Page 34 of Before You Can Blink
I was more than a little ashamed to say that I’d brushed off the conversation about having kids any time my wife brought it up. The selfish ass I was knew our interests didn’t align on that front, but that hadn’t stopped me from begging her to marry me anyway, praying that she wouldn’t grow to resent me when I didn’t give her babies—something I knew she wanted desperately.
It was a good thing I trusted this woman with my life, because a more cynical man might have begun to think she’d done this on purpose to force my hand. But Daisy would never. Her heart was too pure; she didn’t have a manipulating or scheming bone in her body.
“Jett.”
Fingers brushed sweaty strands of hair away from my temple, and sucking in a deep breath, I turned to face my wife.
Nothing but sincerity shone in her eyes when she explained, “It’s okay because I finished my period two days ago. That means I’m more than aweek away from the point where you coming inside me would be cause for concern.”
There wasn’t much choice but to believe her, considering I didn’t know much about the female reproductive cycle.
Growing up, it had been beaten into us boys that if we had unprotected sex, we would get a girl pregnant. So, of course, that’s where my mind went the minute I realized I didn’t get the chance to pull out, which was something I’d never failed to do before.
Daisy’s brows drew down, causing a wrinkle to form between them, as she gauged my reaction. I quickly reached up to smooth it away with my thumb before hauling her closer and pressing a kiss to her forehead. She let out a contented sigh, melting into my side, and for the first time in eighty-nine days, a calm settled over my soul.
This girl was all I’d ever need.
Chapter 6
Jett
Age 24
August
“Youlookpale.”Icupped Daisy’s cheek. “You feeling all right?”
Before my wife could answer, Layla scoffed from behind me. “Of course, she’s pale. You keep her locked away in your motel room most of the day. Only time she gets out is after the sun goes down.” Under her breath, she added, “You’d think the honeymoon would be over by now.”
Releasing my hold on my wife’s face, I spun around to face Layla. “Maybe if you didn’t bust Murph’s balls so hard, he’d get close enough to let you play with them once in a while.”
Layla rolled her eyes so hard I wondered if she caught a good look at her brain. “We need to head out. You ready?”
I turned back to my girl, my brows drawing down as I assessed her. Layla might have a point about her not getting enough sun, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that it was more than that. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, and I was almost certain she’d lost some weight.
There was a sharp tapping of boots on concrete. “Jett, we’ve gotta go.”
My eyes slid shut as I tried to tamp down my frustration with my manager. “Give me a minute, will ya?”
Layla huffed but relented, as evidenced by her retreating footsteps.
Training my gaze on Daisy, I searched her eyes for any clues that might tell me what was really going on. When I came up empty, I let out a heavy sigh. “Why don’t you stay in tonight?”
If I hadn’t been watching her so intently, I might’ve missed how she sagged ever so slightly in relief. There wasn’t time to dig deeper, but when I got back tonight, I was getting to the bottom of this. It wasn’t like Daisy to keep secrets, but I had a sneaking suspicion she was going out of her way not to be a distraction during what was arguably one of my worst seasons.
None of that mattered if there was something wrong with my wife. I’d make sure she knew that when we cleared the air later.
“Are you sure you don’t need me there?” Her sweet voice rolled over me like honey, soothing me like it always did.
I tapped my lips. “Give me a kiss for good luck, and I’ll be all set.”
Daisy rose on her tiptoes, and my arms snaked around her waist, hauling her flush just as our mouths met. I tightened my grip, groaning when her tongue darted out, tangling with mine.
Sooner than I would have liked, she pulled back, her choppy breathing fanning my face. “You have to go.”
With my forehead pressed to hers, I nodded. “Yeah, I know.”
“Be safe.”
