Her words do something to me, and I feel like my heart is opening up like a flower or some shit.
“I thought it was meant to be that I couldn’t find you, that I fucked up, pushed you away instead of putting aside my pain for the past and dealing with us. I knew I’d never see you again, and my heart broke. All the dreams and hopes I had for us, they were gone. And I promised myself I would never give my heart to anyone again,” she pauses as she inhales a shaky breath. “Because.” she stops again and puts her hand over her face. “I didn’t have it anymore to give, it was with you wherever you were.”
Her hand shakes slightly as she wipes up her shed tears, and I bury my nose into her hair and kiss her.
“When Katie came to the diner and told me you were there, my system almost went into shock. I wanted to go to you, but I was scared…scared of apologizing for being an asshole and then even more scared of you not accepting it. She told me you’d left the club then went back for the money, which made me feel like an even bigger asshole. I never had anyone take care of me before, but I didn’t know the money wasn’t there, if you would’ve just told me we couldn’t afford it…I wish you would’ve just said that-”
“Emily, I would’ve eventually come back to the club,” I cut in.
She nods against my chest. We lay here silently, our hands still toying as our words settle. Then she raises her head and rests her chin on my pec, her eyes looking down at my mom’s name.
“So, I have something to tell you,” she whispers.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“I sold my house and bought a house here…for us, if you wanted-”
She stops talking when a smile spreads my lips wide, unable to hold it in.
“I also got a loan from the bank for my business, so you don’t need to worry about that anymore,” she finishes.
“But what about the IVF?” I ask.
“We don’t need to do that anymore either,” she states.
My brows furrow as I sit up and she’s forced onto her back from my movement.
“So, you don’t want a baby now?” I ask, confused. “I mean, I know we had some trouble, and I’m a mess right now, but-”
As I speak, a small smile begins on her lips, and her hands move down to the bottom of her dress resting just above her pussy. My words stop as she slides the material up, revealing her swollen belly. My jaw drops as I realize why we don’t need to try anymore, my hands instantly covering the ball under her skin.
“You swallowed a cantaloupe?” I ask.
She laughs and nods, pressing her hands over mine. Leaning down I kiss my baby there, knowing that no matter what this baby becomes, my love will be unwavering.
“I love you,” I say to her stomach, before moving to kiss Emily’s lips.
I worried when I went to Vegas I’d lose everything to my addictive behavior, that blackjack would be my vice. Not knowing that my biggest gamble was Emily, and my payout was becoming a dad.
“Promise me this is what you want, that having a baby isn’t just to make me happy,” she asks, her eyes bouncing between mine.
Taking her fingers with mine, I cross them over my heart. “I promise.”
The End
Too Close: Plantain Series Novella Page 8
