He gently took her hand away. “Goodnight, Katy. Don’t ask again.”
He left the restaurant and went home to surprise Emma with an apartment full of flowers. He couldn’t wait to see her smile.
Chapter 20
Emma
* * *
Something was different. Emma wasn’t sure what it was, but as she woke up that morning, she knew something had changed.
She slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was in Jackson’s bed, wrapped up in gray linen that felt smooth against her bare skin. Jackson was nowhere to be seen. She relaxed back into her pillow and sighed.
He was probably already at work. She on the other hand, felt like she could roll over and fall right back to sleep. Despite the fact that she had slept like a rock, she was exhausted.
“Too much sex,” she mumbled into the pillow. That had to be the reason she was so tired. It was either that or she was getting sick. She really hoped it was just too much amazing sex and she just needed to get in better shape.
She groaned, unable to fall back asleep despite wanting to. With a sigh and a groan, she sat up and swung her legs to the edge of the bed. She was so freaking tired, but yet unable to sleep more. Maybe coffee would make her feel better.
Her feet hit the fluffy rug and she reached for her robe hanging by the bed. It had taken her a few nights to become comfortable with sleeping in the nude. She’d mos
tly accepted it because it was so wonderful to simply cuddle into Jackson’s arms and fall asleep after one of their epic lovemaking sessions.
It was so much nicer than leaving him to put on pajamas.
She padded out to the kitchen, eyes still blurry with sleep. She secretly hoped that Jackson would still be in the kitchen. He liked to read the paper in the morning and sip his coffee. She liked finding him and joining him for a shared comfortable, quiet morning.
He wasn’t there. Emma sighed and wondered what was bothering her. Something was different and she couldn’t put her finger on it. She had felt it a few days ago, but the feeling was stronger now.
The coffee pot hummed to life as she pressed the buttons. Jackson had the fanciest coffee machine she’d ever seen. It was a good thing she had worked in a coffee shop with a temperamental espresso machine, or she would have never been able to figure out how to work the dang thing.
In just a few seconds, Emma had a cup of steaming coffee complete with foamed milk and just a dash of vanilla. It was heaven in a cup.
She wrapped her hands around the mug and sat down at the table. She was a little more awake now, but still tired. It was a good thing she didn’t have to work today, or any day really, because she wasn’t sure she would make it to the end of the day without a nap.
She sipped her coffee and sat in the sunshine pouring in through the big windows. She could understand why cats loved sunshine windows. They were decadent.
The smell of roses caught her attention and she smiled. The entire living room was filled with different colors of the beautiful blossoms. She still couldn’t believe Jackson had filled a room with roses for her to walk into when she came home.
She’d actually been glad he’d video taped the whole thing on his phone. He’d even put it live on Facebook for everyone to see. At first, she felt a little used. He was showing off their relationship for the public, but then, that was what she’d signed up for. It was a good idea to share it.
Especially when she watched it later and saw how happy she was. She’d grinned like an idiot through the whole thing. It was when she watched it alone that she caught his smile in the hallway mirror. He hadn’t meant to catch himself smiling, but she saw his reflection in the hallway mirror as he recorded her. The way he smiled at her made her heart pitter-patter, even if it was a show for others. His smile made her feel like it wasn’t all fake.
Her phone buzzed from her robe pocket with a notification. Emma pulled out her phone and saw that she needed to turn in her monthly work hours requests. She chuckled and turned the notification off. She’d forgotten to do it when she quit her job just over a month ago. There was no need to submit her schedule now.
She sipped her coffee, enjoying the sunshine for a moment.
And then she nearly spit it out.
She was late.
She hastily pulled up her calendar and did the mental math. Her last period was six weeks ago. She’d been living with Jackson for almost a month. She was officially two weeks late.
Could she be pregnant already?
Her hands shook as she set down the phone and pushed her coffee away.
Without meaning to, her hands went to her belly. Was there life in there now? New, tiny life? Her stomach felt the same, but she’d known something was different when she woke up this morning.