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I handed my last exam paper in, and practically sprinted out of the door. I raced to my car like a man possessed, smiling like a fool the entire way.

Jade was finally being released from the hospital, and after passing the forty-eight hour mark, Dr. Burke was happy with her progress. After two weeks of studying, hospital visits, and sleeping alone, I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning to have Jade back at home. A nervous energy filled my bloodstream, making me twitchy as I made my way to the hospital. I had two relatively large surprises waiting for Jade at home, and I hoped she would like them.

I greeted the nurses along the way, and when I stepped into Jade’s room my feet halted mid-stride.

My.

Heart.

Stopped.

Beating.

She was dressed in an aquamarine strapless sundress, an item I’d bought her a few days ago because I knew she needed some more clothes to accommodate her growing stomach. It complimented her long, dark hair, and her caramel skin, and swayed over her muscular thighs as she finished packing her things. She hadn’t seen me yet, so I took the chance to simply watch her, and fall in love with her all over again. Standing up straight, she caressed her belly, and smiled wistfully.

“I know baby girl,” she cooed. “I’m just as excited to go home and see daddy. He’d better not be late though, otherwise -”

“Otherwise what?” I asked, leaning against the door.

Her head snapped up, and she smiled wide. In that moment I knew I wanted to give her everything her heart desired, and so much more.

“Hi,” she said. “I was wondering when you were going to get here.”

I pushed away from the door, and closed the gap between us, circling my arms around her waist with her baby bump between us.

“Hi,” I replied. “I got here as quickly as I could after my exam. You miss me?”

I lowered my head, and gently brushed her warm, lush lips with mine, savoring the way her breath stuttered from the contact.

“Always,” she sighed. “How did your exam go?”

“I nailed it, but we can talk about that later. I have something else I’d rather do, and it involves a little less talking.”

Jade’s eyes beamed up at me, the rich chocolate color shining. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“I’ll show you,” I replied. My lips slanted against hers, and my tongue snuck out to taste her bottom lip. She opened for me, allowing a breathy moan to escape before my mouth moved a little harder. I tasted her, she tasted me, and although I’d kissed her more times than I could count, something about this one was different. Her body leaned into mine, bringing us closer, closer, closer.

I broke away, panting, and watched as Jade’s eyelids fluttered open.

“Well,” she exhaled, “I’m glad to see you missed me too.”

A throat cleared behind us, and Jade rolled her eyes just as I turned to see Nurse Alba walk in. Jade was still not her biggest fan, but during her stay at the hospital they’d struck up the unlikeliest of truces.

“Mr. Cole,” she greeted, pushing a wheelchair in.

“Alba,” I replied, trying to hide my grin.

Jade scowled at the wheelchair. “I’m not sitting in that.”

“Oh yes you are,” replied Nurse Alba. “You are still on bed rest, missy. Doctor’s orders.”

“Are you sure?” Asked Jade. “How do I know you didn’t bring it just to torture me one last time before I leave?”

Nurse Alba’s lips twitched. “I brought it because you’ll get out of this hospital faster. The sooner you leave, the sooner I can get back to my more agreeable patients.”

“Please,” snorted Jade. “In order for your patients to be agreeable they have to like you, and I just don’t see that happening.”

“Maybe not, but I like them a whole lot more than I like you.”

Jade folded her arms over her chest, and smirked. “I don’t like you either, you old bat.”

“Finally, we agree on something,” retorted Nurse Alba. “I can’t say I’m going to miss you.”

“I won’t miss you either.” Jade shook her head. “Not even a little bit.”

They stared at each other for a bit, and then Jades’ mouth turned up into a smile. She stepped forward, and hugged Alba.

“Thank you for everything,” said Jade.

“You take care of yourself and that baby,” replied Alba, her voice stern as ever. “And no sex.”

I chuckled, and could practically hear Jade rolling her eyes again. The ‘no sex’ thing had been a sore topic for Jade, and Nurse Alba had always made a point of reminding us, although I suspect it was just to get a rise out of Jade.

They broke apart, and Nurse Alba helped Jade get situated in the wheelchair. I placed her bag on her lap, and spun her towards the door.

I looked at Nurse Alba. “Thank you for taking care of my girls. I appreciate it.”

She looked surprised for a split second, and then her face hardened again. “Just doing my job.”

She made a quick exit, clearly uncomfortable with the affection and gratitude, and finally I was alone with Jade again.

“You ready to go home?” I asked, wheeling her out the door.

Jade looked up, her expression radiating her contentment. “
We’re
ready.”

“IF YOU VALUE your life Reid Cole you will open this door, and take this blindfold off. NOW.”

I shook my head, a rueful smile on my face. We’d only been home for thirty minutes, and Jade was already bossing me around. “Patience woman,” I laughed. I nervously wrapped my hand around the brass doorknob, and inhaled deeply before pushing the door open. I ushered Jade in until we stood in the middle of the room, and lifted the blindfold.

