Page 86 of Reclaimed

I crush Aiden’s fingers in a bruising grip. Part of me is attempting to cover my blunder. Really, I’m just excited to find out what I’m having.

“There.” The wand stops moving and she points at the screen. “These are the legs and right here in the middle—”

“That’s a boy,” Aiden murmurs.

I turn to face him, my smile stretching my cheeks high. “It’s a boy.”

He leans down and presses his lips to mine. “It’s a boy,” he repeats against my mouth. Sliding my hand into his hair, I pull him back down. Emotion explodes from me and tears leak from the corners of my eyes. They land in my hair and drip down the curve of my nose, falling onto Aiden’s lips.

“Baby…” he hums. “Happy?”

“More than I could have ever imagined.”

That’s all I need to say. Our audience is oblivious to our arrangement, but I know Aiden captures the gist of my words. I expected to do this alone, and fake or not, I’m fortunate to have him here.

His thumb brushes the wet trail from my skin. “He’s going to be the luckiest boy in the world.”

I hope so. And I’m starting to think maybe I won’t have to do this by myself. There might be a chance for us after all.

23

Aiden

Isla holdsthe roll of black and white pictures in one hand and my palm in the other. Our grip is tight, maybe a little bit with disbelief as we walk out of the clinic together. The sun shines down from a cloudless October sky. Halloween is this weekend. Before we know it, November will be here, and the holidays will follow. I feel like her due date will be here before we know it.

And what that brings along the way? I’m tired of the uncertainty.

We haven’t exactly broached the topic since we started sleeping together, but after today, this is definitely starting to feel more real. She called the baby ours. I wasn’t going to correct her, not with the way it made me feel inside. The way my chest tightened and released like my body was trying to tell me something. That I liked it. That hearing her call him mine doesn’t fill me with fear, but the opposite.

It fills me with hope.

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?”

We stop walking beside her car. Mine is a few spots over. “I was going to figure out how I wanted to share the news with Juniper. I also need to swing by my place to swap out my dance outfits for this weekend.”

At the mention of her place, I rock back on my heels, the earlier events of today knocking the wind from my chest. I fight to keep my face neutral. “Um. There was a break-in at your place today. A couple of kids, nothing more.” I rush to stymie her fears. I hate the immediate look of alarm. I want to snap my fingers and erase it.

Her light brown eyes widen. “What?”

“I was out to lunch with Corjan and Silas was there when he got the call. I recognized your address. I already went with them to check it out. It looks like petty theft. They want you to come back to document anything that’s missing but your neighbor said it was some kids she’s seen hanging around recently.”

She snaps from fearful to outraged. “Oh my god. Julie. Is she all right?”

“She’s fine, starshine. By the time I got there, she was still wielding her wooden spoon and cozying up to the officers.”

Isla’s shoulders relax from her ears. She holds her free arm tight around her growing stomach. “What the hell, Aiden?”

“What?”

Waiting for her gaze to meet mine again feels like an eternity. Eventually, she gives me those gorgeous toffee eyes. “Are we sure this was just kids?”

I cup her shoulders, fighting the urge to drag her tight to my chest. “They hit four houses on your block. That, and Julie’s statement, makes it the most likely scenario.”

She gives a hesitant nod.

“Hey. I know what you’re thinking. If anything, this tells us we’re doing the right thing trying to keep you safe. We’ll just have to keep up this ruse a little longer.”

“This was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” The corner of her mouth lifts, easing my tension some. “I think you have an ulterior motive here.”

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