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“Yeah, for how long? I heard what Mary said the night I came to your house. You didn’t want me there.”
“No, that’s not...” I shake my head, wracking my brain to recall a conversation that feels like it took place a lifetime ago. “I didn’t know you then—”
“You didn’t have to. You knew I was bad news, just like you knew my uncle—or my dad, or whatever the hell he is—wasn’t telling the truth.” She wraps her arms around her bent legs. “Why did you ask Cal to look into him?”
“I just had a feeling” I say. “Cop’s intuition.”
“In other words, you took one look at him and made an assumption. You assumed he was up to something shady because of the kind of person he is. Guess what. Those are my people, Jonah. I come from them. Their flaws are my flaws.”
“Angel, you are nothing like your parents.”
“I’m exactly like them. You saw it for yourself. I don’t belong here. I never should’ve come to stay with you.”
Her words pierce through me like a bullet. Not because they’re true—‘cause they’re not—but because she believes them, and she’s using those beliefs to abuse herself. She’s only pushing me away because it’s what she thinks she deserves, because she doesn’t think she deserves the kind of life I can give her.
“You’re right,” I say. “When Mary first asked me to take you in, I was reluctant. I made an assumption. I was tired and bitter and I didn’t know you, Teagan. But now that I do, I realize how wrong I was to think that way. I was wrong to assume those things about you.”
“And what about my uncle?”
“I won’t apologize for asking Cal to look into him. Some people leave a bad taste in your mouth for a reason, and in this case, it was a valid reason. If I’d known he was taking your money, I would’ve stepped in sooner.” I stroke her arm, back and forth, until she gives me her hand. “I think, on some level, you knew something wasn’t right about him, too. Because you’re smart, angel. Whip smart.”
She balks. “So smart I didn’t even know I was being cheated by my own father.”
“Falling for a con man doesn’t make you stupid. It makes you human. Loving you has helped me grow as a human, and as a man. I used to think people couldn’t change. That we’re products of our experience. I know you’ve seen a lot of ugliness, but you are not your past. And your blood doesn’t get to dictate what you become.”
Teagan stares out the windshield, her expression softening. “Maybe... Either way, I’m sorry I went crazy on you. Sometimes I do that when I’m stressed, or when I feel like I’m backed into a corner.”
“We all go a little crazy sometimes, angel. The only reason I didn’t let you break your dad’s nose—or, hell, break it myself—was the threat of either of us going to prison.”
“I should probably work on controlling it though—” She smiles nervously. “—before the baby comes.”
The world stops turning on its axis.
“You’re pregnant?” I ask. She nods. “You’re sure?”
“I took a test. Three tests, actually. All positive.” Her dark-chocolate gaze searches my face. “Are you...happy about it?”
Her tears wet my cheeks as I pull her in for a kiss.
“I’ve never been so happy about anything, angel.”
We go inside, and I set her up at the kitchen table with paper and colored pencils. She draws while I make dinner, grilled cheese with the crusts cut off and piping-hot bowls of tomato soup. She offers to wash the dishes, and I can’t keep my hands off her belly as she rinses the plates and sets them into the dishwasher.
Upstairs, I help her change into her pink-unicorn PJs, then strip down to my boxers and crawl into bed beside her.
My hand finds its way inside her panties halfway through our bedtime story. As I stroke her clit, her eyelashes flutter, and I wonder if our child will have her eyes. This baby is going to be a new start for both of us. I assumed we’d have a little more time to settle into our life together before starting a family. But as fate would have it, we’re gonna learn to run and walk simultaneously.
And if we’re gonna run, we might as well make it a sprint.
“Marry me, angel.”
Her eyes snap open. “What?”
I kiss the corner of her mouth. “I haven’t felt like I was part of something bigger than myself since I was a cop. A mistake and a bullet took that from me, but you brought the feeling back. I love you, Teagan. I want to spend the rest of my life taking care of you and our baby. Let me give you the big, loving family you deserve.”
I’m still fingering her even as she considers her answer. I don’t take my eyes off her gorgeous face for a second. As I coax her closer to orgasm, her lips drift apart, and she whimpers. She comes with her whole body, tensing and shaking. “Oh...God...yes...”
“What’s that, angel?”
