Page 23 of Buried

Tears of joy trickled down my cheeks as I quickly flicked on the lamp on my side of the bed and placed my hands on my very slightly rounded belly, laughing softly. I sniffled as River stepped back into the room, carrying Axel who was greedily drinking from his bottle.

“Woah, darlin’, what’s wrong?” River demanded to know as he quickly strode over to me.

“The baby moved,” I told him with a smile. “It was like a flutter, kind of like when I was a little girl, and I would get butterflies in my belly, but the baby is definitely active,” I told him. “I’ll be feeling the baby kick in no time.”

River grinned—an actual full-on smile that melted my heart and soul—and he sat beside me on the bed as he transferred Axel to one arm, adjusting the bottle so it rested against his chest. With his free hand, he rested his hand between mine where I was still cradling my small belly.

“Fuck, I can’t wait until I can feel our baby move,” he admitted. “I never imagined myself as a dad before you, darlin’.” He lifted his head, letting those blue eyes that I loved so much meet mine.

“You do incredibly well with Axel,” I noted.

“Not even going to lie, darlin’, I probably never would have taken care of him had you not been here to give me the push that Ineeded.” I knew that whether he realized it or not though. “I never wanted kids until I found your ultrasound pictures. That day, I suddenly realized that with you, I wanted it all.”

I leaned my head on his shoulder tiredly. “I still don’t understand how you didn’t lose your shit when you found out,” I told him. Any normal man would have flipped the fuck out.

River lightly shrugged since my head was on his shoulder. “I told you, Adelaide. I’m not Tristan or Joey. I could never be angry with you like that, and if I ever got that angry, I would walk away and calm down before I ever exploded at you like they’ve done in the past. I made a promise to myself that I would be better than them for you. I’ll never raise my voice at you, and I’ll do my damnest to always be reasonable with you.”

“Guess that explains why you didn’t lose your shit about the garage either,” I commented.

He released a quiet laugh. “Honestly, darlin’, I was more worried about you and what was going on in that pretty little head of yours than I was about some money I may have had to spend to fix some damages you may have caused. For you to lose your shit like that, I knew something had happened, knew you were hurting. I just wanted to help you.”

Oh, my heart. “I’m surprised Tristan didn’t at least leave here sporting a black eye,” I said quietly.

River snorted as he shook his head, clenching his jaw before he forced it to relax. “Trust me, darlin’, I wanted to do more than black his eye, but I restrained myself from hitting him at all. You were hurting enough, and I knew hitting him would only hurt you more.”Why in the hell was River so fucking perfect?“Instead, I threatened to put a bullet through his skull if he ever made you that upset again.”

I tensed, hating that I was still protective of Tristan after everything that had happened between us. But it was my fault that he was hurting this much, why he felt the need to come to me in the kitchen in the first place. River sighed softly as he looked down at me, understanding in his gaze.

“I know that you don’t ever want anything to happen to him, darlin’. I hate it, but I understand it.” I swallowed thickly. “Tristan has nevertriedwith you, so it bugs the fuck out of me that you’re so protective of him.” I frowned. “But if someone ever does something to hurt you again, emotionally or physically, I won’t be held back, no matter how much they mean to you. And if Tristan ever makes you that upset again, he may not live to see the light of another day,” he warned me, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. “You’ve been hurt enough.”

“River, you know that I’ve got history with him—” I started, feeling a little panicky, but he cut me off.

River shook his head, clenching his jaw. “Adelaide, I wouldn’t give a shit if he was currently the father of the kid that you’re carrying inside of you. He’s known you almost his entire life, and he knows how to get under your skin. What he did the other day… he fucking did that shit on purpose, whether you want to admit it to yourself or not. He knew he could get to you. He knows you still feel something for him, and he’s going to keep bringing it up to the surface as much as he can. I promise you, he doesn’t give the slightest shit how much he hurts you while he does it. Tristan is a selfish son of a bitch, and he will go to whatever means is necessary to take you back home with him.”

I instantly went defensive. Tristan and I had our differences, but I knew he still cared about me in his own sick, twisted way, just as Joey did.

“Tristan fucking cares about me, River?—”

“Not in the way he fucking should, Adelaide,” River cut me off, his voice remaining calm, though I knew if had he been arguing with anyone else, he would have lost his shit already. “You’re a woman that deserves to be treasured.” I swallowed hard at his words, my chest tight. “I know you’re not the easiest woman to please and that sometimes being with you can be like handling the most fragile piece of glass—one wrong move, and it could all go to shit. I know that you’ve got a temper, and ninety-nine percent of the time, you speak without thinking first.” My breath hitched in my throat. He knew me so fucking well. My heart swelled in my chest as tears burned at the backs of my eyes.

He looked at me, letting his blue eyes meet mine. “You’re an independent woman, Adelaide, and you don’t like feeling like someone is controlling you. You require a certain kind of care and love, and Tristan doesn’t give a shit enough to understand that. He never will. As long as he’s happy, not a fucking thing else matters to him.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off before I could. “Adelaide, I love you,” he confessed, making my breath hitch in my throat again as those tears I’d been holding back spilled over onto my cheeks. “I love that you’re not easy to please. I love that I have to handle you with extra care. I love that you’ve got a fiery ass temper and that you’re not afraid to speak what you feel. I don’t mind that you’re an independent kind of woman, Adelaide. I don’t want a woman I have to control all of the time. I want and need a woman who is capable of making her own decisions and capable of taking care of her family if the time ever comes for it.”

He gently set down a sleeping Axel on the bed and reached over to cradle my face in his hands as tears streamed down my cheeks. “Tristan and Joey never understood you, Adelaide. They never tried to. I think Joey understood to an extent, but both of those men just wanted to keep you on a tight leash, and it made them lose you multiple times.” My bottom lip trembled as a quiet sob fell from my lips. “Darlin’, you require a special kind of love and care, and I’m prepared to give that to you. You don’t need to be controlled. You just need some freedom, Adelaide, and I know that as long as I give you everything you need, you’ll be here right beside me where you belong, where Ineedyou to be. And that’s something no other man will never understand about you.”

“Fuck, River,” I choked out as I threw my arms around his neck and pressed my lips to his. He instantly kissed me back as I straddled his lap, wrapping my legs around his hips. “I love you, too.” My voice trembled on my confession, but how could it not when River had just poured his fucking heart out to me?

He peppered gentle kisses all over my face. “Promise me you’ll never try to make excuses for Tristan or Joey ever again,” he begged me. “Because if I can figure you out, then they could have, too. Joey is trying now. I know that. But when you were his, he still didn’t get it.”

I nodded, realizing he was right. I hadn’t once felt trapped with River as I had with Tristan and Joey. With River, I could be independent. I could be myself without having to worry about any backlash. I could snap at him without fear of him getting angry at me and trying to dominate me, trying to pull that leash tight around my neck.

Turning to the side on River’s lap, I reached over and picked Axel up, holding him in my arms as River leaned back againstthe headboard, his arms wrapped around me as I leaned my head on his chest, Axel cradled against my belly.

I was home. I never wanted to be anywhere else.

Chapter Sixteen

River

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