Page 110 of Please Hate Me

She looked at me with surprise before reaching for my hand and placing it on the left side of her stomach.

“Feel how that’s kind of soft?”

I nodded, my heart beating so fast I was dizzy. “I think so.”

Mason’s natural pout gave way to a smile as she slid my hand closer to the middle.

“Do you feel how that’s more firm?” She continued.

I nodded, emotion stealing my words.

“That’s the baby.”

The weight of those words settled on me. Sure, I had seen pictures of ultrasounds and touched Mason’s stomach while she slept, but it didn’t fully sink in until now. Mason and I made a baby, just like the ones that came with Lucian when he moved in.

I was going to experience the sleepless nights and the first steps. Every magical milestone I’d seen Jas and Juni hit from six months on, I’d get to relive, and I’d see a few new ones too. There were so many things about having a baby that I didn’t realize I’d missed until that moment.

The subtle pop under my hand stole my breath in the best way possible.

“She’s strong too,” Mason mumbled.

“Really?” A strong baby didn’t feel like much to write home about.

“Mhm, she’s kicking my ribs.”

That didn’t sound pleasant, and I wondered if I should apologize. But no, that’d probably just make things more awkward between us.

“I’m sorry, by the way.” She wound a strand of hair around her finger, looking away from me as she spoke.

“For what?”

A flush crossed her face as she looked up. It was cute how easily she blushed.

“For running away last night.”

I scratched the stubble on my chin, wondering if I should tell her I barely noticed. When I came back and saw she was gone, I just assumed she wanted to see Sebastian. But this gave me the perfect opportunity to get to know her a little better.

“Already forgiven… can ya tell mewhyya ran, though?”

She cleared her throat before squirming in her spot. I’ve never seen another human fidget as often as Mason Albright. After a moment, the red in her cheeks deepened as she mumbled something so quiet I had no chance of understanding it.

“I need you to speak up, Sweetpea. Your accent makes it hard to understand when you whisper.”

Her chest swelled as she looked back up with a squeak. She was so red that I was getting a little concerned.

“I said I think I like you, and that scares me.”

My heart skipped as my mouth dried. The happiness bubbling in my chest spread to my face, morphing into a grin I tried to fight. I covered my mouth with a hand, trying to act like that wasn’t one of the best things I had heard all day.

“I think I like you too.” A beat of silence fell between us as our baby girl thumped again.

“And this little wiggler you’re growing, too.”

“So, what do we do?” she whispered.

I felt like that was obvious. We’d continue taking things as slow as we were. I’d avoid taking her out in public; that way, she wouldn’t face any backlash from the church. Lucian mentioned something about fattening Mason up, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. And I was sure Sophia had her own set of plans for Mason, whatever they were.

Instead of explaining all that to her, I leaned in, pressing my lips to hers. She tasted like the London Fog she’d been nursing in the sitting room. She deepened the kiss, twining her fingers in my hair. Instantly, my blood rushed to the wrong head, and I thought about pushing her to the ground and making her call me ‘daddy’.

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