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Her lips tip up at the corners. “If you insist.”
“Hungry?” I ask, grabbing her hand and guiding her to the kitchen. “I made breakfast for you.”
“I only have cereal in the cupboards,” she states.
“I was appalled by your selection of nutrients. So I got a few things.”
Carli lets out a surprised little laugh. “What else did you do while I was asleep?” she asks, raising her eyebrows and looking through the fridge and drawers. “That’s a lot of food.”
“Good thing you’re eating for two.” I lean down and place a kiss on her stomach before plating up her food.
“Thank you, Jace,” Carli whispers, looking up at me with softened eyes.
Emotion clogs my chest, not allowing words to come out of my lips. I kiss her deeply instead, showing her how much I care for her with the slide of my tongue on hers. Showing her much I care for her by the way I wind my fingers through her hair and tug her closer.
Carli moans, and I pull away. “Eat first,” I smirk at her.
She rolls her eyes at me, then gets comfortable in her seat, eyeing the eggs and avocado toast. “I get sick in the mornings,” she says. “And I don’t eat much because of that. But the doctor said it’ll fade soon. This looks amazing, even if I might throw it all up later.” Then she digs in.
“What else did the doctor say?” I ask, leaning across the island. “Is the baby healthy? Any concerns? When’s your due date? Is it a boy or a girl?”
Carli smiles, shaking her head. “Nothing important. The baby is healthy and there aren’t any concerns. Due date is in six months, I don’t know the gender. I’m planning on throwing a party. Like a gender reveal party.”
“Whatever you want,” I tell her. “What’s your guess?”
Carli looks down at her bump. “I think it’s a girl,” she says tenderly. A forkful of eggs goes into her mouth next. “I’m beyond happy with a girl or boy. I just want them to be healthy. Maybe have your eyes. You have pretty eyes.”
Fuck…I could kiss her until I run out of breath and die.
“How’s Beth?”
The jarring change of subject makes me wince. “She’s alright from what I know. But clearly took the news about me not wanting to mate with her really hard.” I run my fingers through my hair and breathe deeply. Thinking about Beth makes me feel guilty as fuck. I should have done things differently. It’ll always eat me up. “She cut herself. Wanted to end her life because of me.”
“I’m sorry.” Carli slips her hand into mine. “I hope she realizes her happy ending is somewhere else.”
“Yeah,” I nod. “I need to go see her and apologize, though.”
With an encouraging smile, Carli says, “Whatever will make you feel better. But what happened with her or Devon isn't your fault, Jace. You know that, right? You never intended to hurt her. Just like you never intended to hurt me. It’s all a misunderstanding, and it’ll get better.”
“I know it will, sweetheart.” I walk around the counter to her. “Now eat up, I’ll feel better if I can fuck you again.”
Chapter9
Carli
Spending the day with Jace makes me feel like I could float through the clouds. I’m light on my feet and bubbling with happiness. It feels better than it usually does and I’m assuming it’s because we’re both far from home, and all the negativity that word contains. I do miss Danika and would love to see her, but for now, I’m beyond content snuggled close to Jace on the couch in my small apartment.
Jace’s fingers sift through my hair. “So when do I get to meet Tiff and Daisy?” he asks, grumbling softly before adding, “And Jonah.”
I laugh, closing my eyes as my head rests over his chest. “Soon maybe. And Jonah is harmless. Don’t be jealous. He treats me like his kid sister.”
“Good. I’m glad he kept you safe for me, but if he makes one wrong move, I won’t forgive him easily.”
“They’re good people.”
My low voice carries across the quiet room. The skies are dark outside and the sounds of insects chirping can be heard. It’s all so relaxing. Jace’s fingers on my scalp, his breath on my face, his thudding heart beats beneath my cheek. We’re silent for a while.
“Will you miss them when you come back to Rockport with me?”
