Page 121 of Jace
I know it’s what Vivian wants.
But why does she suddenly look so worried?
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
VIVIAN
Driving back to Delta’s,Jace has asked me three times if I’m okay, and I try to hide it, answering, “I’m fine.”
But I’m not.
I’m freaking out.
So I change the subject. “How long will you keep the man-child captive?”
Jace sucks his teeth. “A week or two. I’ll break him until he’s too scared to even remember you.”
“But once you let him go, aren’t you worried he’ll report you to the police? You and the kings?”
Jace huffs darkly. “That’s how much I’ll break him; he’ll shit himself even thinking about it.”
I map Jace’s perfect profile and see his savage edges; all the ways his father tried to breakhim.
But I can dive into Jace’s blue eyes and trust that he’s tamed his beast. He refuses to be like his father.
No, he’s my man, the only image of love I need, who keeps glancing at me, his focus penetrating.
With my new secret, I’m suddenly exposed to feelings I’ve never had. A bright future, saturated in love with hues of happiness. It’s a picture with him I’ve dared to dream.
You can’t build a love like ours on friendship and expect it to suddenly be blind because we’re more than friends now. A whirlwind that feels so right. A romance that’s much more. We’ve always seen each other, straight through to our souls.
And Jace sees me.
“Alright, Viv.” He parks his truck in the cobblestone alley behind Delta’s and turns off the ignition. “Baby, tell me what’s wrong.”
Gazing through the front windshield, jasmine vines spill over the garden brick wall, their white star flowers in fragrant bloom as I swallow, filling my heart with courage. “I forgot to take my pill.” Pause for panic. “For two days. These two days we’ve been together. There’s just been so much going on.”
Jace answers with silence.
It’s deafening.
I close my eyes, forcing myself to turn and face his ire, but when I flutter my eyelids open, he’s beaming. “Can we have six?”
Laughter bursts from my soul. “Six?”
“Three girls and three boys: if I’m being picky.”
“Picky? Jace, what if I’m pregnant?”
“You mean what if you make me the happiest man alive? Viv, it’s all I want with you.”
“All?”
“Okay.” He shrugs, eyes sparkling. “And your friendship and your photography and your morning macarons. Oh, and fucks. But sorry, this beast gets hot and needs to sleep in a freezer, so I’ll supply the blankets. Deal?”
Deal? How about destiny? How about a dream that’s been deferred for so long, I don’t know if I’m ready to wake up.
“But what if I want more nights with you? Just me and you for a while? We’ve waited so long to be together. And what if this is a false alarm? What if I can’t get pregnant and give you six kids?”
