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A petite brunette wearing yoga pants and a crop top balances gracefully on one leg next to Maddie, chatting casually. She says something that makes Maddie throw her head back, laughing before flowing into the next pose.
Still unseen, I drink her in—that beloved face is fuller but still striking as ever. Her ponytail reveals the sleek neckline that still haunts my nights. But as she straightens gracefully from a lunge, her gaze catches on me.
Maddie startles violently, hands flying protectively to the bump as she chokes out a strangled gasp. After endless still moments suspended, Maddie mutters quickly to her yoga mate then hastily grabs an oversized cardigan sweater, wrapping it around herself as she strides over.
Heart seizing, I force my frozen limbs to meet her halfway until only footsteps separate us on the leafy path. Maddie halts, looking up at me wide-eyed, the wool edges of her sweater still clutched closed over her middle. My wandering gaze traces the beautiful face I have ached for.
“Is there something you want to tell me, Little Bird?” I ask hoarsely.
31
PARISIAN PROPOSAL
My heart hammers wildly as I meet Jack's thunderstruck green eyes boring into mine.
“How did you find me here? Have you been following me?” I try to deflect with misplaced anger, but he is not having it.
Silently, he pulls out his phone, showing me the blinking icon in his app.
“You have been tracking me?”
“Yes. I’m sorry for not telling you. It was the only way I could sleep at night, knowing where you were at all times.” I blink, confused at his confession, but he doesn’t let up. “Now, Maddie, this is my—our baby?”
I lower my gaze and nod faintly, the words lodged excruciatingly in my constricted throat.
“Y-yes . . . I-I'm pregnant,” I finally manage to force out, hands still clutching my sweater together, as if I need to shield my baby from his gaze.
He exhales sharply, rocking back almost imperceptibly. Finding my voice again, I forge ahead. “Twenty-one weeks along now. I'm . . . I’m due in July.” I rest my trembling fingers over my taut belly protectively. “The second trimester is a breeze. I have an OBGYN here, and yoga helps keep me nimble. She is growing perfectly healthy, about the size of a banana now . . .” Realizing that I’m rambling, I let my words drift into the spring breeze.
“She?” His breath catches on the single syllable, eyes widening.
I nod, a tentative smile lifting my lips.
Something cracks open behind Jack's awestruck gaze. The line of his shoulders softens. He blinks rapidly.
“We're . . . I'm having a daughter?” Reverent wonder edges his hoarse tone.
A wide grin blooms across his face. His broad palm drifts reflexively over my hair before catching himself awkwardly.
My yoga partner, Marie, approaches hesitantly as the rest of the class filters away across the dappled sunlight on the lawn.
“Tu vas bien?” Her gentle brown eyes study my features, only moderately concerned upon seeing Jack's stunned reaction.
“Oui, merci Marie, à la semaine prochaine,” I reply as calmly as possible, squeezing her hand and hoping I successfully conveyed this is just an unexpected surprise. With a final curious glance between us, Marie mercifully walks away.
Jack roughly drags a hand through his now longer hair. A wayward lock tumbling over his forehead shifts the severe military edge into a modern metro style. It suits him. The touch of casual tousle softens his sharp jaw and intensifies those stormy green eyes in a way that steals my breath. I have to curl my fingers tightly to resist reaching out to discover if it would feel as thick and soft as it looks threaded through my hands.
“So, when exactly were you planning on telling me about this, Little Bird?” Hurt and betrayal edge his tone.
My face flames under his accusation. “I wanted to, originally, right away,” I admit to my shoes. “But the longer I stayed here, the harder it became.”
His sharp inhale makes me peek up hesitantly through my lashes.
“You need to come back to New York, so I can take care of you. Of both of you,” he says gruffly with a slow exhale.
Outrage flashes through me, my spine snapping straight. “I will do no such thing. This attitude right here is exactly why I procrastinated in telling you,” I fire back. “I’m perfectly fine here. They have obstetricians in Paris too, you know.”
Jack looks stunned by my blistering tone. I forge ahead while emboldened, weeks of stewing bitterness fueling me.“I don't need you swooping in thinking you can wrap me under your wing like some fragile, helpless creature! I've built an independent life and a business. My sisters and my Aunt Viv will provide all the support we need.”
