Page 26

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

GIA

Reed lies beside me, pressing kisses to my breast. His thick palm spans over bump, and when the baby moves, his hand follows.

“Tell me about Jaxon,” he whispers, and a chill runs through me. His hand stops moving, and he pulls me almost impossibly closer to him. So tight his warmth seeps into my skin, giving me the strength to tell him about the man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with.

“He was shot when he stepped in to help someone in a mugging.” I swallow hard, then continue. “He was home on leave, but he’d only been here two days.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers, then he stiffens and shakes his head. “That’s a lie. I said I would never lie to you.”

My mouth falls open, and I move to face him, but he shakes his head.

“What I meant was, I’m sorry that happened to you, but I’m grateful I get to have you.”

His explanation softens the harshness of his previous words, and when he presses a kiss against my breast, I surrender and rest my head back on the pillow.

“We met in high school.” I stroke his head with the tips of my nails, something I find soothing. It’s almost as if we both need to feel one another to believe we’re in one another’s arms. “He was a scholarship student, and I was the rich kid.” I laugh at remembering how he used to joke with me. “He wanted to study law, same as me.” As I smile down at Reed, he lifts his head.

“What happened?”

“Bryce.” I smile. “Bryce happened, and when we found out I was pregnant, it changed everything.”

Reed watches me closely, but I’m not sure why. “As teenagers with an unplanned pregnancy, the best plan was for him to join the military, so that’s what he did. He made the sacrifice for our family, and not once did he complain about it.” A proud smile spreads over my face at the recollection of how Jaxon stepped up to provide a stable family unit for us.