Jackson let out a small sigh of relief. The surprise wasn’t ruined. She thought he was working, not planning a magical vacation. He smiled, pleased with his surprise.
“You look far too happy this morning,” Emma said, joining him on the couch. He loved the way she curled her feet up under her as she sat next to him.
“Things are good in my world,” he told her with a smile. “Very good.”
“Business is picking up then?” Emma asked, taking a small sip of coffee. She grimaced and set it down on the coffee table.
“Yes, business is fine,” he replied. “Is somethin
g wrong with your coffee?”
“I think the milk spoiled,” she said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t taste right.”
He frowned. It wasn’t like the his staff to purchase or keep spoiled milk in the house. “I’ll have someone get new milk today.”
“Did your coffee taste funny?” she asked, looking at his empty cup on the table. “It could be the coffee.”
“My coffee was fine.” His frown deepened. “Let me taste yours.”
He picked up the cup and took a sip. It tasted fine, if maybe a little sweet for his preference. There didn’t seem to be any problem with the milk or the coffee.
“I don’t taste anything,” he said, slowly setting the cup down. “Are you sure?”
Emma swallowed hard. “It must just be a weird day.”
Jackson turned and looked her over. She looked exhausted, even though he knew she’d slept all night. Dark circles hung under her beautiful eyes. She sat with her legs tucked carefully under her, and her dark hair was messy in her ponytail.
A moment of possessive concern washed over him. He needed to make sure she was okay. He needed to protect her from whatever was making her look this tired. He would fight a dragon with a sword if that was what it would take, but he was going to protect her.
“Are you feeling okay?” he asked, keeping quiet about the desire to battle dragons for her. He reached over and smoothed a stray strand of hair from her face. She gave him a weak smile.
“Yeah...” She paused and took a deep breath. “Actually, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“You can tell me anything,” he said immediately. He meant it too. Short of her telling him she was in love with someone else, there was nothing he couldn’t hear from her.
“I had this big plan, but...” She looked up at him, a hint of fear in her eyes. “I should just do it now.”
“Like I said, you can tell me anything.” He gave her a confident smile, even though his insides were twisting. He could already imagine half a dozen absolutely terrible things and another half that were only mostly terrible.
But he didn’t show it. He kept his face calm and his body serene. It was his secret to business. Never let ‘em see you sweat.
Emma took a deep breath. “Jackson, I’m...” She opened and closed her mouth twice. “You know what? It’ll be easier if I just show you.”
She got up from the couch, swaying slightly as she stood. She gave him a shrug and hurried to her purse on the counter. He watched her, memorizing everything that he could. He didn’t know what she had to show him, but if she was this nervous, it couldn’t be good.
She clutched a small piece of paper. It looked shiny, like a photograph. He wondered what she could possibly have. Photos in his world, though, were rarely a good thing. They were usually for blackmail or divorce settlements.
She stood before him, her breath coming in shallow pants. She chewed on her lip and every inch of her body said she was nervous.
“I had this really amazing plan to make you dinner, and make this special,” she said. He was having a hard time focusing on her words he was staring at the paper in her hands so hard. “But, I want you to know. You deserve to know.”
She swallowed hard and took a deep breath before handing him the picture.
He took the paper like it might bite him. It looked to be upside down, but when he turned it over it still didn’t make sense. The photo was black with a tiny gray smudge to the right. He frowned trying to figure out what she was telling him with this. He was going to be sucked down a black hole? She was going to bury him in a place so dark no one would ever find him?
“You’re going to be a father.” Her voice was small and far away.
Slowly, it dawned on him what he was looking at. This was an ultrasound of a pregnancy. Emma was pregnant. This was their baby. The photo in his hands, this strange, grainy, picture of space, was the first picture of his child. Their child.