He gave her another squeeze. “Then do it.”
“But, the baby… it’s what drew us –”
Jack gave her another, tighter squeeze, halting her words. “I thought I said we weren’t going to have this discussion.”
“But we have to!” she cried, her voice beginning to rise.
His hand came up to fist again in her hair and he used it to pull her head back gently.
Then his lips sought hers in the dark and he reminded her, “Belle, if you remember, there was no baby when I made you mine.”
“Jack –”
He cut her off, “It’s a sad fact that there’s no baby now. It hurts to think about it. It makes my chest tight and my gut ache. But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re still mine.”
“It makes your chest tight?” she whispered.
“And my gut ache.”
“Really?” she breathed.
“Yes, my love.” He tucked her face in his throat and went on, “But even with our loss, after your accident, I still felt lucky because I didn’t lose you.” He spoke cautiously, not wishing to feed into her fears but needing her to understand. “You could have been hurt in a much worse way, poppet, and, you being here, in our bed, in my arms, for that, I feel lucky.”
He could barely hear her when she asked, “You, James Bennett, feel lucky?”
“Yes, poppet,” he tipped his head so his lips moved against her hair. “I couldn’t lose you and, I promise you, my love, we’ll make another baby when the time is right. For now, we need to just be. You and me, we need to just be.”
“You and me,” she whispered.
“You and me,” he repeated.
“You…” she hesitated then said her next words in a way that made them sound impossible, “like me.”
He smiled into her hair. “Yes, Belle,” he gathered her closer before finishing, “I definitely like you.”
And, after saying those ridiculous words that in no way defined how he felt about her, he couldn’t stop his chuckle.
She stiffened in his arms and asked, “Why is that funny?”
“I’ll explain some other time.”
“Explain now,” she demanded.
“Some other time.”
“Jack –”
“Poppet,” he interrupted her and then ordered, “Sleep.”
“But –”
“Sleep.”
“I think –”
He gave her a gentle shake and demanded, “Belle, sleep.”
She held herself stiff and then muttered, “Bossy.”