Page 130 of Set Me On Fire

“I hate surprises, just putting that out there,” I told him.

“Noted.”

“Like really, really hate them. When I found out I was pregnant, I sat on my couch for days and didn’t move. My phone battery went flat because I couldn’t bring myself to charge it.”

His eyes went wide.

“OK.”

“So you have to be really, really sure you want to surprise me, because it’ll probably end badly.”

He turned in his seat, his arm resting on the back of it as he smiled down at me.

“You can’t scare me, Millie. Now…?” Yes or no, that’s what he was waiting for, and I found myself nodding despite myself. “OK, can I trust you to close your eyes on the drive?”

“Absolutely not.”

“Blindfold it is.”

An old t-shirtwas produced and tied around my head. God knows what other motorists thought as we drove past. I’d never know because I couldn’t see them. Instead, every other sense got exquisitely sensitive. His hands felt warm, dry, and strong when he reached across and squeezed mine. The scent of fresh sweat, sun, and his deodorant filled the car and when we pulled up at our final destination. I was turning towards him before he opened the car door, the sound of his feet easy to track. Hands reached in and dragged me out of the car, then led me here.

To someone’s house, I was willing to bet by the sound of the door opening. Whose house became clear fairly quickly.

“Buster…!” Knox hissed that and I pulled the blindfold off to see him and Noah standing in the hallway of Knox’s place. “You ruined the big reveal, you mutt.”

“What big reveal?”

I searched their faces, looking for answers, but they didn’t say a thing, ushering me forward. The smell of fresh paint stung my nose, but that barely registered as I saw what they had done. A pale sage green now covered the walls, the colour making me let out a long sigh of relief, but that wasn’t all. There were a few tools still littering the floor, but they were picked up and shoved out of sight as I stepped into the nursery.

“You said it’d take a few days for the furniture to arrive,” I said.

“I paid extra to get it express delivered,” Knox replied.

They all moved closer then, a warm, solid presence at my back.

“So…” Noah asked, “what do you think?” Oh my god, this hormonal bullshit was getting old, because my eyes filled with tears as I turned around. “You hate it?” He looked at the others.“I told you we needed to talk to her before we went ahead and did everything.”

“No.” I reached out and gripped his hands, and he squeezed mine right back. “It’s perfect.” I blinked furiously, but that just sent tears rolling down my face. “You’re perfect.”

They all looked so damn pleased right then, trading looks of self-congratulation between themselves, but then Knox turned back to me.

“About that.” His hand went to my shoulder, rubbing small circles there. “We’ve got a proposal we want you to think about.”

Chapter 57

Noah

Earlier that day

“Come on, we’re painting the nursery,” Knox growled at me when I turned up at his place the next morning.

“And a good morning to you too.” I handed him a takeaway cup of coffee I’d picked up for him on the way, and he took it with an appreciative nod. “But isn’t this something we need to discuss with Millie? Women start…” I pulled out my phone and looked at the article I’d been reading. “Nesting late in their pregnancy. She’s going to want to design the nursery herself.”

“Already talked about it,” he said, walking down the hall, leaving me to close the front door. “Went to a baby shop and everything. Said the furniture was coming later this week, but I paid extra to get it delivered today. Charlie will take her out on his date, then will bring her here.” He looked me up and down speculatively. “So we’ve got a few hours to get the room ready for her.”

But why now? I wanted to ask. A sharp look from Knox and I fell silent, knowing what that meant. He expected his orders to be followed without question, which was fine at work. Adiscussion during a raging fire could get someone killed, but there was no great urgency now.

Except inside Knox.

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