Four Months Later
The new apartment smelled like fresh paint and coffee. Sunlight poured through the big windows onto the second-hand couch where
I lay with my feet in Daddy’s lap. My belly was a gentle curve now, just big enough for his hand to rest protectively over it whenever we were alone.
He rubbed slow circles, eyes soft. “She kicked again.”
I laughed. “She’s already bossy. Takes after you.”
“Or you.” He leaned down and kissed the swell, lips lingering. “Hey, little one. Be nice to Mommy.”
Heat pooled low in my belly at the sight of him—shirtless, hair messy, so openly devoted. I tugged his wrist. “Come here.”
He crawled up my body carefully, settling between my thighs without putting weight on my stomach. His mouth found mine, slow and deep, the kind of kiss that said mine
