Page 89 of Kentucky Nights
If I say I’m pregnant right now, would he be happy, or would it feel like a burden?
“I’m not going to bring his ashes into the house. He won’t ever step foot inside our home. I’ll bury him somewhere on the property. I don’t see his wickedness fading in Purgatory.”
“Good.” I run my fingers through his hair. “Wicked deeds belong in wicked places.”
Nodding, he places his hat down on the floor of the truck and grips the doorframe, his muscles bulging as he leans forward. “How are you doing knowing the man who kidnapped you, bit you all over, and messed with your mind was my kid? Does thatmake you scared of me? I know before you were scared because I was a vampire, but it’s different now, right? This time, not only was that vampire horrible to you, but he was related to me. Doesn’t that make you fear me?”
I scoot to the edge of the leather seat, my legs swinging out of the door, and press my hand against Kentucky’s heart. “No, that doesn’t scare me because you aren’t him. You’ve done nothing but show how much you care about me. You’ve protected me. Kentucky, how could I be afraid of you when you killed your son for me? You could have let him live somehow or have Lorcan deal with him. You decided to. Why?”
“No one hurts you and gets to live another day, Darlin’. Son or not. Blood don’t mean nothin’ if it flows with cruel intentions.”
“Does it change anything for you? Do you see me differently?”
His hands fall to my thighs. “What? No. Nothin’ could ever make me see you in a negative light, Dru. Nothin’. If anything, after seeing him and the control he had over others with his ability, I’m in awe of you. You’re so fucking strong to escape a man like that. You fought for your life, and that’s more than I could ever say for myself.”
“That’s not true.” My palm wraps around the back of his neck. “You fought tonight.”
“Only because of you.” He brushes his thumb across my cheek, admiration shining from his deep garnet-tinged eyes. “If I didn’t have you, I have no doubt that tonight would have been my last night.”
“That would have been a travesty. You bring patience and kindness to a world where there is none. Chaos, hatred, greed, and power are just a few examples of what is causing the world to spin today. Everyone’s doorsteps are darkened, but light always awaits. That’s you.”
“I can’t change the world, Dru.”
“Not true.” I clutch his blood-soaked shirt and pull him closer. “You’ve changed mine. Isn’t that enough?”
A barely there smile tugs at the left corner of his mouth. The tip of his nose brushes against mine. “That’s the only world that matters to me.” He turns his head, hesitant for a second before sealing his lips over mine.
His kiss is soft, careful, and not too deep. Electricity shoots through my nervous system, tingling throughout my entire body. His emotions seep into me, showing me every layer Kentucky has ever hidden. There’s no question about his love for me. The pure weight and bliss of how much he loves me almost has me crying.
Then, there’s the bottom of his emotions, where he has kept all the negative, all the pleas for death, and I grab onto him harder. I deepen the kiss, showing him I don’t care how dark his nights get.
I’ll be here.
He breaks the kiss, a half-chuckle, half-sob, leaving him.
His hand warms my stomach. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
I look down into my lap, not wanting to see the expression on his face. “I am. Lorcan just told me.”
“Look at me.”
I can’t.
He forces me to by grabbing my chin and tilting my head up. “Look at me.”
“I’m looking,” I sass, needing a way to protect myself. “How did you know?”
“I can feel him or her. They add to your emotions. Why didn’t you tell me when you knew? Darlin’, I’m fucking ecstatic. Are you kiddin’ me? I get to have a family. One I never thought I’d have. I can’t remember the last time I had one. I don’t remember my parents’ faces. I have no siblings. We are alike in that way.And I want you to have the biggest family you’ve ever wanted—you’ve ever dreamed. You want ten kids? I’ll happily give them to you. I want this with you. I wantlifewith you. You’ve made me the happiest man in the world, and my plans for death? They died the second I smelled you for the first time. I knew you’d change everything for me, and I won’t stand here and say that didn’t scare me because it did. You did. I didn’t know what having you in my life meant when I had convinced myself my plans were so much better than anything you could ever give me.”
I can’t hold in my tears from his declaration. “I was scared to tell you because of what happened tonight. I thought telling you would be too soon after…” I point to the pile of ash in his hat. “I didn’t want you to dread becoming a father again.”
“Again? Darlin’.” He cradles my face in his hands, staring directly into my eyes. “This is the first time I get to be a father. Come here.”
He wraps me in his embrace, leaving no room for me to go anywhere. My cheek is pressed against his chest, and I breathe him in, allowing his scent to calm me.
“I’m going to take care of you for all of our eternities. That’s an oath. Let’s get you home. Tomorrow, we will tackle where the nursery will go. What about names? Oh, our kids will have to learn how to ride a horse, you know that, right? I have to baby-proof the house?—”
I lull his words to a peaceful quietude with a kiss. “We have plenty of time to plan all that. You still have to take me on that date, remember? So you can claim me in the way you dreamed about. That’s step one.”
