Page 41 of Protect My Heart
It’s not just him. Soon he’ll have a baby. And if we share custody, where will the baby sleep? This apartment doesn’t have enough room for a crib or any of the other stuff that comes with caring for a baby.
Now I’m feeling sick again, but this time it’s because I’m worried. How is this going to work? How are we going to share custody living thousands of miles apart?
‘You feeling any better?’ Jason asks.
‘I was, but now I’m not feeling so great.’
‘Lay down.’ He waits until I do, then lays beside me, remaining on top of the covers.
I turn on my side and feel his arm go around me. He scoots closer and I feel the warmth of his chest on my back as he holds me. My worries fade away as I relax into Jason’s arms. Soon my eyelids flutter shut and I drift off to sleep.
Chapter 10
Jason
‘You don’t have to get up yet,’ I say to Mia as my alarm goes off. ‘I set it early so I’d be up before you.’
I grab my phone from the nightstand and shut off the alarm.
Mia turns to me, shielding her eyes from the sun peeking through the blinds. They’re cheap blinds and one of the slats is broken. I need to buy new ones, but I don’t want to spend the money when I still have debt to pay off.
Why did I tell Mia that last night? She doesn’t need to know about my financial problems. Now she probably thinks I’m irresponsible. By 28, I should know how to manage my finances, and I do, but helping Brody out really set me back. I’m in a lot better place now than I was a couple months ago, but I’m not even close to where I’d like to be. Like I told Mia, I wanted a house by now but instead I’m in this one-bedroom apartment. I don’t regret helping Brody. I just wish I’d kept better tabs on him. I was trying to stay out of it and not interfere, but he needed my help and I wasn’t there for him until it was too late.
‘What time is it?’ Mia asks.
‘Just after six. You can go back to sleep. We don’t have to leave until quarter to eight.’
‘I’m ready to get up, unless you want to use the shower first.’
‘You can use it.’
I turn to face her. ‘You feeling better?’
‘I am,’ she says with a soft smile. She has such a beautiful smile, and beautiful brown eyes. And I love the way her voice sounds in the morning, low and raspy. I’d love to wake up like this every morning, with Mia in my bed. But I know it’s not possible so I need to stop letting my mind go there.
‘You want some coffee?’ I ask.
‘No.’
‘Really? I thought you told me you can’t get through the morning without coffee.’
‘That used to be true, but not anymore. I cut out caffeine a few weeks ago. It was rough at first, but it’s getting better.’
‘No alcohol? No caffeine? Are you doing some kind of detox diet?’ I laugh as I say it because she doesn’t seem like someone who’d be into those things.
‘I’m just trying to be healthier.’ She glances down, then back up at me. ‘Thanks for your help last night.’
‘Of course.’ I move some strands of hair off her face and tuck them behind her ear. ‘Even though we can’t be together, I still care about you, Mia.’
She doesn’t say anything. I made her uncomfortable. Shit, that’s not what I was going for. I just wanted her to know how I feel.
‘I think I have some juice,’ I say. ‘You want some?’
‘Sure.’ She sits up, then squeezes her eyes shut and puts her hand on her stomach.
‘You okay?’
‘Yeah.’ Her eyes pop open and she forces out a smile. ‘I just got dizzy for a moment.’
