Page 37 of Jared's Redemption

“Don’t die, please just wake up. Luna, breathe baby. I need you to breathe.” I beg, shaking her as the last piece of my heart burns in my chest while I cradle her. Throwing back my head, an agony filled roar rips from my lungs as tears burn my cheeks and chest where they fall.

I give in, letting the fire consume us slowly so I can leave this world with her.

“It’s okay.” Luna’s voice makes me jerk, looking down at her face. She is stiff and unmoving while her voice caresses me. “I’m not going anywhere, baby.” She says.

My eyes fly open as I sit up with a jerk, my head slamming into something hard enough to make me cringe, and my hand shoots out.

“Hey, you big dummy!” Luna’s voice cries in the darkness, the light beside the couch flicking on to reveal Luna. She’s cupping her forehead with a wild look in her eyes while I hold her throat in my hand. I yank my hand away as if I’ve been burned, not missing the disappointed look in her eye.

“Who chokes somebody in their sleep, you old perv?” She teases.

“Luna?” I reach out, relief at seeing her alive and moving, nearly making me forget before my hand drops away.

“You have a hard head.” She whines, rubbing a red spot on her forehead with a frown. Luna reaches for me, but I lean backwards and away from her touch. I need it, crave the feeling of her, but if I keep giving in, then I’m only going to hurt her more.

“What are you doing?” I ask her, trying not to stare at her bare thighs peeking out from under my t-shirt that she is wearing.

“You were having a bad dream. So, I tried to wake you.”

She stands up straight and walks away. Luna stretches her arms up, making the shirt ride up over her plump ass cheeks while she smirks over her shoulder.

“It was just a dream. You don’t need to worry about me.” I huff. She turns back around to face me, crosses her arms and tilts her head with an annoyed expression.

“You were calling out for me.” Her voice is emotionless as she snaps, spinning and heading back into my room. The door doesn’t slam behind her like I expect, yet I still flinch at the ice in her tone. I stay sitting up on the couch, even as exhaustion begs me to give in. Each time I close my eyes, I see her cold and lifeless in my arms.

I am roused from sleep by the smell of coffee and the sound of somebody humming, just before a weight drops into my lap. I jerk up, trying to dislodge whatever is on me. Luna giggles, wrapping herself around me like a koala while I stand in shock, panting.

“Good morning to you, too.” She grins, placing a kiss on my cheek.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snap, prying her off me and side stepping her. It doesn’t discourage her, though. Luna picks a steaming mug up from the coffee table and hands it to me, pecking me on the cheek before I can turn away.

“I missed Christmas when I was stuck in the hospital. Isabelle and I decided we should do a post-Christmas thing. I need to go do some shopping today, so hurry and get ready, baby.” She says cheerfully, pulling the shirt off she’s wearing and sauntering naked into my bedroom while I stand there like an idiot.

I take a sip of the coffee, knowing I’ll need it to get through today. I was taking her right back to Vincent and demanding he keep her locked inside, where she was safe. Safe from the outside world and me. Luna steps back out of the bedroom, picking lint off her tight black jeans while carrying a pair of gray sneakers. She looks adorable in her hoodie and jeans as she gives me a small twirl and winks.

“I was going to wear a nicer outfit, but I plan to do some hardcore shopping. You should probably wear comfortable shoes.” She says, imitating a serious tone before grinning at me like this is a normal day for us. My mouth opens and closes, a loss for words as I step around her and into the bedroom that was mine yesterday. Luna has laid open her empty suitcase on the bed and left my closet door cracked open. I push the door to the closet open the rest of the way, flicking the light on to see she’s unpacked everything.

“Luna, you can’t stay here.” I call out, startling when her arms wrap around my waist.

“I know. We really need our own house. One with more bedrooms for the babies.” She says. My empty hand slams to the door frame to steady myself before I turn to look down at her bright, smiling face.

“Babies?” I ask. Luna snorts, poking me in the chest.

“Yes, babies, plural.” She says.

I suddenly feel sick, as if the world is spinning around me. This can’t be happening. Not only am I a threat to Luna’s life, but now to our children?

“Whoa, I’m not pregnant. I’m talking about our future babies.” She says, putting her hands up in a placating way. Relief rushes through me, along with a tinge of disappointment, which I refuse to acknowledge.

“Luna, this isn’t happening. We aren’t together.”

She just rolls her eyes before walking out as if I didn’t speak. I curse under my breath, walking across the room to rip the drawers open and yank clothes out. She was going to drive me insane by the end of all this.

I pull the large SUV up to the entrance of Vincent’s home. Luna is still and silent in the seat next to me as I drive through the slowly opening gates and up to the house. Vincent is standing out front of the large white house, leaning on his cane in the snow and looking exhausted. I stop with her door right by the steps of the house, shifting into park and bracing myself.

“Luna,” I start, unsure of what to say, but she shocks me by smiling at me.

“I’ll see you later, okay? Don’t wait up for me.” She says before slamming her lips to mine in a quick, passionate kiss before dropping out of the car and walking up to her dad. She loops her arm through his, waving at me as they walk towards the house.

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