Page 41 of The Wolf's Surrogate

I hated how whiny I sounded about it, but there was also a part of me that admired his willingness to take care of me. He settled me gently on the couch and stroked my chin. “I’ll make you something to eat. What do you want?”

I gagged. “I don’t want to eat. Food sounds gross right now.”

“Food sounds gross because you’re so hungry that you’re nauseous.”

“Maybe I’m nauseous because I’m pregnant.”

Hope lit up his face with a curious smile, one that made my stomach flip hard enough to double my nausea. Oh, I didn’t even care about that anymore. I just wanted to see Liam smile.No—it was more than that. I wanted to see him look at mewiththat smile.

A wondrous grin like that could only come from an expectant father, especially one like Liam who desired nothing more than to care for another being in this world. That being was me right now. What happened when the baby came? Would his care for me disappear?

I breathed deeply, that intoxicating swirl of leather and spice grounding me into my body. I didn’t want to worry about the future just yet. Right now, his smile commanded me to sit still and enjoy the moment.

“So soon?” he asked while standing upright. “Well, maybe we should schedule a visit to the clinic.”

“Does that mean I get to see the sun again?”

He tipped his head back and laughed. “Yes, Ani. You’ll get to see the sun. But first, you have to eat.”

“I’m too excited to eat.”

“You’ll make yourself sick.”

As though to prove his point, my stomach gurgled again, and I covered my mouth as I gagged. I hated that he was right. More than that, I hated how much he was right when he’d known me for under a month.

I glared up at him as I kept my mouth covered. However awkward it was for him to be so attentive to me, it would be worse to throw up all over the carpet. I nodded for him to go to the kitchen, waving him off when he tried to assist me in lying on my back. I could only imagine he would end up being a helicopter parent if he was like this with me when I wasn’t even sure I was pregnant yet.

Anxiety bubbled in my gut, causing it to flip again.I want to know right now.

Food had to come first. I wouldn’t make it to the clinic if I didn’t eat. Besides, I needed food in my system if they were goingto do a blood test. That was the best way to get the most accurate result.

After sitting in silence for a few minutes, I heard the sound of sizzling. The wonderful scent of toasted bread came next along with a hint of seasoning. Liam hummed as he cooked, the pan scraping the element every time he lifted it from the stove and put it back down. He spoke in low whispers next, every few words coming through more distinct than the rest.

“…yeah, an appointment…sure, we can…Wednesday sounds good…”

Another sound joined the mix, maybe a spatula in the pan, and then the distinctclickof the stove getting turned off. Liam appeared minutes later with the most perfect-looking grilled cheese on a white square plate.

I stared at it, and stared at it, and had to wipe my eyes a couple of times to clear my vision because it was starting to get blurry. Liam frowned and pulled the phone away from his ear.

“You don’t like grilled cheese?”

I shook my head. Then I nodded. Then I took the plate before he could take it away.

His expression shifted when he put the phone back to his ear. “Yeah, I’m still here. We’ll be there at two. Thank you so much.”

He set his phone aside and sat next to me on the couch, pulling my feet into his lap. He didn’t ask a ton of questions. Nor did he try to guilt me into thanking him for the grilled cheese. The fact that I was struggling to get the carefully sliced triangle to my mouth was a testament to how abnormal this felt.

For God’s sake, it was agrilled cheese. Why was I getting so emotional about it? I had these plenty of times at the diner. Sometimes, when I was feeling extra, I would have the cook throw some slices of tomato in between the toasted slices. Theway it added to the cheddar just made the whole experience delicious.

But this? I could see the care and dedication that had gone into making this simple sandwich. Liam hadn’t just taken the time to make me food—he’d enjoyed the process. He did it while he was on the phone scheduling an appointment for me at the surrogate clinic.

He did it without even asking.

Yeah, I definitely had feelings inside me. I had a lot of them now.

And it was about so much more than the sandwich.

Liam gently kneaded the arches of my feet as I raised the triangle to my lips. One tiny bite had me surging with ecstasy. All I could do was focus on the perfectly melted cheese, the delicious hint of black pepper, the tang of cayenne, and the dash of honey on the toasted, buttery bread.

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