“Can I look around?” She asked quietly. “This stuff is all so beautiful...” Her words trailed off, and I gave a brief nod of my head.

“You can, but I have one more surprise for you,” I said. I threaded our fingers together, and walked out into the hallway. We had two other bedrooms, but I’d decided to convert one of them into a studio for Jade. She was an incredibly gifted designer, and I wanted to give her a space she could call her own.

I pushed the door open and ushered Jade inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of the hardwood flooring, a workstation for her designing, another workstation for her sewing, and lastly a mannequin she could use for fittings. The walls were painted a pastel green on one side, closest to the window overlooking the backyard, and on the other side it was white, covered with boards that had all Jade’s fabric swatches stuck to them.

“So you can stay busy before you go back to school,” I told her, squeezing her hand. “I wanted you to have a place that was yours, and only yours. A place where you can make your dreams come true.”

Jade swallowed, her face red, and a little splotchy. “This is too much,” she said quietly. “Why did you do this?”

Her question wasn’t accusatory, but I didn’t like the way she asked me.

“I want to give you everything,” I said. “This is my way of helping you make those big dreams of yours come true.”

I wanted her to know that even though our lives had changed, and we were going to be parents, she could still have her career, and realize her aspirations. She didn’t have to be just a ‘mom’, she could also be a designer, and hopefully later she’d become a wife. My wife.

“I love it,” said Jade, stepping into my embrace. “And I love you for doing this for me. But you and our daughter are my dreams now, and you’ve already made that come true. The rest will come when the time is right, but for right now I’m happy to live this dream a little longer.”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. “You want to have a nap or something? It’s been a busy morning.”

“Can we watch a movie on the sofa instead?”

“Anything you want.” I kissed her forehead, and we walked into the bedroom so that Jade could change into something more comfortable. She slipped into a pair of cotton shorts, and one of my t-shirts, and piled her hair on top of her head.

“What are we watching?” I asked her as we sat down on the sofa. “Romance, comedy, or action?”

“Hmmm.” Jade tapped her chin. “‘Life As We Know It’, the one with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.”

I flicked through our movie playlist, and hit “play” as I settled with Jade’s head on my lap. I had one hand in her hair, and the other entwined with hers on her stomach. I looked down at her, and thought if this was what the rest of my life looked like, I would die a happy man.

Chapter 22

Reid

I was doing this for her, and for the safety of our unborn child.

Jade was asleep, hugging her maternity pillow with her leg bent. I leaned forward and laid a kiss on the slither of exposed skin of her stomach and climbed out of bed. It was late, but I couldn’t sleep so I quietly left the room, and headed towards the kitchen. I rolled the tension from my shoulders, frowning at the eerie feeling that filled the darkness in our house.

My phone rang on the kitchen counter, and I grabbed it quickly before it woke Jade. My father’s name flashed on the screen, and my frown deepened. He never called me this late unless something was wrong.

“Hello?”

“Reid,” my father sighed, sounding cautious. “Thank God you answered.”

“What’s wrong, Dad?”

“It’s Stella,” he replied hesitantly. My blood froze in my veins, and I instinctively looked towards the bedroom where the light of my bedside lamp illuminated Jade’s sleeping form. “She managed to escape the mental hospital she was sent to, and they can’t find her.”

I immediately went about checking the doors, making sure they were all locked. “What do you mean she escaped? How did she get past security?”

“I don’t know,” replied my father. “The cops are out looking for her, but I wanted to warn you incase - ”

His words were cut off by a shrill scream, and I ran towards the bedroom. I told my Dad to call the cops and hung up before I swung the bedroom door open. It hit the wall with a bang, but the sound was drowned out when I came to abrupt halt.

Jade was leaning against the headboard, her face contorted in fear, and at the end of our bed stood Stella. She was dressed in a white uniform, and I surmised that’s how she’d escaped the hospital she was sent to after her arrest. I hadn’t told Jade anything about Stella, afraid that it would upset her, but I realized too late that it was a mistake. Stella had been evaluated by a psychologist and sent to a mental facility rather than being detained in jail. I thought after that, we’d be able to stop worrying about her, but clearly I was wrong on that count too.

She turned her head towards me, and that’s when I noticed the firearm in her trembling hand. Her eyes were wide, vacant, but I saw something change when her empty gaze fell on me.

“Stella.” I lifted my hands, and approached her like she was a rabid animal. In my mind she was, and all I could think about was getting her the fuck away from Jade. I was hoping my father had called the cops, but I still had to get her attention away from Jade, and whatever she’d planned on doing until they showed up.

“Reid.” Stella’s lips quirked, but the crazed look in her eyes never wavered. “I had to see you.”

My eyes darted towards Jade, who clutched the comforter like it was a lifeline. I hated seeing her so scared, but the situation we were currently in warranted it. I quelled my own fear, moving closer towards Stella with intent. She lifted the gun, pointed it at Jade, and I froze. My mind tumbled over a plan of action, fumbling uselessly as I watched the firearm clutched in Stella’s hand.

“I’m so glad you came,” I told her. My voice quivered slightly. I was scared. Fuck that, I was terrified.

“Are you?” Asked Stella. “You look quite comfortable playing house with your whore.”

I remained quiet, unsure of how to respond until Stella spoke again. “I know you don’t love her.” Her voice sounded wild, and a little hysterical. “You love me, don’t you?”

Obviously I didn’t reply quickly enough, because Stella jutted the gun toward Jade, and yelled, “Don’t you?” She paused. “Tell her Reid. Tell her it’s me you want to be with. You’re only with her because she’s pregnant!”

I tried to slow my breathing, straining to hear anything above the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

“Yes, baby,” I replied, playing along. “I love you.”

Jade whimpered but I didn’t take my eyes off Stella. She was out of her mind, unpredictable, and apparently very volatile. I would do whatever the fuck she asked if it meant that Jade and our baby got to walk out of here unscathed.

“And?” Prodded Stella. Her eyes were so big I could barely make out the color of her irises.

“And I’m only with her because she’s pregnant.” I took it a little further, and added, “Jade means nothing to me. It’s you I want to be with.”