Having Jay's Baby (Having His Baby #2) (22 page)

I stilled.

“There are no addicts in my immediate family, but love and respect doesn’t figure too highly on their list of values in life.”

Brushing his hair back, I considered his confession. “I take it that’s why you married Elizabeth.”

“I can’t even remember why I married Elizabeth,” he said. “Everything’s changed so much in the last year that I can’t even remember who I was back then.”

“I remember,” I said. A smile touched my lips. “You weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy but you were the best fuck I’d ever had in my life.”

He laughed. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Are you saying I’m warm and fuzzy now?” Before I could answer, he positioned his body on top of me. “And does that preclude me from being the best fuck you’ve ever had?”

My legs rose instinctively when he pressed his hips down. He was dangerously close to being inside of me. Logic fled. I couldn’t have made a guess at what we’d been discussing, my whole being focused on the acute throb building between my legs.

As though a match had been lit, desire flared between us. He fastened his mouth on mine. His hands held me captive. I didn’t know why, and I pushed against him, aching to touch him. My legs tightened around his waist, a low whimper leaving me when he gasped.

“There’s a condom in my jacket,” he said against my lips. He looked at me for a long moment, neither of us moving. “I think we should use it,” he said, and then added, “this time.”

The disappointment was a shock. Swallowing, I nodded.
When had I decided to have more kids?
“Okay,” I said.

He kissed me again, and I could feel a smile on his lips.

We didn’t talk again until it was dark. Sated, my body pulsing from deep inside, I lay back and panted as he rolled off me. For a surreal moment I was back in my old bed, staring up at the familiar ceiling. I understood clearly what Jay had meant about not recognising himself from all those months ago.

“God bless Nina,” he said into the silence.

I laughed. “What?”

“I needed that. I don’t think I could have handled any interruptions.”

I rolled on to my side, resting a hand on the narrow trail of hair on his stomach.

“I like this room,” he said.

“You’re oddly animated for a post-coital man.”

“I know. I’m excited.” He exhaled heartily and then got up on his elbows.

“Why?”

“Because, as cheesy as it sounds, this is the first day of the rest of my life,” he said, peering down at me. “I always used wonder how people could say such banal things, but—I really get it.”

“The rest of your life,” I mused. I lay back and watched him, admiring the shadows on the sharp edges and flat planes.

“You’re in it,” he said. He turned on his side. “Nina’s in it.”

I shivered as his hand rested on one sensitive breast. A smile tickled my mouth at the energy coming from him.

“And I think,” he continued, a low frown shading his eyes as he glanced around, “that this house is in it.”

If there had been pillows I could have picked one up and thudded against his handsome head. “I knew it!” I shrieked instead. The sound of Nina wailing followed like an echo.

He flinched melodramatically. “Okay, keep it down.”

“I knew it,” I hissed. I scrambled to my feet, already half way out the door to get Nina. “You bought this place, didn’t you? You’re the bidder from yesterday!”

“You did not know. Admit it, you had no idea.”

“I knew!” Darting from the room, I ran down the shadowed hallway towards Nina. For a moment I felt like I was running on air. Joy fizzled through me like champagne bubbles.

I stopped before Nina’s seat and lifted her out, hushing her as I pulled her close to me. Despite her crying, I couldn’t stop the astonished laughter. I turned on my heel and strode back to the master bedroom. Jay was stretched out comfortably on the mattress, gloriously naked in the fledgling moonlight.

“Did you really buy this house?” I couldn’t even finish the question without laughing.

He’d bunched up his suit and was using it as a pillow. He grinned, nodded, and put his hand behind his head. “Bring her over here.”

I did as I was told, lying her down on his chest. She stopped crying. Her eyes widened as she stared up at her father, as though trying to place him.

“Did you buy it for us?” I asked.

He was entranced by Nina, but managed to drag his gaze away long enough to nod at me.

Tears welled in my eyes.

“It’s what you wanted,” he asked, “isn’t it?”

I swallowed. “How did you know?”

“It wasn’t hard.” His voice was kind. “I nearly missed it. It was pretty close for a few hours there yesterday.” He sat up, resting his back against the wall and cradling Nina in his arms as though he’d been handling babies all his life. “My accountant was keeping tabs on it. I told him to let me know once the foreclosure period was up, but with everything that was going on...” His voice trailed off as Nina chuckled at him. “I had to do some creative negotiating to get the realtor to take it off the market.”

“Why?” I asked. “When? It went into foreclosure months ago. Before we knew about Nina.”

His sigh was infinitely patient.

Feeling suddenly obtuse, I curled into his side, one hand on Nina’s head. Doubt flickered in me like a flame in the wind. “Have you been keeping tabs on me all this time?” I asked gruffly.

He kissed the top of my head. “I tend to keep tabs on the things I want, Stella. That includes you.”

I considered him, the heavily-lashed eyes that were obscene on such a masculine face. “Why?” I asked.

He frowned. “Why what?”

“Why did you—do you—want me?”

He was silent. Or rather, he didn’t speak, but the rumbling of emotion in his expression was overwhelming. I swallowed back an answering pull of yearning. “You know I’ll never stand in the way of your relationship with Nina,” I said huskily. “You’re her father. I don’t think I could have picked anyone better even if it I’d meant it.” I wiped a tear from my cheek. “I’m sorry it took me so long to trust you, Jay.”

