“What?” he asked.
“You laugh more around me now,” she said. The observation caught him off guard, because she was right—he did.
Jonnas set the food down carefully before moving toward her. Dani immediately looked up at him with those big, uncertain eyes that were rapidly becoming his weakness. “Have you been sick all morning?” he asked quietly. She nodded. “Still throwing up?”
“A little,” she admitted. Concern tightened his chest instantly. Without thinking, he brushed his knuckles lightly against her cheek.
“You should be home resting,” he said.
“I can’t keep calling off work.”
“You’re growing a human being,” he reminded.
“And nurses don’t exactly get royal maternity treatment,” she said. Annoyance flared instantly, not at her, but at the world, and at the fact that she sounded so resigned about struggling through this alone. That protective instinct inside him surged again hard enough to make his voice roughen.
“You’re not doing this alone anymore, baby girl,” he said. Dani went still—completely still. Like those words affected her more than they should have. Jonnas noticed the slight shine in her eyes immediately and groaned. The last thing he wanted to do was make her cry.
“Hey,” he said, softer now.
Her bottom lip trembled slightly before she looked away. “You keep saying things like that.”
“What things?” he asked.
“Things that make me—” She swallowed hard. “Feel safe.” The vulnerability in her voice nearly destroyed him. Jonnas stepped closer until there was barely any space between them.
“That scares you?” he asked.
“Yes, she said, giving him an honest answer. He liked that about her. Dani told him the truth, and that was a rare quality. Jonnas tilted her chin upward gently.
“Baby girl,” he said quietly, “you don’t have to be scared of me taking care of you.” Her breath caught instantly, and then, for the first time since this entire mess began, Dani leaned into his touch instead of away from it. That tiny movement hit him harder than anything else had. Because it wasn’t submission, it was trust, and Jonnas realized in that moment he would do just about anything not to break it.
Dani
Dani had never been taken care of before, not really. Sure, Aliza checked on her constantly now, but that was different. Jonnas looked at her as if taking care of her was instinct, and honestly, that terrified her.
She sat in the break room staring down at the cup of ginger tea he’d somehow bullied one of the cafeteria workers into making for her thirty minutes earlier. The poor cafeteria guy practically sprinted to make it after Jonnas gave him one sharp look and said, “She’s been sick all morning.” The memory made warmth curl through her chest again—which was a problem. It was a huge problem, because Dani Hart absolutely could not afford to start emotionally depending on a man she’d slept with exactly one time, even if he was the father of her baby, and even if he called her baby girl in a way that made her knees weak. Even if he looked at her like she mattered.
“Why are you smiling at tea?” Dani nearly jumped out of her skin as Aliza dropped into the chair across from her.
“I wasn’t smiling,” she insisted.
“You absolutely were.” Aliza narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “And considering you look emotionally compromised, I’m assuming this involves Jonnas.”
Dani groaned. “That obvious?”
“Honey, you’re glowing,” Aliza said.
“I’m pregnant,” Dani said, as though that was her defense.
“No,” Aliza corrected smugly. “You’re flustered by the sexy man who got you pregnant.” Unfortunately, Dani couldn’t even deny it, because she was flustered—constantly. Every time Jonnas touched her, every time he looked at her stomach, and every time his voice softened when he thought she was overwhelmed. It was getting harder and harder to remember why she’d been so angry with him in the beginning, which honestly felt unfair.
“He brought me tea,” she muttered weakly. Aliza blinked at her and then burst out laughing.
“Oh, you’re doomed,” Aliza said.
“It was just tea,” Dani insisted, but even she knew that it was more than just tea.
“Mmhm.” Aliza slapped a hand over her mouth to stop laughing louder.