Page 59 of Chloe

There were pillows on seemingly every surface. Jubal had been fascinated with entering her from every possible angle, and taking her in every corner of the room.

And she had been into it. She could see where she had torn curtains and paintings from the walls, trying to get enough leverage to give as good as she got.

Her cheeks grew hot at the thought of her shamelessness, but she couldn’t bring herself to be sorry.

Her stomach growled furiously, as if it had been waiting until just that moment to get her attention.

She managed to slither out of Jubal’s bear-like hold to head to the refresher.

The hot water in the shower washed away a lot of her soreness, and she luxuriated in it for a few minutes. When she was fully clean, she dried off and slipped back into the bedroom.

Should she try to clean it up before the bots got here?

A light, flowing dress was waiting for her on top of her dresser, and she grabbed it and held it up to herself in the mirror, but wasn’t ready for the sight that greeted her.

Her belly was sticking out, pushing the fabric forward.

Stunned, she let the gown drift to the floor and gazed at her own reflection.

Her breasts were swollen, and her belly was full enough that it was unmistakable, even without a visit from Dr. Pan.

She was carrying a child.

Chloe knew Maltaffian pregnancies could be fast, but she’d never expected anything like this. She moved her hands to her belly just as she saw movement behind her in the mirror.

“Chloe,” Jubal breathed, sitting up.

Then he was weeping and wrapping his arms around her, cradling her gently and rocking her like a child, both of their cheeks wet with happy tears.

* * *

An hour later, Chloe stood by the kitchen island while Dr. Pan ran her vitals yet again.

Jubal was making brunch, and it smelled incredible. It was all she could do not to crawl over the island and snatch it right out of the pan.

“Your appetite will be monstrous,” Dr. Pan said with a smile. “But that’s completely natural. You’ll be completing an entire pregnancy in a matter of weeks, maybe even days, judging from these early scans. So, eat as much as you want, as much as you can, really.”

“Days?” Chloe echoed worriedly.

She knew on paper how Maltaffian pregnancies worked. But now that she was in the middle of one, it was scary to think how much had to be squeezed into such a small time.

“We have everything you need right here at the Center,” Dr. Pan reminded her. “Your only job is to eat, rest, and enjoy your pregnancy.”

Jubal slid a plate of fruit and pancakes smothered in maple syrup across the island to her.

“Careful,” he warned her. “It’s hot. I’ll grab you a fork.”

But she was already tearing into the stack of pancakes with her hands, her eyes rolling back in her head with satisfaction at the soft sweetness.

“So good,” she moaned with her mouth full.

“That’s my girl,” Jubal chuckled. “I’ve got eggs coming up next.”

“I can see you have things under control, Jubal,” Dr. Pan said. “Well done. I’ll get out of your way. But know that I’m on call around the clock if you have questions, or when your special moment arrives.”

“Thank you,” Jubal told her.

Chloe was too busy applying herself to her meal to speak.

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