Page 65 of With A Little Luck
I laugh. “You’ve got nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s cute. You’re all belly. I bet it’s uncomfortable.”
She twists the cap back onto the bottle. “It’s not so bad. At first…” She leans back against the cushion. “The constant nausea during the first trimester was bad. The second trimester wassurprisingly easy, but I had the most vivid dreams.” Her eyes fall to her lap where the bottle of water now rests between her thighs. “I had dreams where I found you, and you were furious. Others where things went better, and I’d wake up so relieved, only to realize it never actually happened.”
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I hiss, shaking my head. “Listen, I know this is raw for both of us, but I want to be in the baby’s life.” Bringing my hand to her chin, I tilt her face to mine. “Your life too. I heard Hartley say you’re dating?—”
“That literally happened yesterday. Today? Whatever.” Her pretty blue eyes stare straight into mine like she’s trying to will me to believe her.
“Fate really does seem to love to fuck me. I believe you.” My brows draw together. “Fuck. I didn’t mean that how it sounded. Or maybe I did. I’m not used to censoring myself. I’ll work on that.”
“You don’t have to do that. I liked you for you that night. I just wish everything that happened since wouldn’t have made it so awkward between us.”
“It’s not all that awkward. My boss kidnapped his wife…” I shrug. “Twice, if you believe her account of events. And for her to put up with Easton, let’s just say, Stockholm syndrome probably had something to do with it.”
She laughs a light, airy sound. “I can never tell if you’re joking, but based on the way I ended up here, I should probably start taking your words at face value.”
“Good, do that,” I say, scooting down and rolling off the edge of the couch. I walk around to her side to help her off the sofa. “That way you’ll believe me when I say I want a second chance at making things work between us.”
Quincy frowns, taking my outstretched hands. “Aren’t you going to ask me for a paternity test? Even my ex asked for one, and there wasnochance of him being her father.”
I pull her up, making sure she doesn’t bump into the bottles. “Are you lying?”
She has to tilt her head up to see my face due to the height difference. “No.”
“Any chance your math could be off?”
“Also no.”
I nod. “I’ve always had an accurate gut instinct. It hasn’t led me wrong yet. If you say the baby is mine, I believe you.”
Look at me…breaking generational curses.
My mom will be so proud.
After she and my sisters rake me over the coals for not being able to tell them about Quincy and the baby until she’s practically ready to deliver.
Family really is the gift that keeps giving. It’s only a matter of time before they find out, and it’s going to be a straight-up battle to keep them from trying to storm my house to meet Quincy.
Chapter Twenty
Quincy
Ridge guides me upstairs with King at his feet. He stops next to a bedroom door I don’t recognize and nods to it. “This is my room. If you need anything, don’t knock, don’t worry about bothering me, just barge right in.” He opens the door, flips on the light, and King trots inside. “He’s going to pout until I make it back, but he’ll live.” He chuckles fondly and shuts the door. “He has stairs to get up onto the bed, but he’s too lazy to use them. Why bother when he can be carried to bed like a king?”
I smile and let Ridge guide me down the hallway with his hand on my lower back.
“Seeing how much you care for King is…” I laugh awkwardly. A lump forms in my throat as my eyes ache. Sometimes even I don’t understand my fluctuating emotions, but it’s comforting to know he can care for another living being. I can only imagine how dedicated he could be to a human if that’s how well he takes care of his pet. “It’s very sweet.”
I want the baby to have that. For her to know her dad loves her and will look after her no matter what.
It’s silly to look back on one night with such fondness, but he really did make me feel like I was the only woman on Earth. He was so attentive in a way I had never experienced.
We come to a stop outside the door to the pack bedroom.
Ridge keeps his hand on my back but moves until he’s directly in front of me.
That night we spent together, he had more of a playful, lighthearted energy. I saw little glimmers of that while we were talking in the living room, but the look on his face is so intense that I find myself taking a step back, followed quickly by another.
My butt and shoulders hit the wall, but Ridge doesn’t remove his hand from my lower back. He follows me, step for step, and my breathing quickens as his other forearm lands against the wall above my head.
