Page 52 of Up All Night
"Gross."Jagger snuffles, laughing.
I'm looking at Stone, and I can't help but think, all this time, I thought not only that I couldn't have kids, but that I didn't want them, either.And now that I'm carrying the right man's baby, I'd get pregnant a dozen times if it means that I can have him look at me like this always.
And he does.
Every single day afterward.
Chapter 13
Stone
Shesleepslikeaboss on the plane ride back to North Carolina.Her head remains buried in my chest until the pilot announces that we're landing."We're home, babe."I whisper to her.Her head rises from me and I have to chuckle softly.She was so out of it."You okay?"
"Fine.Where are we?"
"Home.Do you want to go home or to my place?"I ask her, knowing that I arranged to have the concierge pack up her things during dinner, and bring them to the plane for her.
"It doesn't matter.As long as I'm with you."She says so sleepily, through a yawn.
I can't get over how fucking adorable she is.And now that she's pregnant, she's even mor adorable.I could look at her all day."How about we go to my place, so you can see the crooked house again?"
She groans."God, don't remind me of that asshole."
Another chuckle."Don't worry.Lucy gave him a run for his money in the form of paperwork up to his ass.Let's just say that he misses you."
"Gross.Don't make me puke.And now that my boobs are bigger, he's just got more to look at."
"And I'll punch him in the face if he does."I say, in no uncertain terms."But you'll never see him again, so enough said."
We're driven to my place, bags and all, and I give her a little tour of the place."So, what are you going to do with the addition?"
"I haven't decided yet.But now that we're having a baby, I think it might be cool to turn it into like a haunted house or a funhouse or something like that later.That could be the play area.I think that would be perfect."
Her eyes widen.Her mouth opens wide in surprise."God, that's genius!"Her arms wrap around me."I love you!"
My chuckle is soft as I hold her close."I love you, too.So, you like that idea?"
"I love it!"
"We could even put some anchors in it and tilt it more, just to make it even more exaggerated, so it doesn't look so much like it happened by accident.We'll blend it in with the rest of the house somehow."
"I know a great architect that could deal with that.Completely professional and very innovative."
"Sounds great.Give him my number."
“I will."Her face is glowing with happiness.
I take a step towards her.“I was so worried about you, Lark.I don’t want you to ever feel like you need to run away from me for anything.It doesn’t matter what happened, I’ll always love you.You never have to fear me.You never have to be afraid that you’ll lose me.I’m here for you, and whatever obstacle comes our way, together we will get through it.I want you to know that.From the bottom of my heart.”
She slides her fingers through my hair, searching my eyes.“I was just chasing away old ghosts, Stone.But they’re gone now."
I rest my forehead on hers.“Is this anything to do with your ex?"
“It has everything to do with him.There was once a time when I thought that I couldn’t have children.We tried and tried, and the blame was placed on me.It got so bad between us, that I didn’t want to have children anymore.When I always dreamed of that.He asked me to marry him once, but when I couldn’t get pregnant, I was no longer a viable wife to him.And he left me."
“That son of a bitch.I’ve never heard of something so cruel.And now I can understand why you ran."
“At first I thought I didn’t want the child.And then I was worried, thinking that you wouldn’t want the child.But then, when I saw you, at one of my most vulnerable moments, something inside me changed.I knew that the fear that I had was an old fear, and I don’t need to fear that anymore, now that I’m with you.”
