Page 9 of Tangled Up for Christmas

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jennika

6weeks later...

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pick up the pregnancy test with trembling hands and prepare to read the result. The world stops spinning and for a breathless moment I feel like I’ve fallen off the face of the planet. Two strong pink lines stare back at me. Glancing at the two other tests on my bathroom counter, there can be no denying the truth. I’m pregnant to the sinfully hot lumberjack.Well, this is a hell of a way to start the New Year...

Binning the tests, I bite my lower lip as I wander to my kitchen. A crumpled fuel receipt waits on the bench top, a phone number scrawled with a name: Dane. My heart races. “What am I doing?” I breathe. There’s no way I can terminate this baby. I’m single, turning thirty-one, and haven’t had a serious, long-term relationship in years.This might be the only chance for a family I’ll ever have.

My hand wanders to my belly and I close my eyes, imagining what the future might hold. A part of me is scared shitless, I can’t pretend otherwise; but the bigger part of me is filled with a fragile hope, one born on the wings of butterflies and secret heart wishes. I want this baby. Not just because it might be my only chance, but because I’vealwayswanted a family. With my parents gone, and being an only child, I’ve dreamed of a big family for years.

I spent my childhood imagining a life of uncles and aunts, cousins, and countless little siblings to play with. Maybe I could give that precious dream to my child? A family. So, that they would never be alone in the world, even long after I’m gone. Sucking in a deep breath, I pick up my phone.I don’t have to be alone anymore.There’s a gorgeous salt-and-pepper lumberjack out there waiting for my call. “It’s time to share the news,” I say aloud as I steel my nerves and dial his number.

The phone rings just a couple times before it’s answered. “Hello, Dane speaking.”

“Hi, Dane, it’s me—Jennika.”

“Princess. It’s been a while. How are you?”

I lean back against the bench, my heart hammering in my chest like a drum. “I’m okay,” I answer.

“I’ve been hoping you’d call,” says my Christmas lover.

Taking a deep breath, I can’t help the anxious smile that stretches my lips as I stare at the floor. “I’ve been wanting to... I guess I just needed a reason to find the courage.”

Dane’s chuckle sounds over the line, and I can almost hear the smile in his tone. “Was our epic, festive fuckfest not enough of a reason?”

“Christmas was amazing,” I admit, blushing fiercely. “I just... I wanted to let you know... I’m pregnant.”

Dane growls deep in his throat. “And how do you feel about that, beautiful?”

Adrenaline zings along my nerves and I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear, smiling like a fool in the privacy of my own home. “I want to keep it,” I breathe.

“What’s your address, Princess?”

“Why?” I ask, a thrill rippling through me while I chew on my lower lip.

“I’m leaving work and I’m coming to you. Be ready, baby, because I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll be sore for days.”

With a squeal of rabid excitement and chaotic glee, I hang up and text him, my insides already pulsing with need, before I race back to the bathroom to freshen up.

****

There’s a knock onmy door and with my heart skipping beats, I open it, revealing my readiness to my baby-daddy. Wearing nothing but the cutest plus-size negligee I own, I revel in the way Dane’s eyes darken as he drinks me in from head to toe.

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