Page 37 of The Grumpy Billionaire Baby Daddy

I let out an awkward laugh and look up at them. I nod at Richard.

“What are you guys up to?”

“Uhh.. since when do you care?”

I grin and stand to my feet, my eyes on Fiona. Her brown hair is in a bun, leaving her face bare but completely beautiful. I smile like a high school kid with a crush.

Jeez, Jason. Get a grip.“Sorry for not knocking. I thought it was my room.”

She presses her lips together and tilts her head, brows furrowed.

“Anyway, how are you feeling?”

My eyes land on her stomach and I’m suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to touch it. In normal homes, fathers talk to the baby and even rub the mom’s belly. What if the baby grows distant from me because it didn’t receive any love from me while in there?

As if reading my thoughts, she rubs her belly gently and looks up at me.

“I’m okay.”

“Are you sure? What about all the morning sickness stuff? And the aches?”

She scrunches up her face.

“Uhhh…Jason, are you okay?”

“I’m fine. You didn’t answer.”

“I still get sick, but it gets better at noon. The doctor came in this morning for a routine check. Says everything is fine.”

I nod, looking around her room. Do I go in and sit? No. That’d be too much. I’ll take it slow.

“Okay. I’m tired. Going to rest.”

I give a slight wave and turn to go, but Tex follows.

“Hey, buddy. C’mon, go back to Fiona, okay?”

When I finally exit her room and shut her door, I release the breath I have no idea I am holding.

Chapter 13

Fiona

Aseachpassingdayensues, my hunger only intensifies, and as I sit perched within the confines of my living room, with a plate full of salted crackers laid out before me, the tales I've ingested regarding the peculiar cravings of gravid women begin to resonate with newfound meaning.

“Yesterday, I just wanted peanut butter, and the day before, it was Chinese food. I’ve never even had that, but I just decided that’s what I wanted.”

Richard laughs.

“What’s the weirdest craving you’ve ever had?”

“Hmm…there was this one time last week I wanted to eat ice. And then the smell of soap in the shower made my mouth water this other time. I could’ve sworn I was going crazy, but the doctor said it was nothing to be worried about. She gave me some vitamins.”

Richard completely cracks up, throwing his head back. His carefree personality makes it so easy to hang out with him. How’s he so different from Jason? Well, Jason’s been a little different these days. Weird mostly, but also kind of nice. I went from only seeing him once in three weeks to seeing him every other week. He even joined some of my small talk with Richard.

On one occasion, as I ventured forth to open my door, there stood he, resolutely fixed in front of my portal. His explanation, that he was scouring the locale for a certain item, was rather questionable, as it appeared to me that he had been stationed there for quite some time. I cannot help but ponder if there exists some deep-rooted complication that afflicts him, a perplexing quandary which he is currently grappling with. Nonetheless, I am grateful that he has yet to subject me to the indignity of verbal tirades.

The vivid image of him leaning nonchalantly in front of his door, clad only in his nether garment and drenched in perspiration, comes surging back to the forefront of my thoughts. The resultant effect is a sudden and intense wave of embarrassment, causing my countenance to flush with an irrefutable crimson hue.

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