I sat up, and Reid’s hands held on to my hips as I moved to straddle him. We were both exhausted, but I wasn’t quite ready to let him go just yet. A sharp movement in my stomach made me jolt, and I brought Reid’s hands down to where our daughter stirred.

“Someone’s awake,” I said, smiling. Reid’s mouth tipped up, and he moved his hands in circles, caressing out growing baby. “I can’t believe she’ll be here in a few short months,” he mused. “I hope she looks like you.”

“I hope she has her daddy’s green eyes,” I replied, stroking Reid’s face with reverence. “And his blond hair, and his smile.”

“I already love her.” His voice lowered. “And we haven’t even met her yet.”

“It’s weird isn’t it? To love someone so much it hurts?”

“Not at all,” he replied. “That’s how I’ve loved you all my life, Jade Matthews, and I will love you that way until I take my last breath.”

He was staring into my eyes with such deep adoration that I felt irrevocably tethered to him. How I loved him was soul-deep, and I knew he was and had always been my other half.

Chapter 16

Reid

“Welcome home, baby.”

Jade was fidgeting anxiously in the passenger seat beside me, and I had to smile. She had a blindfold on and wore one of my U of B hoodies with jeans and her favorite Ugg boots. She looked adorable, but more importantly she looked happy. Excited.

After last night I decided that we weren’t going to ‘take things slow’ anymore, simply because it wasn’t what we’d ever really done. We might have rearranged the order in which we did things – like have a baby before we graduated, got jobs and got married – but I’d finally accepted that we were exactly where we supposed to be.

“Reid,” she whined. “How much longer?”

“We’re here,” I replied, stopping outside the house that was going to be ours. “But you can’t take the blindfold off yet.”

I jumped out and shut my door before I could hear her complain, but still laughed at her impatience. She was impossible to surprise, but I was hoping I’d get it right this time.

I opened her door, and took her hand as I helped out of the car. “A few more minutes, baby,” I told her. I led her up the driveway, and stopped at the front door so that I could fish the keys from my pocket. I’d collected them early this morning when Jade was still sleeping, and couldn’t wait to show her where we’d be moving into in just a couple of weeks.

I unlocked the door, and pushed it open. “You ready?” I asked her, nudging her into the foyer.

“I’ve been ready all morning,” she huffed. “Can I look now?”

I moved in front of her, and lifted the blindfold from her face. She blinked a few times, and then looked around with curiosity, and maybe a little confusion.

“Where are we?”

I watched her face carefully, and tried to squelch my own nervousness. “This,” – I looked around – “Is our house.”

“Our house?” She repeated, her brows furrowed.

“Yes,” I replied, swallowing anxiously. “I found it yesterday.”

Her mouth dropped open, but when she shut it without saying anything I started worrying that this wouldn’t be what she wanted after all.

She stepped away, and I followed her through the house.  She stopped in every room, and because it was the first time I was seeing it all with her, I could feel my own excitement starting to escalate.

Jade stopped in the last bedroom, and did a slow turn before stopping in the center to face me.

“Say something,” I said, hoping that she liked it. If not, we’d have to find something she did like, and soon.

With her eyes fixed on me, her mouth started turning up, and she smiled. “I think this would be perfect for a nursery.”

I exhaled, relieved that I’d made the right choice. I crossed the space, and came to a halt in front of her.

“You like it?”

She wrapped her arms around my neck, stretching onto the balls of her feet. “I love it. You did good, Mr. Cole.”

I circled her waist with my arms, pressing her as close as her growing belly would allow, and spun her around. Her laughter rang through the room, and nothing sounded better in that moment.

“Welcome home, baby,” I murmured into her hair, feeling my chest expand. I dropped her back onto her feet, and she was smiling when I looked down at her.

“When do we move in?” She asked, doing nothing to hide her exuberance.

“Two weeks,” I replied, cupping her face in my hands. “Two weeks, and we’ll be home. You, me, and Peanut.”

“And where are we going to sleep?” Her brow lifted.

“In a bed,” I deadpanned. “It will all be taken care off. You won’t have to lift a finger.”

Her lips twisted into a pout. “But I want to help.”

I shook my head, and rubbed her nose with mine. “No. No heavy lifting while you’re carrying such precious cargo. There is one thing you can help with though, once everyone else has left.”

“What’s that?”

I lowered my head. “We’ll have to christen the rooms, and I’ll need your help.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“Screaming,” I replied. “Lots of it. And a lack of clothing perhaps.”

Jade grinned, her eyes alight with so much life it consumed me.

“I think I can be persuaded.”

I pressed my mouth to hers again, feeling her smile against my lips, and held her to me.

God, I loved this woman.

To the end of time.

Chapter 17

Reid

28 Weeks

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I rolled over in our new king-sized four-poster bed, and opened an eye when I realized Jade’s side of the bed was empty. The clock on my bedside table read 1:00AM and I looked around our bedroom expecting to find her.

I climbed out of bed, and tiredly rubbed my face, still exhausted from a long day of moving, and unpacking boxes.

I walked out into the hallway, checking the other three bedrooms along the way, and then stopped in the living room. Jade was sitting on our new leather sofa, basked in bright moonlight as she stared out the open bay windows overlooking our backyard. When I stepped closer, I noticed she had her legs crossed with her hands rubbing circles on her belly.

I smiled, knowing I would never see a more beautiful sight.

The hardwood floor creaked under the weight of my foot, and Jade’s head whipped in my direction.

She gave me a small smile when I sat down next to her. “Everything okay?” I asked.

She nodded quickly. “Yes. I couldn’t sleep, and I didn’t want to wake you so I came out here.”

“She moving a lot?” I pressed my hand against Jade’s stomach, and was somewhat relieved when I felt nothing. Jade had been tossing and turning in bed for the last few nights, and I knew she was also tired.

“No,” she replied, covering my hand with hers. “Baby’s fine. I’m just feeling restless at the moment.”

I stifled a yawn behind my hand, and Jade’s expression turned apologetic. “Go back to bed, Reid. I shouldn’t be too much longer.”