Page 322 of Iced Up Love: Part Two
But real.
And as I sit there between them, Elijah at the table behind us, Zach’s hand still resting protectively over my stomach, Jackson’s arm warm around my shoulders, I feel it.
That quiet, undeniable sense that we’ve crossed something. That we’re not just surviving anymore.
We’re living.
And for the first time, it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be taken away.
seventy
Liana
I know something is happening.
Not because anyone has said it.
But because everything about today feels… deliberate.
The way Elijah watched me get dressed.
The way Zach lingered a little longer than usual when he kissed my shoulder before stepping back.
The way Jackson hasn’t stopped smiling like he knows something I don’t.
I smooth my hands down over my dress again as we step out of the apartment, the fabric sitting just a little differently than it would have a few weeks ago.
Not obvious.
Not to anyone else. But I feel it. The slight curve. The subtle change. The quiet reminder that everything is shifting, that everything is growing.
“Stop thinking,” Jackson murmurs, brushing his knuckles lightly over my jaw as he opens the car door for me.
“I’m not thinking,” I lie.
He grins.
“Liar.”
Zach chuckles softly as I slide into the car, Elijah following in beside me, his hand immediately settling on my thigh like it belongs there.
It does.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, glancing between them.
Jackson lifts a shoulder.
“No idea.”
Zach shakes his head.
“Elijah’s in charge tonight.”
My gaze shifts to him. He doesn’t look at me. Just keeps his eyes forward, his thumb brushing slow, absent circles against my skin.
“Trust me,” he says simply.
Something in my chest tightens with anticipation.
