Page 91 of These Jagged Edges

I cup his handsome face in my hands. “Your baby, Big Guy.”

His eyes fill with so many things excitement, fear, and unconditional love.

“Can I?” he whispers so low, and I can feel his broad shoulders tremble. At first, I have no idea what he means until he helps me stand.

“Look at me, Big Guy.” My voice is steady, but the weight of the moment wraps around every word. He tilts his head, meeting my gaze with eyes full of vulnerability.

“Maddox, this is your baby. You don’t ever have to ask if you can touch them—or me.”

He nods, releasing a shaky breath as his trembling hands find their place on my hips. Slowly, he leans in, pressing his forehead gently to my belly. “H-hi, baby,” he whispers, his voice cracking under the weight of his emotions. “This is your daddy.”

My hand slips into his thick hair, anchoring him to us, grounding him. His breath hitches, and I feel the way he clings to the moment.

“I can’t wait to meet you,” he murmurs softly, almost reverently.

I run my fingers through his hair, my touch light but deliberate, as though to remind him he isn’t alone.

“I promise to be better this time,” he adds, his voice trembling but filled with quietdetermination.

Tears blurs my vision, but I manage to make a smile he can’t see. “You’re already enough, Maddox. You’ve always been enough.”

Maddox places a lingering kiss on my stomach and stands to his full height ,wiping his face on his sleeves. “Fuck, I swear I’m done cryin’.”

“You’re allowed to feel, Maddox,” I say softly, my voice carrying the weight of our shared experiences. “The last six months have been tense. Between the kidnapping and now this…” My hand moves instinctively to my stomach, cradling the life we’ve created. “We’ve been through so many highs and lows, and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for more highs after everything we’ve faced.”

He looks at me, his stormy green eyes filled with a tenderness that makes my breath catch. “I don’t know what could be better than this right now,” he says, his voice low and full of conviction. “You’ve got my ring on your hand and my baby in your belly. That makes me the luckiest bastard in the world, Pretty Girl.”

The corners of my mouth curve into a smile as warmth blooms in my chest. In this moment, I can’t imagine ever feeling safer or more loved.

“Stop fucking running from me!” Henry’s deep drawl slices through the night, desperate and raw.

I glance toward the lodge, away from the warm glow of the reception, to see two figures silhouetted in the shadows. One strides briskly away, shoulders rigid with determination, but the other—a taller, broader figure—closes the distance with unyielding purpose. Henry’s long legs eat up the space between them until his hand shoots out, gripping her arm. In one smooth motion, he spins her around to face him.

Even from where I stand, the energy between them crackles, thick with unspoken words and emotions too big to ignore. I can’t hear what he’s saying, but the way he leans in, his voice low and commanding, makes the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.This isn’t just a fight. It’s a reckoning. One neither of them can avoid any longer.

Maddox makes a low, deflated sound beside me, his body tensing like he’s about to interfere. He takes a step forward, but I tug his shirt, halting him in his tracks.

“Let them be, Big Guy,” I murmur, pulling him closer and brushing my lips against his ear. “Be a good boy, and I just might let you see what’s under this dress.”

His laugh bursts out of him, deep and hearty, echoing in the stillness. He tilts his head back, grinning as he looks down at me with those stormy eyes brimming with mischief. “I fucking love you,” he says, his voice warm and unwavering.

“Damn right you do,” I tease, tugging him back toward the glow of the reception, leaving Henry and Lou to sort out their storm in the shadows.

The End.

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