Free All Good Things Absolved by Alannah Carbonneau

for me that was exactly where I was.

 
    Chapter 7
    I stepped onto the back porch with Jace and hugged my sweater tighter around myself. The misty breeze was cooler at dusk, but it was still beautiful out here I couldn't find it within myself to go back inside. His brows furrowed, a frown marring his face as he realized I was chilled. Quickly, he pulled me into his arms.
    "Did you want to go back inside?" He asked as I nuzzled myself into his chest.
    "Not at all." I breathed in a deep breath of salty air. "This is perfect." I loved the peace. The beach was beautiful and it wasn't crowded. It felt like it was just Jace and I in the world without another soul.
    "Come for a walk with me?"
    "Where?" I asked.
    "Along the beach?" Jace proposed. His voice sounded husky and nervous and that made my heart race.
    "Okay,"
    Jace released me from his hold only to tuck me into his side, his arm around my waist. We walked down the porch steps and onto the grassy back yard. In the distance, the green of the grass faded to creamy pale sands. I could hear the waves climbing against the smooth surface before falling back into the body it belonged to. We walked for long minutes in silence, just breathing - and being.
    I felt soothed. Being in Jace's arms was the perfect kind of therapy. When he stopped walking, I thought he was turning around, but he didn't. Instead, he turned me to face a large property before pulling me into his chest. "Do you like it here, Olivia?"
    I nodded. "I do."
    "Do you think you would like to raise our child here?"
    I froze. "As in here? Right here?"
    He laughed. The sound rumbled from his chest to vibrate my back where it rested against him. "As in this property, yes."
    "It's next door to your parent's." I pointed out.
    "I know." His voice turned down a notch. "Would that bother you?"
    "Me?" I shook my head. "No, I don't think so."
    "Good."
    I tilted my head back and to the side so I could see him. "Good?" I frowned. "Why is that good?"
    He smiled down at me. "Because this property is ours."
    I looked back at the magnificent house. I saw it in a new light now. It was stunning with high peaked roofs and floor to ceiling windows. It was the perfect blend of old and new and I completely adored it already. It looked much more child-friendly than his penthouse.
    "This is ours?" I finally gasped when I found my voice. "Really?"
    "Really." He pressed a kiss to the top of my head. "I convinced the current owners to sell when you informed me you always wanted a garden."
    My mind worked the calculations and I stiffened. "That was before you knew I was pregnant."
    "It was." He nodded. "Do you think this is better for our child?"
    I beamed. Was he blind? It was perfect. "It's perfect." I felt my eyes welling with tears. "Does your mom know?"
    "Yes," he chuckled. "She knows and she's excited."
    "I think she knows I'm pregnant too." I murmured into the silence.
    Jace's body shook and I knew he was nodding again. "I think she knows that too."
    I turned in his arms. "Did you tell her?"
    He shook his head. "No. I promised you I wouldn't do that without you. I'll never break a promise to you."
    I tucked myself back into his front and he took me eagerly, his arms winding tightly around my waist. "You know you're definitely going to have to get an assistant."
    "I'll start interviewing when we get back from British Columbia." he chuckled. "I promise."
    "Are you keeping the penthouse?"
    "Yes." He sighed. "I'll have to when I can't make it home."
    I froze. "You're planning on spending nights away from me and the baby?"
    "No." he said immediately. "You and the baby will be coming with me. When I work, we'll have to stay in the penthouse. I promise I'll get the softest rung put into the babies room."
    I smiled. "Okay, so long as we don't have to spend our nights apart. I'm not okay with that and I never will be."
    "Neither will I." Jace replied gruffly. I knew he wasn't. I don't even know why I thought that was what he meant. The man couldn't