Page 14 of Accidentally Falling
“Doesn’t take much more convincing than that.”
“Dammit,” I sigh, letting myself fall into him and curl into his chest. “I still need space.”
“I’ll let you have it as long as you promise not to hide from me anymore.”
“I’ll try.”
“You push and I’m gonna push back.”
“I know.”
“Then that’s enough.For now.”
8
JUDE
What a fucking day.
Dragging my hands down my face, I wait until Arden is out of sight before turning around and heading back into Vetted Paws. I can feel the adrenaline still coursing through my veins, the inevitable crash something I’m not looking forward to.
But it’s been a long time since anything truly surprised me. The second I saw Arden throwing up,I knew. I have no idea how I knew, but the words were like a bass drum in my mind.
She’s pregnant with my baby.
At thirty-eight, I’d all but given up on finding someone, let alone having a family. I’m not old by most standards, but I’ve seen more than most in my life. I don’t want to talk about my feelings or pretend to be someone I’m not just to make the person I’m with happy. It’s not usually an issue, since my physical size is a deterrent to most.
But not her.
My lips twitch at the chaos that Arden is about to rain down on me, and I can’t fucking wait.
“You good, brother?” Deacon asks from the doorway, his massive size matching my own.
“Yeah, we’ll talk about it later,” I tell him, watching as he presses his lips into a hard line as if he’s trying to keep his expression void of shock or anything else.
“Eventful day,” he murmurs as he turns to go back inside and I grunt, elbowing him as we walk back into the office.
“I expect that this doesn’t go any farther than this room.” My words are clipped. Final. And I thank God I don’t have to elaborate on whatthisis.
Sorren, Tanner, and Bodhi all nod as I cross my arms over my chest. It’s not to drive the point home; it’s to hide the fact that my hands are most definitely shaking.
“Do you still want to see the dogs, or do you want to reschedule?” Sorren asks, his expression the same as it always is—steady.
Unaffected.
That reassurance allows my heart to slow to a more normal beat.
“Let’s see them,” I manage, my voice gruffer than I anticipate but no one mentions it. Instead, Sorren nods toward the back as Tanner and Bodhi excuse themselves, my brother’s gaze following the former as he walks by.
For fuck’s sake.
I narrow my eyes at him but he just shrugs, his lips lifting into a small grin, completely unapologetic about checking Tanner out like it’s just another normal day.
“There’s three I wanted to show you,” Sorren says. “But I think I just want to show you Dez and go from there.”
We follow him a bit farther before stopping in front of a cage holding a gorgeous gray dog with bright blue eyes.
“What kind of dog is this?” I ask, the dog’s tail wagging as I approach.
