed the bottle from the kitchen counter where he’d set it earlier after unpacking her bag.
“You’re taking them,” he insisted.
