Page 45 of Already Callin’ You Mine

Me either.

Thank you for coming home early

Of course! That’s what parents do. I know you understand that.

Now get some rest. And let me know if you want us to pick anything up on the way home.

I will

I close my texts, my heart squeezing so hard it almost hurts. He called my parents. Told them he’d stay as long as needed. Are you kidding me? I don’t know that I can handle this. It’s too much.

Cody wouldn’t get within ten feet of me when I was hunched over the toilet with morning sickness. Jace is sitting on the edge of my bed holding back my hair and helping me balance a puke bowl. After cleaning up both me and my child last night. Oh, and spending all morning watching Curious George.

He’s making it very hard not to fall.

Forcing myself out of bed, I shuffle to the bathroom to try and clean myself up. Even if it’s just a little bit. If nothing else, my bladder is screaming at me for some relief. Some cold water to my face will probably also be a big help.

Twenty minutes later I’m in fresh clothes—nothing fancy, but at least it’s a different pair of sweatpants than Jace saw me in yesterday—feeling like something that resembles a human being again. My gurgling tummy is still more than enough of a reminder that I can’t push it, so I take it slow as I walk down the hall to the living room.

Little boy giggles greet me, bouncing off the walls of the living room, my pulse skittering with happiness at the sound. There is no better sound than that giggle.

Except for maybe the deep, manly laugh that is now blending in with it.

I stop, pausing at the end of the hall, and lean against the wall, taking in the scene before me. Otis is curled up under Jace’s arm, the two of them under a blanket, their focus fully on the TV in front of them. Otis clings to Socks, one arm wrapped tightly around the bear, like it’s the last life vest on the Titanic. I watch them for a long moment, loving that they are so comfortable with each other that nothing else around them matters. Just two dudes hanging out, watching movies and having a sick day.

“Mama!” Otis calls out when he sees me.

“Hi, baby,” I say, pushing off the wall and padding over to them.

“You feel better?”

Well, that’s a loaded question. My stomach is still questionable, but after watching these two, my spirits are definitely up.

“Little bit. Are you?”

Otis nods, turning back to the movie. I settle in on the other end of the couch, giving them enough room so that I don’t disturb them. Looking over Otis’s head, Jace winks at me, then turns back to the TV. Butterflies fill my chest and I have to fight the urge to giggle. I am not fourteen.

“Jace, do you have a favorite toy?” Otis asks.

Jace smiles down at him, nodding. “Just like you have Socks, I still have Phant. Phant is a blue elephant, and he went everywhere with me when I was little. He sits on my nightstand now.”

Be still my heart…

“Mama has her toys too. But she keeps them in a special place and I’m not allowed to play with them.”

“That’s a completely different Woody and Buzz…” Jace mutters, smirking.

OH MY GOD…

Heat rushes up the back of my neck, my cheeks instantly flushing. No, no, no. That’s not what he⁠—

“Samansa and Molly,” Otis corrects him.

Jace’s eyes go wide, flicking his gaze to me. “Well, didn’t see that coming.”

“And Felishitty…”

“Felicity,” I say slowly, sounding out each syllable. I hold Jace’s gaze, my embarrassment still loud and proud all over my face. “Felicity, Samantha, Molly, and Kirsten. The original American Girl dolls.”