Page 19 of Shattered Love

I wake, stretching like a cat, my body more relaxed than it has been in months. I turn to see Dominic already staring down at me, looking like he hasn’t slept all night. I instantly gather the quilt around me, as if protecting myself. After Officer Devon, I never know what’s around the corner.

“Dominic.”

He sighs. “Promise me if I’m no good at being a dad, you’ll leave.”

I can’t help my sharp intake of breath. I shake my head. “Never. I will never leave you.”

His body relaxes only slightly.

“Dom, look at me.”

I grab his face in both my hands. “You listen here. You are going be a great dad. This baby is going to love you just like I do, like Carter and everybody else do, because Dominic Stone, you are impossible not to love.”

He lets out a deep sigh. “Promise we will love our kid. We will never leave them alone, they will never feel lonely, we will give them baths, and take care of them.”

Tears run down my face. “I promise you this, baby will know from their very first breath how much we love them. We will never leave them alone. They will never be lonely or question our love. We will take care of them, be there to watch them walk in on their first day of school, be there to pick them up, and go to their football games or dance classes. We will have picnics in the sun, build sandcastles, and read them a story every night before tucking them in. They will never be scared of the monster who lives under their bed because you will chase it away. For every scraped knee, broken bone, tear, heartbreak, trophy, birthday, Christmas, passing their driving test, we will be there.”

Dominic sucks in a breath. “I like that. I want to be that man you just described. I want to read them stories, tuck them in, teach them to swim. I want to chase their monsters away.”

He looks at me as if I hold the answer to everything before closing his eyes tight, not wanting to hear the answer. “Do you think I could be that man?”

I nod, climbing so I’m straddling him. “You already are.”

Dominic is frowning down at his phone when I walk into the living room. He doesn’t lift his head up as I take a seat.

“What are you looking at?”

Turning towards me. “We need to make a doctor’s appointment and we can’t do that until Monday.”

“I called them already. The only appointment is at four o’clock, but I know your afternoons, so I don’t mind going on my own. It will only be a confirmation.”

He shakes his head. “I’ll call Mac and see if he can cover me for a few hours. I’m coming.”

I smile. “I would love for you to be there.”

He looks at my stomach. “I’m going be an overbearing asshole.”

I snort. “More than normal?”

Dominic nods. “Yes, I want to take care of you both. I’m going to protect you both. It’s my job, my honor.”

I purse my lips. “I can deal with that, because baby, I’m going be hormonal. I’m going to cry over nothing. I’m going to get angry at you for no reason, then cry because I got angry. I’m going to get fat.”

He snorts. “No, you’re going to get ripe with my baby growing inside of you. I can’t believe I hadn’t noticed. Your tits are already fuller, your curves softer. You look like you have this light inside of you that’s shining bright. I’m going be walking around with a permanently hard dick for the next nine months.”

I can’t help but laugh at his serious face, making him mutter something about women not having a clue.

“We need to get you vitamins.” He frowns as he reads from the phone again. “You should already be taking folic acid. It helps the baby’s mind grow. Our baby is going to be bright, but if it’s not we’ll still tell them we’re proud of them, that we love them.” He lifts his eyes to me.

I nod. “Yep, come on. Let’s get these vitamins so we can grow a baby genius.”

He stands, looking down at me. “Are you laughing at me?” His lip twitches and I burst out laughing. “Come on, wench.”

As we place the stuff from the pharmacy on the counter, the woman looks between us like we are going crazy. “Umm, I’m sure you don’t need all this.”

He lifts his eyebrow. “My wife’s pregnant.”

The shop assistant nods and opens her mouth, but quickly slams it shut. She totals everything up and Dominic grabs the bag, making me roll my eyes.

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