Mr. Big Jerk: A Forbidden Second Chance Romance (Kinda Cocky Series Book 3), стр. 41

I turned to face her. “You’ve been moving furniture? By yourself?”

She blinked. “I didn’t tell you?”

My eyes grew hard on her face. “No, Roxy. You didn’t tell me you were moving furniture all by yourself while you’re five and a half months pregnant.”

“Well, excuse me for not filling you in on every detail of my life.”

“What in the world are you doing moving furniture around without someone there? You could really hurt yourself.”

She walked to my car door. “Look, there’s a lot of work involved when it comes to turning that apartment into a place fit for a child. I’m sure you’re experiencing the same thing with that bachelor pad of yours.”

I gripped her arm. “You need to take a second to breathe, Roxy. You're overtaxing yourself, and you remember what the doctor said. Whatever you feel, the baby feels? That ringing any bells?”

She shrugged me off. “I’m fine, Clint. I’ve been fine in my life up until this point, and I’m fine now.”

“Why are you so insistent on doing this alone?”

She shook her head. “I’m not going to argue with you.”

Roxy went to open the door, but I closed it with my hand.

“Hey!” she exclaimed.

“Look at me.”

She sighed. “Clint, please.”

“I said, look at me, Roxy.”

She slowly turned around. “What?”

“In my eyes.”

Her eyes raised to meet my own. “What?”

I gazed deeply into her gorgeous stare. “You are not alone in this. You aren’t doing this alone.”

“I know.”

“No, I don’t think you do.”

“No, really. I know you’re here for me.”

I snickered. “Then, stop acting like I’m going to up and leave at any second. Because whether or not you realize it, that’s what you’re doing. That child is half of me. The responsibility for both of you falls onto my shoulders. And I don’t take that lightly.”

“I’m not some weak-willed woman here, Clint.”

“Did I ever say ‘weak’ in that entire statement?”

She blinked. “No. You didn’t.”

“Good. You’re reading into something that isn’t there. You’re reading into my actions and preparing for the worst, I get that. But you need to stop because I’m a man of my word, and when I tell you that you’re never going to be in this alone, I mean it.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way.”

“You’re coming off as generic and cold. What you’re doing doesn’t come off as preparation, but as if you’re pushing me away. Stop it.”

“All right, all right. I hear you, Clint.”

I nodded curtly. “Good. Now, after we pick up food and get settled into my place for the night, we can get on my laptop and do some baby furniture shopping. How does that sound?”

She sighed with relief. “My word, I need to do that so badly. I need furniture for my apartment that I can’t find anywhere at any of the thrift stores I’ve been to.”

I paused. “Since when did you start shopping for baby shit at thrift stores.”

“Do you really want to hash this out? Or, do you just want to keep pushing forward?”

I blinked. “You’re killing me slowly, you know that, woman?”

She giggled. “You know you love it.”

I love you. “Get in the car and quit being crazy.”

“I’m pregnant. Crazy comes with the territory.”

I opened her car door for her. “Don’t I know it.”

I offered her my hand and helped her down into the car, but that word kept rushing through my mind. Love. I loved Roxy. I loved everything about her, from her swollen ankles to her saucy demeanor to the way she bucked up to me instead of simply taking my shit. She was a hell of a woman, but she was also more than that. She was intelligent, classy, brass, and headstrong.

I couldn’t have dreamt up a better mother for my child.

But, something in the pit of my gut was still worried I had stepped in a massive pile of shit. Making things worse, instead of better.