Page 16 of Cupid
The look in his eyes told me he did know, or at least, he had a very strong feeling. Probably the same very strong feeling I’d had for the past several days. “Okay, thank you.”
Arrow stepped closer to me and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Don’t be afraid, sweetheart. We’re in this together. No matter what.”
I wasn’t exactly afraid, but everything was happening so quickly. If it weren’t for the bond Arrow swore he saw between us, I might have been worried about how he would feel about a pregnancy so early in our relationship. But I knew he would stand by me in the same way that I would always stand by him.
He stepped out of the room, and I realized my toiletry bag was sitting on the counter. Arrow must have put that there after I fell asleep. His level of thoughtfulness made me love him even more. And yes, I loved him. I hadn’t said the words to him yet, but there was no reason to pretend any longer. We were meant to be together. We were going to be together. And, there was no way to slow down the intensity of my feelings. Why would I even want to?
Especially if the test was positive.
I quickly tore open the package and peed on the stick. I might’ve actually flooded it, but I wanted to make sure the results were accurate. Also, my bladder was exceptionally full.
While I waited for the results, I put the stick on the edge of the tub and then washed up and brushed my teeth. Morning breath was one thing. Vomit mouth was something else entirely.
Before I was finished, Arrow appeared with a bottle of apple juice and obvious interest in the plastic stick on the other side of the room. “Have you checked it?”
I shook my head and glanced at the stick through the mirror. “Nope. I figured we should do it together.”
He pulled me into a tight hug and held me for a long moment. “Whenever you’re ready.”
I sucked in a deep breath and then picked up the stick, purposely keeping it down until I was at Arrow’s side once again. “Okay, here goes nothing.” I lifted the stick, and we both sucked in a gasp
Pregnant.
There were no faded lines or letters that could go either way. I was definitely, 100% pregnant. I bit my lip and turned to Arrow with the tears in my eyes that I previously couldn’t conjure.
His eyes were just as glassy as they stared into mine. “We’re having a baby, Jude. My sweet, sweet omega.”
I nodded as the tears dripped down my cheeks. “Is that okay with you?”
Arrow lifted me in his arms and carried me back to the bed. “Of course it’s okay. It’s amazing. You’re amazing.” He carefully lowered me to a seated position then cupped my cheek in his big hand. “I love you, Jude. And I love our baby.”
A lump formed in my throat and the silent tears became full sobs. “I love you too, Arrow.”
TWELVE
ARROW
Finding out that Jude was definitely expecting was not a total shock. I knew it was a likely possibility when our bond glow didn’t fade. And his morning sickness was a pretty clear giveaway as well. But once my theory was confirmed, it was like a switch was flipped inside me. All the love that had been growing within me for Jude suddenly burst forth and grew exponentially.
As a matchmaker of fated mates, most people tended to assume that I had a strong understanding of how love worked. But I could honestly say I was clueless.
I thought the love between bonded mates was similar to the love I felt for my closest friends and family members. Probably stronger but basically the same.
I was wrong. Very, very wrong.
There was no way to compare the enormity of my feelings for Jude…and now our growing child. My whole world changed when that cheap plastic test validated everything I had been feeling.
What was even more miraculous was that a switch seemed to flip inside of Jude too. He quickly went from shock to acceptance to full-on nesting within the span of just a few days.
Not only was he planning to empty out my home office and convert it into a nursery, but he was looking at furniture for the beach house that we could use whenever we stayed there and that could easily be stored when it was rented out.
So much was changing so fast, but it was all good. And Jude seemed to be as happy just going with the flow of excitement as I was.
He leaned closer to me, holding up his tablet. “I know this is a bit Christmasy, but it’s hard to find reindeer stuff that isn’t related to Christmas.”
I put my finger on the word I just finished reading in my book, then looked over at the image. “Oh, that’s really cute.”
“It is, isn’t it.” It was a crib mobile that showed a full reindeer team pulling Santa’s sleigh. It was actually a realistic depiction of what I knew to be the reality.
