Page 26 of His to Keep

“Of course.” Emerson moved into the kitchen, his voice carrying. “I don’t cook a lot, but a chef stops by once a week to restock frozen things, make sure there are basics in the fridge. Anything you like, just drop it on the list on the counter and she’ll make sure we have it.”

“Wow, that’s fancy.”

Emerson moved back into the room, his brown eyes dancing. “As I said before, I’ve been working a bit of overtime lately. She helps keep me fed, and she would love to keep you fed.”

I grinned at him. I wasn’t familiar with his methods, but I was more than happy to accept his help, especially now.

“Would you like to head up? Or we could watch a movie or something…”

Oh God… Nervous Emerson was cuter than any of the other new personality traits I was digging into.

“Usually, I would say yes to a movie, but I am truly exhausted. I might head up.”

Emerson nodded, his eye still smiling at me.

“Of course. Goodnight, Whitney.”

I backed away, nearly falling over my own feet as I got closer to the staircase. With a giggle snort, I righted myself and quickly moved up the first few steps. I was a mess.

My heart was still quivering and happy in my chest. The master bedroom called to me, and I made my way in that direction before stopping at the door to the room next to it. All the other rooms were closed up, their darkened doors an obvious sign no one was in there.

This one was different. There was a soft glow under the door that made my fingers jump with interest. A quick glance behind me told me I was alone. Excited, I turned the knob and slipped in. The light switch by the door was easy to find.

What wasn’t easy was what the light showed to me.

It was a nursery.

Not just any nursery, but a perfect nursery.Myperfect nursery. Soft shades of yellow, teal, and sky blue lit up the space. A crib was halfway constructed in one corner, directly across from a deep-navy rocker.

A few art prints were scattered around the floor, as if he’d been trying out different places. The rug beneath my feet was a rainbow of colors that blurred as I stared around.

This was for his baby. This baby I carried. I could feel the time he’d spent there, the care that went into every single item.

A soft, surprised sob bubbled up in my throat, and I moved over to the windows, pushing aside the brightly colored curtains to peak out at the view my baby would have. It was beautiful, the overlapping green landscape of the backyard. The same place they would grow up playing and living.

Here, they would be safe.

My tears slowed, happiness making my chest tight as I soaked in the love that surrounded me in this room.

Then, for the first time, I finally felt the baby in my belly flutter gently against me. In shock, my hand flew to my belly, cupping the flesh as I waited, hoping beyond hope I hadn’t just imagined it.

But then it came again, stronger this time.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. “Emerson!” This time I yelled, his name echoing off the walls as I pressed my second hand against my belly.

There was a thunder of footsteps, and a confused and scared-looking Emerson burst into the nursery.

“Whitney, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

I grabbed his hand, yanking him to me, and then pressed his hands against my belly, forming a barrier there with my hands pressing him to me.

Come on, baby,I begged internally.Say hi to your daddy.

“Whitney,” he said again, confusion obvious in his voice.

I opened my mouth, ready to explain, when Emerson’s eyes suddenly went wide. I almost laughed out loud at the shock on his handsome face.

“Is that…” His voice was ragged.

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