Page 78 of Pregnant in Plaid
"Patrice—"
"We should go inside," she says quickly. "It's cold."
She's out of the truck before I can respond, hurrying toward the door.
I follow, my heart pounding.
We get inside, and she immediately kicks off her shoes with a relieved sigh. "Oh my god, that's so much better."
"Want some tea?" I ask.
"Actually—" She turns to face me, and there's something different in her eyes. Something vulnerable and determined all at once. "Can we just talk? No tea, no distractions. Just... talk?"
"Of course." I gesture to the couch. "Come here."
She settles onto the cushions, and I sit next to her.Close, but not touching. The fire crackles in the hearth, shadows dancing across her face.
"Today was beautiful," she says quietly. "Watching Gage and Tessa. Seeing how sure they are." She looks down at her hands. "I keep waiting for that certainty, you know? For everything to click into place and make sense. But I'm still just... scared."
"Of what?"
"Everything." Her voice breaks slightly. "Of wanting this. Of wanting you. Of what happens if I let myself fall and you—" She stops, shaking her head.
"And I what?"
She meets my eyes. "What if you realize this isn't what you wanted? That we moved too fast, that the baby is enough but I'm not, that?—"
"Patrice." I reach for her hand, threading my fingers through hers. "Look at me."
She does, and her eyes are shining with unshed tears.
"I've been trying to find the right moment to say this," I tell her. "The perfect time, the perfect words. But there's no such thing as perfect, is there?"
"No," she whispers.
"I love you." The words come out rough, raw, but true. "Not because of the baby. Not because you're here and it's convenient. I love you because you make me laugh. Because you're brave even when you're terrified. Because you walked into my life and everything shifted, and I don't want it to shift back."
A tear slides down her cheek. "Trace?—"
"I'm not asking you to have all the answers right now," I continue. "I'm not asking you to stop being scared. I'm just asking you to stay. To try. To see where this goes."
She's quiet for a long moment, her hand trembling in mine. Then she leans forward, closing the distance between us, and presses her forehead to mine.
"I'm so scared," she breathes.
"I know you are."
She pulls back just enough to look at me, and something in her expression shifts. The fear is still there, but underneath it is something else. Something warm and wanting.
"Show me," she whispers. "Show me this is real."
Chapter 12
Patrice
"Show me this is real."
The words hang in the air between us, and I watch Trace's expression shift from surprised to something darker, more intense. His hand tightens around mine.
