AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She clasps her hands tight, wringing them together, and I can feel her shame. I reach for her hands again, prying them apart and holding onto them this time.
The Nova I know is the one sitting in front of me. The snappy, sweet, sexy woman who turns me inside out every time she smiles at me. Maybe that past version of Nova did deserve what she got, but this one right here? It crushes me to see her hurting like this. To know that she’s been holding back to keep me safe from this triggers my dormant need to pull her close, keep her safe, and fight for her.
“So, what do we do to make this stop?” I ask, and her gaze snaps to mine at the wordwe.
“We?” she echoes. A tear slips from her cheek, and I brush it away with a soft swipe of my knuckles.
“You’re having a baby, and someone is out to hurt you. I’m done trying to be a nice, understanding guy. I’m going to find out who it is, and I’m going to fucking kill him.”
I’m only half-joking. I hide the part of me that has every intention of fixing this for her. Sometimes, she doesn’t get to tell me to stand down. Not when it’s my baby. My girl.
“What if it’s a her?” she asks with the hint of a smile.
“Then I’ll send Del,” I joke, and she snort laughs.
Out of nowhere, she tips forward and presses her lips to mine, climbing into my lap. I wrap her up in my arms. She cups my cheeks and pulls back, rubbing her thumb over my mouth. I don’t want to let her go, especially not now.
“I’m sorry I kept this from you. I’m scared, Zeke. Every time I get comfortable or talk to anyone, something bad happens. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.” The fear in her eyes is real, and any anger I felt is gone, burnt up forever in the way she sees me.
“Hey,” I say forcefully to capture her full attention. “Don’t worry about me. Have you met my brothers?”
She laughs, and the tension melts from her shoulders. “I’d be more worried about your sisters.”
“Vicious. Which is what they are going to be if we don’t get ready and go help with dinner.” I keep my hands on her sides, my palms on the protruding part of her belly. “I have a million questions, and we need to keep talking about this, but let’s just enjoy tonight.”
“I thought you hated Christmas.” She scoots back and awkwardly climbs off my lap.
I groan. “So much. But for Millie.”
She smiles, smoothing out my beard with a swipe of her thumb. “For Millie.”
