Page 30 of Mending Scars

We’re going to have a baby.

I couldn’t stop the huge smile that spread over my face as I rushed over to Kaiya.

She stood once I reached her and threw her arms around my neck. I picked her up and spun her around before setting her back down again. I cupped her face in my hands and looked in her eyes. “You’re pregnant?”

She nodded excitedly. “I took a test when I got home. I’ve been throwing up at work in the mornings, but I thought it was from stress. Nori asked if I could be pregnant, and I remembered that the last time I got my shot was before the shooting. It completely slipped my mind.”

I was letting everything sink in as a million thoughts raced through my mind.

Is it a boy or a girl? Will I be a good dad? Are we ready for this?

“Are you upset?” Kaiya nervously asked. She bit her bottom lip as she stared up at me.

I stroked her cheeks with my thumbs. “Upset? Why would I be upset, baby?”

Tears filled her eyes again. “Well, we’ve never talked about kids before. I don’t even know if you want a baby with me, and you thought I was on birth control, and—”

I pressed a finger to her lips, cutting her off. “Stop. I’m not upset.” I looked down at her stomach, then back up to meet her eyes. “I love you, Ky. We’ve never talked about kids before, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to have them with you.”

She brought her hands up to cover mine and gripped them tightly. “Really?”

“Really, baby. You’ve made me so happy with what you just told me.”

Letting go of her face, I knelt down and lifted her shirt to look at her stomach. I thought about the baby growing inside her and my smile stretched wider.

My baby.

I leaned forward and softly kissed her belly. Ky rested her hands on my head as I pressed more kisses all over her abdomen.

I’m going to be a dad.

I scooped her up and cradled her in my arms. “This calls for a celebration!” I started walking down the hall to my room.

Kaiya giggled and wrapped her hands around my neck. She raised an eyebrow and gave me a flirty smile. “What did you have in mind?”

I smirked. “It’s a surprise.”

Ryker gently laid me down on the bed and straddled me. As his eyes met mine, the amount of love I saw in them caused my heart to swell and my stomach to knot. Tears pooled on the rims of my eyelids as he leaned down, propping himself on his forearms on each side of my head. Cupping my face in his hands, he softly feathered his lips over mine before murmuring against them, “I love you, Warrior.”

My response came out in a breathless whisper. “I love you, too.”

Ryker pressed another kiss on my lips before moving down my body. He lifted my shirt and stared down at my stomach in admiration. A sweet smile curved his full lips as he brought his face down to my belly and tenderly kissed it.

His hands framed my stomach as he ran his thumbs over my skin. “Hey, kid. I’m your dad.”

Tears trickled down my cheeks even though happiness streamed through me. My adoration for him must have been apparent all over my face because I felt it deep in the darkest recesses of my soul, bringing new life to the pieces of me that had long been dead inside.

Ryker kept looking at my abdomen as he talked to our baby. “I’m going to do my best to take care of you and your mom. I love both of you so much.” He glanced up at me and softly grinned. “I don’t know if I’ll be a good dad, but I do know that you’re getting the perfect mom.”

Those warm chocolate eyes captured mine as more of his sweet words poured out. “She’s the most beautiful, caring, and selfless person I know. I don’t deserve her, but I’m so lucky that she’s mine.”

He lowered his head back down and pressed his lips on my belly again, then trailed his mouth up to my breasts, searing my skin with heat and kindling a blazing fire in my core.

Ryker inched my shirt up as his lips continued their journey along my skin. They brushed over my collarbone and up my neck as he tugged my shirt over my head and tossed it to the floor.

His mouth barely grazed mine as his hands caressed my bare skin, fueling the inferno overtaking me. A shaky breath shuddered through my body as Ryker sparked every nerve alive with his touch.

He unhooked my bra and tossed it aside before pulling off his shirt. The rest of our clothes came off in a blur, and then his warm, inked skin finally met mine.

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