“Don’t be upset, Stella,” he said, his voice a breath. “You were just looking out for Nina. I get that now.”

“I was scared, too,” I admitted.

He frowned. “Why?”

“I told you I was getting emotionally involved...”

He laughed. “What does that even mean?”

“I love you.”

The world seemed to get very still. His chest, which had been rising and falling under my cheek, became as rigid as stone. His expression was stark. I eased back. I kept my hand on the softness of Nina’s leg just to anchor myself to the real world.

Oh, God ... did I really just say that?

“It doesn’t change anything,” I said in a rush of assurance. “We still have to take things slowly, for Nina’s sake.”

“It doesn’t change anything?”

“Well, no.”

He sat up abruptly. Nina hollered and then quietened as he hushed her, rocking her gently in his arms for a moment. I, however, toppled off his chest and off the mattress on to the floor, making him laugh.

“Jay!”

He did an admirable job to stop laughing, reaching out with one hand to steady me and help me back on to the mattress. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry,” he said.

“Don’t sweetheart me.”

“Come here,” he said, wrapping a hand possessively around my ass.

I let him draw me in, still a little reluctant and embarrassed.

“Look at me,” he said.

I lifted my eyes. There was a wealth of longing in his expression, but there was nothing sexual about it this time. It was gentler, more open that any expression of his I’d ever seen before. “I love you, too,” he said. “I really do.”

My eyes welled again.

“Don’t cry,” he said, laughing again. “Are you going to cry every time I say something nice to you?” He slid his hand up my back, somehow managing to stroke my cheek. “I love you, Stella. You’d better get used to hearing me say that or we’ll have a lifetime of tears to deal with.”

Still stroking Nina’s soft head, I rested my cheek on his chest. How easily he supported both of us. I could feel the steady, constant beat of his heart under my skin and it regulated the clanging emotions inside of me. Nina, too, was contented and sleepy again, safe in her circle of her father’s arms.

Jay was silent for a long while. When I summoned up the courage to look at him, his eyes were warm on me, partly amused, but mostly softened by, what I realised, was love. What, I was slowly realising, had been love for a while now. I wasn’t even sure if it was coming from him or whether it was reflection of my own emotions in his eyes.

“Do you really own on this house?” I asked.

He grinned. “We own this house.”

“We’re going to live here, altogether?”

“I hope so,” he said, his voice gruff.

I slid upwards, breathing in his scent, now mixed with the faintly powdery perfume from Nina. I touched my lips to his. “Thank you, Jay.”

He cradled my head, considered me for a moment with a pained expression. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make you and Nina happy, Stella,” he said. You’re my family now. I take that seriously. It means everything to me.”

There was no doubt in my heart. I traced a finger down his jaw line, across his mouth, revelling in the freedom to touch him.

“I always thought it would just be me and Nina,” I said eventually. “I couldn’t imagine another life. I was so desperate to get this house back because this is where I saw us living out our lives—it was the best future I could imagine.” My throat tightened, blocking the words. Swallowing, buoyed by his gentle kiss, I added, “I had no idea it could be like this.”

He stroked a thumb across my cheekbone. “It’s probably not going to be a picnic every day,” he said wryly. “You know that, right?”

I rolled my eyes. “Of course, I do.”

“But I’ve never wanted anything more in my life than this,” he said in a low voice. “You, Nina, this house ... I’ve already had everything anybody could ever want. I know what matters now.”

I kissed him again, my chest bursting with frantic, elated joy.

“Is she asleep?”

Easing back, I checked our daughter, seeing that she was, once again, utterly inert. I frowned at her, testing her even breathing. “Yeah,” I said in wonder. “She never usually naps this long.”

His hips eased against mine, sparking a riot of arousal. “Jay,” I said, chastising.

“I’ll get her chair, we’ll put her in the en suite for half an hour.” He grinned. “It’s right there. She’s asleep anyway.”

“Shouldn’t we ... I don’t know, shouldn’t we eat?”

His brows lifted. “Are you hungry?”

The pulse between my legs had taken over the rest of my bodily functions and put them on hold.

Reading my expression, he narrowed his eyes. “We already used my only condom.”

I watched his guarded expression, unable to repress a smile.

“Is it too soon?”

Exhaling, I shook my head.

“That kitchen could easily fit a table for six,” he said.

I laughed. “Okay ... let’s just take it one kid at a time, shall we?”

“Will you marry me?”

I froze. Staring at him in shock, I searched for words. We hadn’t even tried living together yet. We had no idea how we were going to function as parents. Joking aside, we had to rear Nina for a while before could even think about having other children. We hadn’t even really been a couple until this morning!

The utter idea of marriage was ludicrous!

“Yes,” I blurted.

He flinched. “Yes?”

“Yes,” I said. He looked as shocked as I felt. “Did you think I would say no?”

“I don’t know,” he said, laughing. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

Burying my face into his neck, I relaxed into his warmth. A circle of love hovered around us, sheltering both Nina and me, and drawing Jay close into us. I shut my eyes tightly and offered a small prayer of thanks up to the heavens.

The End

We hope you enjoyed Jay and Stella’s story! For more books by Fran Louise, visit her website
http://www.franlouise.com
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