Page 88 of Affinity

Dillon punched his arm. “Not feeling well would imply that she’s not, genius.”

“I don’t know. She came down the stairs with Linnea clutching her belly and said she wants to go home and lie down.”

His cousin gave him a bro-hug. “Go…and thanks, Jess.”

Chloe was quiet on the short drive home. She vacantly gazed out the passenger window at twinkling Christmas lights and sighed. Jesse took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “It must have been something you ate. Taylor can make some tea to settle your tummy.”

“Tea cures everything.” He leaned over the center console. “We should go out and get a Christmas tree tomorrow. What do you say, cherry cake?”

“I’m pregnant.”

Holy shit.

“I’m pregnant.”

She blurted out the words so nonchalantly Jesse couldn’t be certain he’d heard her right.

Apparently Taylor wasn’t sure either. “What did you say?”

“I said I’m pregnant.”

Yeah, his hearing was just fine.

Pregnant? A baby? Yeah, Nolan, a baby.

He pulled into the parking garage with a huge grin on his face. Jesse parked the Rover and turned to Chloe, but before he could get a word out, or pull her into his arms, or kiss her, or any of those things, she bolted out the passenger door and ran to the elevator.

Jesse wrestled with his seatbelt and scrambled to open his door. Why was she so upset? He needed to go after her. Bracing his shoulder from behind, Taylor stopped him. “Wait.”

“Wait?” Jesse turned around in his seat to glare at Taylor. “What the fuck is wrong with you, man? Chloe just told us she’s having a baby, and…”

“That’s not what she said. She said she’s pregnant.”

“Same thing.”

“Trust me, it isn’t”

Oh.

But Chloe wasn’t Becky Brinderman and they weren’t in high school. Taylor was just going to have to get over it and pull himself together. They were going to have a baby and Jesse was fucking thrilled. It’s what he wanted, wasn’t it?

“Chloe’s upset. I’m not sure why, but she needs to know we love her and support her. Take a few minutes if you need to, but I’m not waiting.” And with that Jesse got out of the Rover and left Taylor to carry up the leftovers Linnea insisted they bring home.

Why is it that elevators always seem to take forever when you’re in a hurry? Jesse pushed the call button over and over again as if that would summon it to him faster. He just had to get to her and hold her and tell her how much he loved her—and their baby growing inside of her. He jabbed at the button on the wall. “Come on!”

Jesse opened the door to a dark apartment and froze. Why weren’t any of the lights on? Did she go to Taylor’s place? She came up here, didn’t she? He flipped on the soft light in the foyer and stepped into the living room. “Chloe?”

He heard her before he saw her. She sniffled, but she didn’t answer him. Chloe sat on the floor with her hands on the glass, gazing out at the city lights. Jesse sat down behind her and held her back close to his chest; his hand cradled her still-flat belly. He rubbed his cheek against hers and felt the wetness on them. She was crying. “I love you, baby. Please don’t cry.” He kissed that spot beneath her ear and smiled against her skin. “We’re having a baby.”

She laughed and cried all at once. “Yeah. We are.”

Chloe turned around in his embrace and straddled him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. Jesse kissed her temple and her cheek and nestled his head against hers. “I’m so happy.”

“I’m scared, Jesse.”

“Of what, babe?” he asked as he stroked her hair.

“Everything.”

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