Page 70 of The Wrong Side Of Us

I wanted to say no, that I loved her as insanely as I did before, that I had a fucking ring for her already…but my mouth stayed shut. We couldn’t talk then. She was too fragile, and I was on edge. Nothing good would come out of it.

I did the only thing I could, pulling her close to my chest and holding her like I knew we both needed.

And the strangest thing happened…

As I rested my hand over her belly, I could have sworn I felt a kick.

Chapter 27

Nathan

“What do you think of this one?” Evie asked, holding up a light blue bathing suit. It was the tenth option in less than three minutes.

We were going to be spending the day at the lake with my parents and Carter, and as always, Evie was debating on what to pack. She’d already prepared enough clothes for a week even though it would only be a day, but there was no arguing with a pregnant woman.

We’d go first to her appointment, get the baby checked out, and then have what we hoped would be a relaxing day. Things weren’t exactly tense between us anymore, but we hadn’t resolved anything, either. We were both walking on eggshells, trying not to argue anymore.

“Why don’t you just take all of them? See what color you’re in the mood for when we get there?”

She frowned. “It’s pointless to take all bathing suits, Nate. I mean, it’s only one day.”

I laughed. “Then why do you have a whole suitcase packed?”

Evie glared playfully, and her lips tilted up to a small smile. However, her expression turned serious in just a matter of seconds. “You don’t think it’ll make a bad impression on your parents? Me wearing a bikini? They won’t think I’m showing too much?”

“Why the worry?” I asked, not understanding why now all of a sudden she had this irrational fear.

My parents adored her. In fact, they had been the ones to insist on buying the ring. I had planned a grand design, something that would completely blow Evie’s mind, but in the end, I settled for something more meaningful for her. The only problem was finding the moment to give it to her.

Shrugging, she replied, “Things are already weird between you and me. If they start not to like me, it’ll be the thing that finishes us…” She bit her lip nervously. “I don’t want anything to cut the small bit of thread holding us together.”

Since our argument a couple of days ago, she’d been very quiet, to the point I wondered if she was depressed. I realized we both needed to get the hell out of the house, change scenery for a bit to clear our minds.

I suggested going to the lake, knowing she loved the place. Her eyes had immediately lit up, and she began packing just minutes afterward to make sure she’d have everything.

I was even starting to think that it was a good idea to take a couple of days off at the gallery now that things had settled down to spend time with her. We needed the time together, apart from our problems. Away from everyone else.

“My parents love you,” I said with a reassuring smile.

Her gaze met mine, and I could hear the unspoken question.

Do you love me too?

Instead of saying anything, I stepped closer to her, placing a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s finish up to get you to your appointment, okay?”

She nodded, giving me a small smile.

The silence that surrounded us on our way to the appointment was relaxing. I had many questions of my own. I was certain I’d felt the baby moving, but Evie hadn’t mentioned anything.

“Do you think they may be able to tell us if it’s a boy or girl?”

I grinned at her. “You’re anxious to know, aren’t you?”

“I really want to know.”

If it was a boy, then I’d be happy…but I could already picture a little Evelyn running around, causing chaos along with her mother. Sure, both would be a handful, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.

We arrived at the doctor’s office, and while we waited to be called back, Evie looked through magazines, her eyes lighting up every time she read something about the stage of pregnancy she was in. Unable to help myself, I tilted her chin up and placed a soft kiss on her lips, lingering there a bit longer than I should have.

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