Page 113 of Tempted To Be Mine

“Lucy was right in front of me for years, and I didn’t see it. Not really. Not until I almost lost her.” I looked across the room to where Lucy laughed at something Juno had said. “When it’s right, you’ll know. And it’ll probably surprise the hell out of you.”

Cleo leaned her head against my shoulder. “I hope so.”

“I know so. You’re a Blackwell. We don’t do anything halfway. When you fall, you’re going to fall hard.”

She laughed at that. “Great. Something to look forward to.”

Mom called everyone back to dinner. We took our seats with Lucy beside me. She squeezed my leg under the table.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“For giving me the family I always wanted.”

I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles. “Be careful what you ask for. These people are animals. Annoying animals.”

She laughed. “I know. And I love it.”

39

LUCY

Istretched beneath the covers, savoring the warmth of the bed and the solid presence of Jeremy beside me. His hand was on my belly that wasn’t flat because it had never been flat, but I wasn’t showing either. No baby bump yet. I was eager for it but also nervous about the prospect of growing out of my clothes. I’d spent the last week researching all things pregnancy. I’d come to the conclusion that out of billions of pregnancies, none were the same.

I turned my head and looked toward the window. I’d gotten cold in the middle of the night. Jeremy had left it open just a couple inches because I also wanted the fresh scent of the ocean. Oddly enough, I’d come to realize that first hit of ocean air settled my stomach.

Our baby was going to be a beach bum.

And then I remembered what day it was. Christmas morning. Our first one together in this house. Our house.

I still couldn’t quite believe it. I had officially moved in a few days ago. I still had to unpack. I got rid of most of my furniture. His was nicer and he promised we were going to redo everything. He wanted us to pick out new furniture, décor, and everything else.

“Merry Christmas,” Jeremy murmured against my hair, his voice rough with sleep.

“Merry Christmas to you.”

He propped himself up on one elbow and looked down at me with those green eyes that still made my heart skip. His hair was a disaster. He had pillow creases on his cheek. And I didn’t think he’d shaved since he landed back in the US. I kind of liked it. My sexy caveman. He was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and I really liked seeing him first thing when I opened my eyes.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his hand moving in gentle circles on my belly. “Any nausea?”

“Not yet. The fresh air helps.”

He’d researched everything. Jeremy had thrown himself into learning about pregnancy with the same intensity he brought to his career. He’d downloaded apps on his phone that gave him daily updates on the progress of the baby’s development. Another app tracked my symptoms and cravings so he could anticipate what I might need. To be fair, he was the one that figured out the ocean air seemed to have magical qualities.

It was ridiculous and adorable and made me love him more every single day.

“Presents?” He grinned like a kid who’d been waiting for this moment for weeks.

“Coffee first. Decaf for me, unfortunately.”

“Already on it.”

He bounded out of bed with far more energy than any human should have at seven in the morning. I watched him go, admiring the view as he pulled on gray joggers and headed downstairs. The man was going to be a father in about seven months, and he still looked like he belonged on a billboard.

I took my time getting up, pulling on the cozy robe Jeremy had bought me last week because he’d noticed I was always cold now. Another side effect of pregnancy, apparently. My internal thermostat had completely malfunctioned.

By the time I made it downstairs, he had the coffee brewing and a fire crackling in the fireplace. Granted, it was a propane fireplace and not actual logs, but it still reminded me of that cabin. Who knew a man building a fire could be such an aphrodisiac?