Jade’s eyes opened, and her hand flew to her mouth as she took everything in. Two walls were painted a pastel pink, with white clouds floating here and there. The two adjoining walls were painted a light grey, with matching curtains draped alongside the window. In the corner sat a large rocking chair with a matching ottoman, and next to that stood a Cherrywood changing table. On the other side stood a large Cherrywood dresser and a four-in-one convertible crib with ‘Daniela Sofia’ in block lettering above it.

The room was perfect, and I’d spent the last two weeks with our mothers getting it ready for when Jade came home. I’d done the lettering for our daughter’s name last because we’d decided to keep her name secret until she was born.

I knew Jade wanted to do it herself, but after being away from home for so long, I didn’t want her to worry about it.

“Well?” I asked. I was growing more and more anxious the longer Jade stayed quiet. “Do you like it?”

She stepped just out of my grasp, and turned to see it all. Her watery eyes landed back on me, and then she was throwing her arms around my neck.

“It’s beautiful, and everything I told my mom I wanted,” she cried. “And I really want to hit you for making me cry.”

I rubbed my hands up and down her back, feeling relieved, and also proud. The room had turned out better than I had expected, but also everything I could have wanted for my little girl.

She sniffled, and lifted her head to look at me. “It’s perfect, Reid. I love it.”

“Our mom’s helped,” I told her, wiping her cheeks. “So it wasn’t just me. I also had some baby clothes delivered; they’re all in the drawers. Pretty sure I got everything, including whatever you’ll need in your overnight bag for when our Princess decides to make her appearance.”

“You thought of everything,” she whispered. “How did I get so lucky?”

I shook my head, cupping Jade’s face in my hands. “No, baby. You’ve got that all wrong.
I’m
the lucky one.”

I placed feather light kisses around Jade’s mouth, tasting the saltiness of her tears, and felt my chest expand. This was what life was all about – moments that took your breath away, no matter how small, and the way Jade looked at me right then, not only stole the air from my lungs, but also made me believe I could hang the damn moon if she asked me to.

“Can I look around?” She asked quietly. “This stuff is all so beautiful...” Her words trailed off, and I gave a brief nod of my head.

“You can, but I have one more surprise for you,” I said. I threaded our fingers together, and walked out into the hallway. We had two other bedrooms, but I’d decided to convert one of them into a studio for Jade. She was an incredibly gifted designer, and I wanted to give her a space she could call her own.

I pushed the door open and ushered Jade inside. Her eyes widened at the sight of the hardwood flooring, a workstation for her designing, another workstation for her sewing, and lastly a mannequin she could use for fittings. The walls were painted a pastel green on one side, closest to the window overlooking the backyard, and on the other side it was white, covered with boards that had all Jade’s fabric swatches stuck to them.

“So you can stay busy before you go back to school,” I told her, squeezing her hand. “I wanted you to have a place that was yours, and only yours. A place where you can make your dreams come true.”

Jade swallowed, her face red, and a little splotchy. “This is too much,” she said quietly. “Why did you do this?”

Her question wasn’t accusatory, but I didn’t like the way she asked me.

“I want to give you everything,” I said. “This is my way of helping you make those big dreams of yours come true.”

I wanted her to know that even though our lives had changed, and we were going to be parents, she could still have her career, and realize her aspirations. She didn’t have to be just a ‘mom’, she could also be a designer, and hopefully later she’d become a wife.
My
wife.

“I love it,” said Jade, stepping into my embrace. “And I love you for doing this for me. But
you
and our daughter are my dreams now, and you’ve already made that come true. The rest will come when the time is right, but for right now I’m happy to live this dream a little longer.”

“Sounds good to me,” I replied. “You want to have a nap or something? It’s been a busy morning.”

“Can we watch a movie on the sofa instead?”

“Anything you want.” I kissed her forehead, and we walked into the bedroom so that Jade could change into something more comfortable. She slipped into a pair of cotton shorts, and one of my t-shirts, and piled her hair on top of her head.

“What are we watching?” I asked her as we sat down on the sofa. “Romance, comedy, or action?”

“Hmmm.” Jade tapped her chin. “‘Life As We Know It’, the one with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel.”

I flicked through our movie playlist, and hit “play” as I settled with Jade’s head on my lap. I had one hand in her hair, and the other entwined with hers on her stomach. I looked down at her, and thought if this was what the rest of my life looked like, I would die a happy man.

Jade was asleep, hugging her maternity pillow with her leg bent. I leaned forward and laid a kiss on the slither of exposed skin of her stomach and climbed out of bed. It was late, but I couldn’t sleep so I quietly left the room, and headed towards the kitchen. I rolled the tension from my shoulders, frowning at the eerie feeling that filled the darkness in our house.

My phone rang on the kitchen counter, and I grabbed it quickly before it woke Jade. My father’s name flashed on the screen, and my frown deepened. He never called me this late unless something was wrong.

“Hello?”

“Reid,” my father sighed, sounding cautious. “Thank God you answered.”

“What’s wrong, Dad?”

“It’s Stella,” he replied hesitantly. My blood froze in my veins, and I instinctively looked towards the bedroom where the light of my bedside lamp illuminated Jade’s sleeping form. “She managed to escape the mental hospital she was sent to, and they can’t find her.”

