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I blocked out everything else he said, panic taking hold. Eli was sitting right there. His eyes were as wide as dinner plates, but there was a smile on his lips. He'd heard everything too, and he was talking to the doctor like everything was normal. Like things were fine.
I knew he said he wanted to have kids with me one day, when things got settled and he had a new job and all. Right now, he could hardly take care of Aubree on his own. And to add another baby to the mix? Fear stole through me and I felt the adrenaline coursing through my body.
“Oh God,” I muttered to myself.
Eli's hand slipped down and rested on my belly as the doctor finished up with us. I stared down at his hand, feeling a calm wash over me. It was as if somehow, it was his way of telling me that everything was going to be okay.
That we were going to be okay.
When the doctor left, I turned to him, my e
yes wide, panic threatening to overwhelm me.
“I'm so sorry, Eli.”
“Hannah, stop. There's nothing to be sorry about,” he said, squeezing my hand as he helped me out of the bed. I felt like my knees were going to go weak underneath me.
I was pregnant. I was carrying his child.
He scooped me into his arms, pulling me to him tightly, and I was careful not to press against his wound. He held me there, hugging me close and kissing the top of my head. He was smiling, and I could feel his heart beating hard in his chest.
“Aren't you scared?” I whispered.
“Of course, I'm scared. I'm absolutely terrified,” he said, speaking against my hair. “But like I said before, I love you. I want a future with you. And I know we'll figure things out. It'll work out.”
As I stood there in his arms, a small wave of uncertainly flooded through me and I started trembling. I was overcome with emotion and felt like I might start crying right then and there. Not tears of sadness or fear, but of joy. I was so freaking happy, I thought I might explode.
Two babies. We were going from two single people, living separately, to a family of four. All in less than a year. Apparently, when we decided to do something, we did it big.
“I love the idea of having a brother or sister for Aubree. Give her someone to play with,” he said. “They can grow up together. Look out for each other.”
“I guess we're going to look for a three-bedroom apartment then, huh?”
Eli laughed. “Guess it's a good thing the Widows asked me to work at their shop, huh? With Titus gone, they need someone to manage the place,” he said. “Figured I could do some good around here too.”
“I know you can, Eli,” I said softly.
We looked into each other's eyes for a long moment, the world around us suddenly feeling so surreal. But, as those waves of disbelief rolled through us, we clung to each other. We were each other's rocks in the turmoil and chaos of life. It felt perfect to me. It felt right.
Our world was about to get a lot bigger and a lot scarier, but I knew that together, we could weather any storm. We could face down any monster and win the day.
As long as we were together.
The End
DAMAGED GOODS
PROLOGUE
“God, you’re gorgeous,” he said breathlessly. “Holy shit.”
I closed my eyes and rode him harder than ever, throwing myself forward and back with a power I didn’t know I possessed. His groans turned into growls as he took in the sight of me on top of him. In his eyes, I could see how much he wanted me, and it fueled my own desire.
“Harder, baby,” I told him, begging him to take me.
He didn’t need any encouragement. He grabbed my hips and thrust himself upward, slamming into me desperately. With the first thrust, I cried out and rode him harder. We met each other’s rhythm easily, never slowing or losing our desperate need for each other.
“Oh God!” I cried out, unable to control myself.
