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Aiden woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly content, despite the three-sixty change his life had gone through in a matter of minutes last night. But with Daisy snuggled into his body, trusting him to protect her while she slept, he knew without a shred of doubt that he’d slay dragons for this woman and the baby that was growing inside of her.
Three months ago they’d spent an incredibly passionate night together, one that was supposed to be a spontaneous hookup and only about pleasure and sex. But waking up that morning after getting to know Daisy better, physically and emotionally, Aiden had instinctively known that there was nothing simple or casual about the deep-seated feelings that had developed for her during those twelve intimate hours they’d spent together.
Those same feelings for Daisy were reaffirmed again this morning, when he realized just how much he’d missed this close, physical connection with her. How much he’d missed her—their effortless conversations like they’d had last night, her smiles and laughter and their witty exchanges, and how comfortable and easy it was to just be with her, even beyond the attraction and chemistry that was always present. She was the reason dating anyone else no longer held any appeal, because it was suddenly so obvious to him that no other woman would ever compare to this one, who seemed to fill the gaps in his life that he hadn’t even known were empty until her.
And now, holy shit, she was going to have his baby.
He’d slept on and off throughout the night as the reality of the situation sank in and took hold. Ready or not, he was going to be a dad—something he’d never envisioned for himself, considering he’d always thought he’d be single. Yeah, there was still an element of shock that he was dealing with at the unexpected news, but instead of letting Daisy’s pregnancy turn his life upside down or freaking the fuck out completely—yes, he’d had a moment in the kitchen when he’d freaked slightly—he had enough moral compass to step up like a man should when life didn’t go as planned. Unlike his father, who’d opted to check out and walk away from his wife and kids when the going had gotten tough so he could marry a younger woman and start a new family with her.
Daisy would never have to worry about going through this process by herself, or him abandoning her or their child, but he hadn’t forgotten about the married dickhead who’d fucked around with her heart and emotions and made her cautious when it came to trusting other men. Hell, he’d seen her distrust in action last night when she’d assured Aiden that she didn’t expect anything from him and that she was prepared to go it alone. Total self-protection mode at its finest, and an emotio
nal obstacle he was going to have to navigate carefully until he convinced her that he wasn’t going to fail her or their child.
Because he was all fucking in. There was no middle road for Aiden and no doubts or fears he couldn’t conquer along the way in order to make some kind of relationship with Daisy work, even if it was just as co-parents—but ideally, he wanted her as part of the package, too. They might not have dated for the past three years, but they’d worked together five days a week for that long and weren’t strangers, either. He knew enough about Daisy that he liked and respected her. He’d even go so far as to say that he cared for her, and they had a friendship he’d like to think made for a solid foundation to raise a child together and hopefully to build something more between them, as well.
She shifted restlessly against him, then rolled to her back with a sigh as one of her hands came to rest protectively on her stomach. He took a moment to look at her as she slept so peacefully, already imagining what she’d look like once her belly really started to show, and it was incredibly easy to envision Daisy glowing and stunningly beautiful in her advanced pregnancy.
Smiling at the thought, he moved down a few inches and pushed up the hem of his shirt so he could press his ear to her warm stomach, same as he had last night, but this time listening intently because he was genuinely curious to see if he could detect any kind of pulse. Yeah, he really was a total dork, but having made the decision that he was all in, he didn’t give a shit, because he wasn’t going to miss out on any part of this pregnancy if he could help it.
Daisy’s fingers threaded lazily through his hair as she stirred, then he felt her tense beneath him as she woke up to find him resting his head on her abdomen. She looked down at him with wide, startled eyes, and he smiled at her.
“Morning,” he murmured. “Just seeing if I can pick up any baby sounds in your belly.”
“And?” she asked huskily, the first glimmer of amusement shining in her eyes. “Do you hear anything in there?”
He masked his face into an expression of concentration. “I hear gurgling sounds . . . but that’s probably your stomach letting me know that it’s breakfast time and I need to get my butt out of bed and feed you and the baby.”
“Yes, most likely,” she agreed with a soft, still-sleepy laugh as her fingers resumed threading through his hair, as if the two of them spent every weekend lying around in bed together and this was their normal routine. “I should be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat when I go to my first ob-gyn appointment next week and get a ultrasound done.”
“I want to go with you,” he said automatically. No way was she getting to hear their baby’s heartbeat without him there, too.
“Aiden, you really don’t need to go to my doctor’s appointments.”
She was giving him an out he didn’t want and putting up those emotional walls. Even if she didn’t realize that’s what she was doing, he did. “Sweetheart, I know that I don’t have to. I want to.” Then he grinned to lighten the mood. “Besides, I’m afraid if I don’t go, I’ll have major FOMO.”
The corner of her mouth quirked with humor. “Fear of missing out?” she asked.
He lifted his head and nodded. “It’s the first time you’ll be hearing the heartbeat, and I know I’ll regret it if I miss out on the experience.”
Her expression softened as she relented. “Okay. The appointment is four in the afternoon this coming Thursday.”
“Thank you.” He kissed her stomach, just a light, affectionate skim of his lips, before getting out of bed and pulling on his jeans. “I’m going to go start breakfast. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in just a bit.”
Not knowing what Daisy’s stomach might be able to handle in the morning, Aiden made scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, and toast, figuring it was a healthy enough meal to begin the day. She walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes after he’d left her in bed, wearing the same outfit she’d had on last night and having re-braided her hair so any wild strands that had escaped during the night while she was sleeping were now tamed. She was back to being buttoned-up Daisy Parker, and he realized he kind of liked being the only one who saw the sensual, naughty side to Daisy.
She sat down at the table while he plated their breakfast. “Orange juice or coffee to drink?” he asked.
She thought for a moment. “I probably should be more careful about my caffeine intake, so I’ll go with orange juice. Thank you.”
He delivered her eggs, bacon, and toast, then went to the refrigerator and poured them both a glass of OJ and returned to the table, sitting beside her. He watched her take a couple bites of her food, her appetite much stronger than it had been during last night’s dinner, when she’d been too anxious about telling him she was pregnant.
The expression on her face was appreciative and happy by the time half her eggs were gone. “I think I’ve eaten two of the best meals I’ve had lately here at your place,” she said with a laugh. “You’re spoiling me.”
He smiled, because the concept definitely appealed to him on a regular basis. “You don’t like to cook?”
“It’s not that,” she said before she took a drink of her juice. “I just don’t have the space in my small kitchenette to create meals that have more than three or four ingredients, and a lot of the time when I get home from the office, it’s late and I’m too tired to cook. Mostly, I heat up a prepackaged dinner or I grab takeout on the way home from work, but I suppose I need to change those habits, too.”
