Page 96 of Seven of Hearts

“It’s not a Christmas gift,” I said as I lifted her belly until she had no choice but to stand up straight.

Leah’s head tipped backward and laid on my shoulder as she rested against my chest. “Any gift in the month of December is a Christmas gift.”

I chuckled. “This is a gift because I made a promise to help you.”

Reluctantly, she slipped her hand in mine and let me lead her down the hallway. I grabbed the bright red and green gift bag out of my office and carried it into the bedroom.

Fine. Maybe it looked a little like a Christmas gift. But it wasn’t.

“Sit,” I said as I nudged her toward the bed.

Leah lifted an eyebrow. “Wanna try that again? I’m not a dog.”

“Please get off your feet so you can rest for a minute while you open it.”

“That’s better,” she grumbled as she eyed the bag. “It’s bigger than I am. Where did you even find a gift bag that big?”

“Just open it.”

Leah yanked the tissue paper out and cocked her head. “A pillow?” She turned and looked at the mountain of throw pillows and white, fluffy bed pillows. “Aww, you finally came around to comfort.”

“No, smartass,” I said as I grabbed the end of the bag and pulled it away so the present landed in her lap. It looked like three anacondas stuffed inside a long pillowcase. “It’s a body pillow for pregnancy.”

Her brows knitted together.

“Lie down.”

To my surprise, Leah did as she was told, kicking off her slippers and wiggling her way up the bed. She was still in her pajamas, having deemed changing out of them too much work this morning. The oversized t-shirt she used as a nightgown draped over her belly and breasts. It rode up, giving me a peek at the curve of her ass.

She lay on her left side and tucked her hands beneath her cheek. Her hair was longer and thicker now than it had been at the wedding, hanging in heavy waves down her back.

I scooped her hair into a makeshift ponytail and pinned it to the back of her head with a giant clip she had on the bedside table.

“Lift up your head,” I said as I grabbed one end of the long, tubular pillow and bent it so it curled beneath her head. I wedged the middle of the long pillow beneath her belly, taking some of the pressure off of her abdomen. “Lift your leg,” I said.

Leah watched through heavy eyes as I slid the tail of the pillow between her thighs and knees, easing the ache in her lower back and pelvis that she had mentioned.

“I love you,” she said in a content sigh.

I laughed. “Does it help?”

“Mhmm.” Leah yawned. “I lied. The bookshelf can wait until tomorrow. You sure you want to give me this thing? You’re replacing yourself.”

I kicked off my jeans, then grabbed the neck of my long sleeve shirt and pulled it over my head before rolling it into a log. “Nah. I’m not being replaced. The pillow is a teammate.”

I climbed in behind her and wiggled her shirt up and over her belly until she obliged and let me pull it all the way off of her. I unsnapped her bra and tossed it on the floor. Her breasts were fucking spectacular. They were full and heavy as I slid my rolled-up shirt between them to take the pressure off of her chest.

Leah was quiet as I settled in behind her and skated my hand up and down her hip and thigh.

“You okay?” I murmured against the top of her head.

She nodded and cuddled into the body pillow a little more. “You thought of everything.”

“Is it helping?”

She nodded. “I haven’t felt this good in a while. I guess I got so used to the weight of the baby and all the changes in my body that it kind of hit me all at once when we started moving. It’s like...once I finally get used to a stage of pregnancy, everything changes and I feel like a stranger in my body again. I haven’t gotten used to this body yet.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say except what an honor it had been to be able to watch her body grow as our son developed inside of her.

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