Free What the Heart Takes by Kelli McCracken

what type of ability did the baby have?
    Slowing his pace, he came to a stop behind Heaven when another ripple of energy wavered around him. One that stole his breath—her anger.
    “Heaven…” The word was a whisper he barely heard himself. So had she. Her hands stilled atop the suitcase. “I’m sorry. For all of it.” He took another step, waiting for her to turn. She never did, even when the heat of their bodies melded. “I tried to stay calm. I tried really hard because I didn’t want you to feel any of it.”
    “I don’t want to talk about it. I just want to pack and get out of here. I’m ready to go home.”
    He hated the quiver in her voice. Hated the way it pulled his soul apart. Most of all, he hated knowing he was the reason for their pain.
    Without saying a word, he trailed his fingers up her arm, savoring the warmth of her skin. She dropped her head, slumping her shoulders before he tugged on one. She hesitated after the second tug, but gave in on the third. When she fully faced him, his chest constricted.
    The light above shimmered across her face, revealing the moist trail that led from her eyes to her cheeks. Those golden gems he wanted to gaze inside remained hidden underneath her lids.
    Swiping at a tear, he moved his other hand to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Her tiny belly would only allow them a certain level of closeness, both physically and emotionally. He sent her a comforting vibe, but it didn’t help. The ache in her heart increased, as did his.
    “Please, don’t cry.”
    Curls danced about her face with each shake of her head. “I can’t believe…” She paused when he tucked a stray lock behind her ear. Then her lips trembled. They parted a second later, as did her eyelids. “Did you really have to go there?”
    “What are you talking about?”
    Another stream of tears slid down her face. “The kiss.”
    He fought to keep his eyes from stinging, but her words seized his heart, squeezing it like a vise. “I—I’m sorry.”
    She left his apology hanging as she pulled away and stepped around the bed. “If you really want to know, it happened in the living room, near the window by the rose bushes. I can’t tell you how long it lasted, not because I don’t want to tell you. I honestly don’t know. Most of it’s a blur now.”
    “Please, stop.”
    She ignored his pleas as if she hadn’t heard a word he spoke. Or maybe she had. Maybe she wanted him to feel all the hurt he’d pushed over to her. If that was her purpose, she’d succeeded. Each word she uttered ripped him apart.
    He had no one to blame but himself. It was his thoughts she threw in his face. His thoughts, his assumptions, his… Wait a second…
    Heaven didn’t give him time to finish the thought. Her voice rang through the air, again, increasing the ache in his heart. “Layne didn’t hold me in his arms. He had me pressed to the wall. I was literally pinned there, chest to chest with him. And not a bit of it made a difference to me. Because he wasn’t you.”
    What the hell? Mind reading wasn’t one of her abilities, yet she answered every question that rolled through his mind. Why hadn’t the baby protected her from that? “How did you know I was thinking about those things?”
    Forcing a laugh from her throat, she made her way to the closet, pulling the last of his clothes from the hangers. She held them to her chest as she turned back in his direction, but she didn’t look at him, even when she finally answered, “I felt it in you.”
    Each word she uttered rocked him to the core. He was an idiot. Plain and simple. How could he keep hurting the one person he couldn’t live without?
    “You have every right to be angry with me. I told you I’m a jealous jerk.”
    “Your jealousy isn’t the problem. It’s the fact that I tried to tell you everything, but you didn’t want to hear it. You said that none of it mattered. You lied to me.”
    “I screwed up. I know that. I just…” The