Page 90 of Pieces of Us
Jax hugs Mel. “Hey, Melonie, how are you feeling?”
“Swollen.” She laughs. “But otherwise, good.”
“Is it rude of me to say that it’s helpful watching you go through all of this, so I know what to be ready for with Aud?”
“Not at all. I think it’s sweet, Jax.” She taps Jax’s shoulder with a grin. “I’m going to go finish getting ready.”
“Say goodbye before you leave.”
“I will.” She kisses my cheek.
We go to Millie’s room, and Marcus pulls the box with the crib to the middle of the room. “We’ll set up the crib first so we have room, and then we can arrange all the other furniture around it.”
“Sounds good.”
We start organizing pieces of the crib and bags of bolts when Mel pops into the room.
“I’m leaving to meet the girls. Thank you for helping Linc with all this.”
“Happy to do it.” Marcus smiles.
I walk over to Mel and wrap my arms around her. “Have fun today. I love you.”
She looks up at me. “Love you, too. And I will.” She pushes up on her toes and kisses me.
“Drive safe.”
“Always.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Melonie
Getting in and out of cars is becoming increasingly harder as the weeks pass by. I finally get situated and buckle my seatbelt. I hit the button for the ignition and connect my phone, settling on a Taylor Swift playlist.
The salon I’m meeting the girls at isn’t far. We’re trying a new place recommended to Gigi by one of her employees. It will be nice to relax and not have to worry about how I’m going to reach my toes to paint them.
I stop at a red light and Millie starts to move. I put my hand on my stomach.
“Hey, baby girl, you’re finally up.”
Linc and I talk to her every day. She started to respond to Linc’s voice a couple weeks ago, and he cried. I never thought I would end up with a man more emotional than I am, but it works. I keep his side of the fridge clean; he helps me keep in touch with my emotions.
I smile with the feeling of her kicks as the light turns green, and I press the gas. I’m halfway through the intersection when the last things I hear are screeching tires, the crunch of metal, and glass breaking.
Pain shoots through my body, and it’s hard to breathe. Then everything goes black.
Chapter Sixty-Three
Linc
Marcus twists the last bolt into the crib, and we step back.
“There’s going to be a tiny human in there in a couple months.” Jax stares at the empty crib.
“I know. It’s crazy.”
“I’m so excited to have one of my own.”