I immediately went about checking the doors, making sure they were all locked. “What do you mean she escaped? How did she get past security?”

“I don’t know,” replied my father. “The cops are out looking for her, but I wanted to warn you incase - ”

His words were cut off by a shrill scream, and I ran towards the bedroom. I told my Dad to call the cops and hung up before I swung the bedroom door open. It hit the wall with a
bang
, but the sound was drowned out when I came to abrupt halt.

Jade was leaning against the headboard, her face contorted in fear, and at the end of our bed stood Stella. She was dressed in a white uniform, and I surmised that’s how she’d escaped the hospital she was sent to after her arrest. I hadn’t told Jade anything about Stella, afraid that it would upset her, but I realized too late that it was a mistake. Stella had been evaluated by a psychologist and sent to a mental facility rather than being detained in jail. I thought after that, we’d be able to stop worrying about her, but clearly I was wrong on that count too.

She turned her head towards me, and that’s when I noticed the firearm in her trembling hand. Her eyes were wide, vacant, but I saw something change when her empty gaze fell on me.

“Stella.” I lifted my hands, and approached her like she was a rabid animal. In my mind she was, and all I could think about was getting her the fuck away from Jade. I was hoping my father had called the cops, but I still had to get her attention away from Jade, and whatever she’d planned on doing until they showed up.

“Reid.” Stella’s lips quirked, but the crazed look in her eyes never wavered. “I had to see you.”

My eyes darted towards Jade, who clutched the comforter like it was a lifeline. I hated seeing her so scared, but the situation we were currently in warranted it. I quelled my own fear, moving closer towards Stella with intent. She lifted the gun, pointed it at Jade, and I froze. My mind tumbled over a plan of action, fumbling uselessly as I watched the firearm clutched in Stella’s hand.

“I’m so glad you came,” I told her. My voice quivered slightly. I was scared. Fuck that, I was terrified.

“Are you?” Asked Stella. “You look quite comfortable playing house with your whore.”

I remained quiet, unsure of how to respond until Stella spoke again. “I know you don’t love her.” Her voice sounded wild, and a little hysterical. “You love me, don’t you?”

Obviously I didn’t reply quickly enough, because Stella jutted the gun toward Jade, and yelled, “Don’t you?” She paused. “Tell her Reid. Tell her it’s me you want to be with. You’re only with her because she’s pregnant!”

I tried to slow my breathing, straining to hear anything above the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

“Yes, baby,” I replied, playing along. “I love
you
.”

Jade whimpered but I didn’t take my eyes off Stella. She was out of her mind, unpredictable, and apparently very volatile. I would do whatever the fuck she asked if it meant that Jade and our baby got to walk out of here unscathed.

“And?” Prodded Stella. Her eyes were so big I could barely make out the color of her irises.

“And I’m only with her because she’s pregnant.” I took it a little further, and added, “Jade means nothing to me. It’s you I want to be with.”

The words felt like acid in my mouth, and the bile slowly crept up my throat, but the lies falling from my lips were a necessary evil.
Protect Jade, protect Jade, protect Jade
was stuck on repeat in my head, and that kept me going.

Stella looked at Jade, her mouth curved into a depraved sneer. “See? He loves me. He belongs with me, and you took him from me!” Her voice grew shrill at the end, and Jade cowered when the firearm jostled in Stella’s flimsy grip.

I approached Stella with caution. “Lower the firearm Stella, and I’ll leave with you. We can get in my car, and drive away. Just you and me.”

“No,” she snapped. “I want Jade to
see
how much you love me, how good we are together. Maybe then she’ll give you back.”

Stella faced me, and motioned me forward with her free hand. “Come here, Reid, and kiss me.”

“I don’t think we should do it here,” I replied. “We need privacy, so I can show you properly how much I love you.”

Stella shook her head. “Do it in front of Jade. It’s the only way she will see, and maybe then get it through her thick head that you were always meant to be with me.”

I swallowed the heavy lump in my throat, and walked until I was at Stella’s side. Her grin was sinister as she trailed a hand up my bare arm, and around my nape. Her fingers slid into my hair, and I tried not to recoil. I shivered, and Stella’s smile widened.

“See,” she breathed, tilting her head towards mine. “You like when I touch you. Feels good, right?”

“So good,” I lied. “I miss your hands on me.”

That seemed to ignite a spark within Stella, because one minute she was touching me, and the next her mouth was on mine.

Make it believable,
I told myself. If I could do that I would be able to distract Stella enough to disarm her.

I brought my hands to her hips, and lowered my head to deepen the kiss. It felt wrong, so wrong, but I had no choice. Stella moaned when my hands slid up, and shuddered when my thumbs brushed the underside of her breasts. I was aware of Jade, of how she was quietly crying as the scene in front of her unfolded, but I silently pleaded that she would understand. I was doing this for
her,
and for the safety of our unborn child.

I pressed Stella against me, kissing her with as much enthusiasm necessary to make her believe I was into it, and when her extended arm lowered, I saw my chance and took it.