Page 98 of Claiming What's Mine

Leaning over, I kissed her belly and whispered. “Good, job, buddy.” Grabbing my coffee by the lid, I leaned against the counter and looked at the wall. “Hey, Bliss, want to try something else?”

Twisting her body in the chair she was sitting in, she perched herself on her knees and held the back. “Yes,” she said eagerly, her smile wide as the Cheshire cat as she dug her fingers excitedly into the leather.

“Okay, come on.” Ticking my head towards the side door, I walked forward and pushed it open. Holding the frame, I fanned my arm out. “After you,” I said, bowing my head as Bliss jumped from her seat and ran out the door.

“I don't know how I feel about the look on your face right now.” Blue curled her arm over her belly as she took a seat. “No getting into trouble you two.”

Flashing her a bright smile, my brows bounced up to my hairline. “What? Trouble? Not us. Right, Bliss, we don't get into trouble.”

My daughter snickered, covering her mouth with her hands. “Yeah, Mom, not us. We're angels.”

“Mh, hm,” she mumbled as she sipped her ice coffee and relaxed back in the chair. “I'm ordering pizza for dinner, so don't take too long, I'm starving.”

“Yes, Ma'am,” I said, giving Blue a wink and taking Bliss by the hand, leading her out to my truck. Opening the door, I went into the glove box and sifted around until I found what I was looking for.

Taking my daughter's hand, I slipped a small box into her palm and covered it with mine. “Do you know what this is?”

“It's a jewelry box.”

“Yes, but do you know what's in the jewelry box?”

“Jewelry?” she asked, cocking a brow.

“It's a special piece of jewelry.” Opening the top, the ring glittered and sparkled. “This is the ring I'm going to ask Mom to marry me with.”

Watching her expression, her eyes glazed over and her smile emerged, spreading from ear to ear. “You are?”

Nodding, I said, “I am.”

“That's good, because grandma said you better put a ring on it before she croaks.”

“She did, did she?” Bliss giggled and shook her head yes. “Well, do you want to help me?” Shaking her head yes again, I smiled. “Perfect.”

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Blue

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Where in the worlddid they go?

Waddling to the window, I peered out through the cracked and foggy glass. Not seeing anything, I decided to go find them.

They had been gone for almost an hour, and I couldn't imagine waiting one more second for food. I was starving.

Walking outside, I could hear laughter coming from behind the house. Making my way around, I could see Bliss and Jayden in a small clearing. Bliss was running circles around him, her giggle finding the air easily and riding it outward like ripples in water.

Jayden looked up first, spotting me as I came down the small hill. “Hey, there you are. I was wondering when you'd come looking for us.”

“Mom!” Bliss yelled, running towards me. “Look at how many I have!” Holding up a jar with dozens of fireflies, she stuffed it in my face. “Check it out, Mom.”

Pulling my face back, I took the jar from her hand and looked inside. “That is a lot honey, I think that's the most I've ever seen you catch.”

“I didn't catch all of them, Dad helped.”

“Well, he is really good at it. He did learn from the best.” Flashing a smug grin, I rocked my head proudly on my shoulders. Attempting to hand it back, Bliss pushed it back into my chest.

“Count them for me? I want to know how many.”