Page 69 of The Body Checker

He slides from the car, comes around my side and holds his hand out. Little currents of electricity sizzle though me when our fingers touch. My God, the chemistry between us hasn’t diminished one little bit. Jonah sucks in a breath, clearly feeling it, too.

He guides me up the walkway and leads me into the house. I look around his place. “What?” I ask.

“Upstairs,” he says.

“Jonah, what’s going on?”

“Trust me,” he says quietly.

“I…okay.”

He puts his hand on the small of my back and leads me upstairs. He stops outside Daisy’s old bedroom.

He gives me a little nudge. “Go on in.”

I step into the room, expecting it to be empty. We’d brought all of Daisy’s things to Zander’s house. But when I flick the light on, the room is all set up again.

Wait, what is going on? Paternity tests proved Zander was the dad. Is Shari up to something?

“Jonah?”

“Follow me?”

He guides me down the hall to another bedroom, and he opens the door. This room is decorated in blue…and my heart jumps into my throat. When the hell did he do this? He’s been on the road, hasn’t he? But more importantly, what the hell is he trying to tell me?

Before I can ask, he tugs on my hand and leads me to another room. This one is decorated in a soft yellow, very gender neutral.

I spin and face him, take in the warm way he’s looking at me.

“Jonah, how many kids do you have?” I blurt out.

The corner of his mouth turns up, making him look so sexy my thighs quiver. “I don’t have any kids, Quinn.”

“Then why the hell do you have three bedrooms decorated?”

“Because I wanted to show you…”

“Show me what?”

I hold my breath, hoping he’s telling me what I think he’s trying to. His big hand slides around my waist and he pulls me close. My God, it feels so good to be held my him.

“Here’s the thing, Quinn. I’m a mess. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t even play hockey.”

“So what does—”

He puts his finger on my lips to stop me. “I’ve learned so much about myself in the last couple months.”

“What have you learned?” I ask, my heart wobbling in my chest.

“Hockey is important to me, very important…but it’s not the most important thing in the world.”

“No?”

“No—you’re far more important,” he says, and my heart nearly explodes with all the love I have for him. “Without you, nothing else matters.”

As I look into his eyes, I see pure honesty. My brother was right, he’s always been a good guy, but he’s grown so much in the last few months. He looks past my shoulder into the baby’s room. “I wanted to show you what you meant to me. These rooms, they’re for our future.”

“Jonah—”

---