Free Taking You by Jessie Evans Page B

counter, meeting the woman’s raised eyebrows with a big smile.
    The woman returned the smile, obviously relieved to see that Aria wasn’t worried about the results of the test.
    “Sure,” she said, pointing to a doorway covered by plastic flaps at the back of the store. “Head into the back and turn right at the beer. The restroom’s at the end of the hall.”
    “Thank you so much,” Aria said, hurrying to the back of the store.
    Five minutes later, she had her answer. With a giddy squeal, she capped the test, rinsed it off, and wrapped it in a paper towel before stuffing it in her purse—just in case Nash wanted to see evidence. He was a cop, after all.
    As she hurried back through the store to the front door, the woman at the counter lifted her eyebrows. Aria smiled and nodded, laughing as the woman gave her a happy thumbs up.
    She all but danced back to the truck, the difference in her mood like sunshine and rain. Now that she understood why she was feeling so moody, she knew she would be able to manage it so much better. She had struggled with emotional ups and downs during her first pregnancy, but she’d managed to keep her center, even with her ex doing everything possible to make her a miserable wreck.
    A wave of gratitude suddenly tightened her chest. She already knew her second pregnancy was going to be vastly different from her first. Nash would never be less than thrilled to find out that they were pregnant, he would never cheat on her while she was carrying their baby, or make her feel anything less than beautiful as her body changed to accommodate the child growing inside of her.
    A child. Their child, hers and Nash’s.
    Her hand came to her abdomen as she sent a wave of love to the tiny life inside of her, knowing Felicity and this little boy or girl would be the most loved children in the whole world.
    ***
    Nash paced the edge of the dance floor with Felicity in his arms, keeping the sleepy baby lulled into silence as Bob March finished his toast to the newly married couple. It was a glowing testimony to Bob’s love for Lark and Mason that made Nash want to roll his eyes just a little.
    Mason was a good friend—and family, now—but he had made his share of mistakes with Lark before he left to do his residency. But where Mason Stewart was concerned, Bob March had obviously forgiven and forgotten. Meanwhile, Nash and Bob still butted heads at least once a week, despite their best efforts to play nice for Aria’s sake.
    Nash got the feeling Bob was still wishing that Nash would disappear, but Nash wasn’t going anywhere. Aria was more than his meat and potatoes, she was the air he breathed, and he would have told her so if he hadn’t known she would tease him for being cheesy. But the truth was he wouldn’t last a day without her, and wouldn’t want to. She and Felicity were his family, the source of the happiness that buoyed him through even the roughest days.
    As the room erupted in applause at the end of the toast, Nash turned to look at the door again, frowning when there was still no sign of his wife.
    Where was she? What in the world was this surprise, and why did she have to leave to go get it right now ?
    Most of the time, he loved Aria’s impulsive nature, but he really didn’t want to be alone right now. He’d been looking forward to dancing with his wife.
    They hadn’t had a chance to date before they were married and had gone straight into their relationship as parents of a baby. There wasn’t much time for just the two of them and they usually didn’t want to waste a date night outside their bedroom. They were still deep in the honeymoon phase and found being naked with each other without a baby in the house the ultimate form of entertainment.
    Still, he liked the idea of holding Aria close while they swayed to music.
    “Thank you, Dad,” Mason said, claiming the microphone from Bob as his father-in-law gripped him in a quick hug that made Nash wish Aria was here to gag