Page 41 of Shattered Love

I nod, my eyes glassy. “Oh Donna, you should have seen him. He did brilliantly and the whole hall cheered for him.”

Tears pour from her eyes. She leans over my bump, trying to give me a hug. “Thank you so much, Avery. What you did for Reese is more than any other teacher would do!”

Reese comes running over, hugging his mom.

I wave the last of the mothers and students off before I turn to Cecelia. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

She hugs me. “You’re my best friend. You’re such an amazing teacher, you deserve it. Your class loves you and the school won’t be the same without you. You’re definitely not coming back?”

I shake my head. Dominic and I had a long talk and we decided that I would stay home with the baby and not come back when my maternity leave finished.

“No, I’m not saying never, but being a mom and staying home with Juliet is what I really want to do. I’m lucky we can afford it, so I’m going to take full advantage.”

She smiles. “You're going to be an amazing mom. Juliet is going be the luckiest little girl.”

I grab my stuff. “I hope so. They don’t come with a booklet, so I’m going to make mistakes. It’s weird. I was so panicked when I first found out, but it’s like a secret wish my heart made.”

“I’m so happy for you. I’ll make sure I come and visit, as I know Dominic is going to lock your ass down.” She smirks.

I laugh, knowing she is right. The last month, Dominic has been even more protective than normal. “You leaving straight away?”

It’s Friday, which means she will be making her weekend trip to Brax. “I grabbed all my stuff this morning. As long as the traffic isn’t too bad, I should be there for tea time.” A beautiful smile graces her face at the mention of Brax’s name.

I wave goodbye to Cecelia and take one last look at the school. I hate leaving my class. I had gotten to know them, each of their little characters.

* * *

I am surprisedwhen I hear Cooper barking. Dominic and Carter have been working hard on a case the last couple of months and all I knew was several students had died as a result of a dirty batch of drugs. He had been working longer hours for the last few weeks.

I walk into the kitchen, stopping to watch as Dominic throws a ball for Cooper who barks as he runs after it.

As if sensing me, he turns. His breathtaking smile takes over his face as his eyes go from mine to my stomach before coming back to my eyes again. He opens the door further for me.

“Hey, beautiful.”

I put my bag down, walking through the door into his open arms, leaning up and kissing him.

He grabs my face, deepening the kiss. His tongue slowly caresses mine like we have all the time in the world to just kiss. Nothing else matters. It’s the sort of kiss that makes your toes curl.

Pulling back, looking into my eyes. “I love you, Avery Stone.”

My heart stutters. Every time he says it, it’s like the first time. I never tire ofhearing those words. It’s like seeing the sunrise for the first time after a million years of darkness.

“I love you, Dominic Stone.”

Juliet kicks, making me laugh.

I grab his hand. “Juliet loves her daddy.”

His eyes soften as he rubs his hand over my stomach. “Daddy loves you, baby girl.”

Juliet answers with another soft kick, making my alpha husband turn to a pile of mush.

After having a shower, I slip on a long maxi dress. It’s the only thing I feel comfortable in. I slip my feet into my flats, leaving my long hair down. I should get it cut, but I like the way Dom’s fingers get tangled in it.

Juliet kickshard.

“Hello, baby girl.”

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