Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 57341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 57341 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 287(@200wpm)___ 229(@250wpm)___ 191(@300wpm)
Turned out, it was one of the best decisions I made. Not only was Axel now going to have a warm and loving family, but River had a piece of his brother that would never be tainted by the shit that occurred in their past. And I think he needed that more than he realized.
Our baby suddenly made its appearance by creating a small flutter in my belly. My eyes widened in shock as I stared down at my stomach, unable to believe it. I was barely fifteen weeks now. This wasn’t possible. At least, all my research told me it shouldn’t be.
But then again, the doctor had told me that it may very well be possible that I feel the baby move earlier than usual since I was so small to begin with when I got pregnant.
Another flutter drew my attention back to my belly. It was unmistakable. Before long, I would actually be able to feel the baby kicking and hitting my belly.
Tears of joy trickled down my cheeks as I quickly flicked on the lamp on my side of the bed and placed my hands on my very slightly rounded belly, laughing softly. I sniffled as River stepped back into the room, carrying Axel who was greedily drinking from his bottle.
“Woah, darlin’, what’s wrong?” River demanded to know as he quickly strode over to me.
“The baby moved,” I told him with a smile. “It was like a flutter, kind of like when I was a little girl, and I would get butterflies in my belly, but the baby is definitely active,” I told him. “I’ll be feeling the baby kick in no time.”
River grinned—an actual full-on smile that melted my heart and soul—and he sat beside me on the bed as he transferred Axel to one arm, adjusting the bottle so it rested against his chest. With his free hand, he rested his hand between mine where I was still cradling my small belly.
“Fuck, I can’t wait until I can feel our baby move,” he admitted. “I never imagined myself as a dad before you, darlin’.” He lifted his head, letting those blue eyes that I loved so much meet mine.
“You do incredibly well with Axel,” I noted.
“Not even going to lie, darlin’, I probably never would have taken care of him had you not been here to give me the push that I needed.” I knew that whether he realized it or not though. “I never wanted kids until I found your ultrasound pictures. That day, I suddenly realized that with you, I wanted it all.”
I leaned my head on his shoulder tiredly. “I still don’t understand how you didn’t lose your shit when you found out,” I told him. Any normal man would have flipped the fuck out.
River lightly shrugged since my head was on his shoulder. “I told you, Adelaide. I’m not Tristan or Joey. I could never be angry with you like that, and if I ever got that angry, I would walk away and calm down before I ever exploded at you like they’ve done in the past. I made a promise to myself that I would be better than them for you. I’ll never raise my voice at you, and I’ll do my damnest to always be reasonable with you.”
“Guess that explains why you didn’t lose your shit about the garage either,” I commented.
He released a quiet laugh. “Honestly, darlin’, I was more worried about you and what was going on in that pretty little head of yours than I was about some money I may have had to spend to fix some damages you may have caused. For you to lose your shit like that, I knew something had happened, knew you were hurting. I just wanted to help you.”
Oh, my heart. “I’m surprised Tristan didn’t at least leave here sporting a black eye,” I said quietly.
River snorted as he shook his head, clenching his jaw before he forced it to relax. “Trust me, darlin’, I wanted to do more than black his eye, but I restrained myself from hitting him at all. You were hurting enough, and I knew hitting him would only hurt you more.” Why in the hell was River so fucking perfect? “Instead, I threatened to put a bullet through his skull if he ever made you that upset again.”
I tensed, hating that I was still protective of Tristan after everything that had happened between us. But it was my fault that he was hurting this much, why he felt the need to come to me in the kitchen in the first place. River sighed softly as he looked down at me, understanding in his gaze.
“I know that you don’t ever want anything to happen to him, darlin’. I hate it, but I understand it.” I swallowed thickly. “Tristan has never tried with you, so it bugs the fuck out of me that you’re so protective of him.” I frowned. “But if someone ever does something to hurt you again, emotionally or physically, I won’t be held back, no matter how much they mean to you. And if Tristan ever makes you that upset again, he may not live to see the light of another day,” he warned me, his blue eyes flashing dangerously. “You’ve been hurt enough.”