Page 38 of Amor Prohibido

Marching back out to Jace, I stood with my hands on my hips, trying to look fierce when inside I was biting back tears of gratitude.

“You really didn’t have to do that.”

Despite wincing, a gorgeous half-grin appeared on his broken face. “No one likes sleeping in crumbs, right?” He tapped the couch beside him. “Come sit.”

I settled beside him on the couch and accepted the hot chocolate he passed me. “You have no idea how much I appreciate you changing the sheets for me. I haven’t had the energy and the thought of wrestling sheets back onto the bed was enough for me to put up with the crumbs.”

“Honestly, it’s nothing, sweetheart. How are you feeling?”

I looked up from under my lashes and picked up a ginger nut biscuit. “Not vomitty, but queasy.”

He hummed and lowered his coffee mug to his thigh. “So, are we ready to talk about the elephant in the room now?”

“By elephant, I’m assuming you’re referring to me?”

“Not your size, no. Besides, you’re the size of a hen, not an elephant.”

“Give it a few months and you’ll be changing that opinion,” I muttered.

His hand flew to my knee and squeezed gently. “You’re as beautiful as you’ve always been. And you’ll be just as beautiful with a big, round belly,” he assured me sincerely.

Outwardly, I scoffed. Internally, I grinned and melted all over again. Studying his battered face had that temporary euphoria evaporating.

“So. What’s to talk about?”

“Darren’s suggestion and my reaction.”

My heart gave a kick. I took a sip of my drink to delay the dreaded conversation as long as possible. “It’s fine.”

“No, J, it’s important. I didn’t mean to offend you, and I know I did. But I’m not going to force a marriage on you—oneitherof us—just because society says you’re meant to be married before you have a kid.”

Wow. I wasn’t sure if this was making me feel better or worse. I narrowed my eyes at him. “Did either you or my doofus brother stop for a second to wonder what I had to say about this?”

Jace stared at me blankly.

“Exactly. No, you didn’t. I should at least get a say.”

He looked outright baffled. “And if we had? Your answer would have been the same as mine, right?”

I remained mute and willed the heat from my cheeks. The fact that I had indeed entertained the idea for a mere second had me feeling foolish.

His hand tightened on my knee while his voice rose slightly. “J?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” I finally snapped.

“Christ.” Jace scrubbed at the least-swollen side of his face. The friction between his palm and the few days’ stubble on his jaw made a scraping sound and, confusingly, I liked it.

“So, what you’re saying is that you would have considered doing this? Getting married, I mean?” he clarified.

Shifting in my seat, I raised my chin as a sign of strength and forced my eyes to meet his. “You know what? For a brief second, I thought it wasn’t the worst idea in the world.”

Getting up and taking my forgotten drink to the kitchen, I was hit with a rush of sudden exhaustion.

“Actually, Jace…” I added, coming back into the living room.

Jace stopped cradling his head in his hands and let them hang relaxed between his open knees, giving me his undivided attention. “Yeah, J?”

I thumbed over my shoulder. “I’m really exhausted and need to get to bed.”

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