Page 121 of Trial of Deceit

“Ash?”Jediah said.

“Hmm?”she asked, her voice hazy as if she’d been falling asleep.

“You know I love you, right?”

“Yes.”

He smiled, wishing he could hold her closer than he already did.“Good.”

Ashari leaned off of him.She looked down at him with a smile, then pressed her lips against his.

The action stunned Jediah temporarily.He recovered fast, then returned her slow kiss with the same hot passion she kissed him with.

Ashari was the first to pull away, only because a knock came on the door.

“Jediah,” came Dimitri’s voice.

Jediah groaned, closing his eyes after Ashari looked over her shoulder at the door.“Go away, Dimitri.I’m spending time with my wife.”

“No, it’s okay.I’ve been hogging you for the past half hour.You can return to your responsibilities,” Ashari said, moving out of his hold.Now standing beside the bed, she said, “I’m gonna spend time with the baby.”

Jediah’s heart skipped a beat.A lump formed in his throat, hard to swallow while he nodded.Ashari gave him a small smile before moving toward the door.She opened it, nodded at Dimitri, who gave her a quick smile, then walked down the hallway.

Jediah’s brow raised.“You’re best friends with Ash now?”

“Scared she a go tek mi from yu?”Dimitri asked plainly.

Jediah dryly laughed and came out of the bed.He walked toward Dimitri, who turned and began walking down the hallway.They fell into stride while heading toward the office.

“You know that I’m going to find Charlie and kill her, right?I can’t have a loose end running around like that.”

“She’s dead,” Dimitri assured.“Why mi woulda eva go behind yu back?”

“Fi grind mi sister.”

“I haven’t—” Dimitri released a long sigh, then dragged his hand down his face.“Mi just seh dat fi mek Ash feel better.”

“Better be.”

Inside the office, Jediah got the chessboard ready while Dimitri closed the door.

After the door slammed shut, Dimitri spun around.Rage stormed in his eyes as he stomped toward Jediah.“Mi don’ eva question yu, but this?”

“Sit,” Jediah said while staring at the board.He didn’t look away until Dimitri made the first move.Calculating what move he wanted to make, Jediah ignored Dimitri’s scorching glare.“You’ve met her?”

“No,” Dimitri answered.“Not yet.Bryony don’ wan’ mi near the nursery until me calm.”

“Are you?”

“Mi sound calm?”Dimitri hissed.

Brow raising, Jediah spared a glance at Dimitri.Dimitri’s jaw was clenched tight, his lips twisted into a livid scowl.Jediah shifted his focus back to the board, then made his first move.

“When Sashoy found out that she was pregnant, she came to me.She explained that she was scared about how you’d react because the Jordyn accident was still fresh,” Jediah explained.“Your move.”

Dimitri didn’t glance at the board as he grabbed a rook and placed it haphazardly somewhere.“W-wa?”

Irritated by Dimitri’s clumsiness, Jediah fixed the piece.He considered his next play.“She wanted to abort the baby and solely focus on helping you to get your mental health in check, but I knew that wasn’t the right thing to do.You’ve been engaged to her for five years and have been trying to get a child—” Jediah paused, swallowing the urge to chuckle as a memory hit him.It’d been comical listening to Cameron jest that Dimitri wasn’t capable of making a woman pregnant.“I know it’d send you completely over the edge if she’d gone through with it.So, I gave her a less stressful environment to safely carry and deliver the baby.”

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