Jonnas held her gaze steadily. “Then tell me.” Her eyes widened slightly, and he wondered if anyone had ever simply asked before.
“I—” She hesitated. “I don’t know how to say it.” That confession wrapped around something deep in his chest, because he believed her. Dani struck him as someone who spent most of her life adapting herself to other people’s expectations. Making herself smaller was easier and less complicated. The idea of her feeling ashamed for wanting comfort or structure pissed him off more every second he thought about it.
“You don’t need all the answers right now,” he said gently.
“What if you decide this is too much?” she asked.
Jonnas frowned immediately. “Too much for who?”
“For you,” she said.
He actually looked offended. “Baby girl, you’re carrying my child.” Her breath caught again. Every time he referenced the baby, something softened in her expression, like part of her still couldn’t believe he actually wanted this—wanted her. That uncertainty was becoming harder and harder for him to tolerate.
Jonnas brushed both thumbs beneath her eyes gently. “You need to stop waiting for me to run.”
“I’m trying,” she said.
“No.” His voice softened. “You’re bracing for impact.” That hit her hard. He saw it immediately in the way her eyes shimmered. Jonnas had the sudden, terrifying realization that Dani probably expected disappointment from people as a default setting, and maybe he understood why.
She was independent to the point of exhaustion. Women like Dani usually learned early that needing people came with consequences. The problem was that Jonnas genuinely wanted her to need him, not because it gave him power, but because taking care of her already felt instinctive.
“You know what I think?” he asked quietly. Dani shook her head slightly. “I think you’ve been surviving by yourself for so long that you forgot what support feels like.” A tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it, and Jonnas caught it immediately with his thumb.
“Easy,” he whispered.
“I hate crying,” she admitted. “It’s embarrassing.”
“No.” His voice turned firmer. “What’s embarrassing is that no one taught you it was okay to lean on people who care about you.” That completely shattered her composure. Dani looked away quickly, clearly mortified by the tears building in her eyes. Jonnas made a decision right then. He had had enough of her putting distance between them. He had had enough of her uncertainty and enough of her pretending that this connection between them wasn’t real.
He tilted her chin back toward him carefully. “Come home with me tonight.”
Her eyes widened instantly. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said.
“Jonnas—”
“I’m not asking for sex,” he insisted. That made her blush harder for some reason. “I’m asking because you’re exhausted,” he continued quietly. “You haven’t been sleeping well, you’re sick constantly, and you’re trying to carry all of this by yourself.”
“I can handle myself,” she insisted.
“I know you can.” His gaze locked onto hers. “That doesn’t mean you should have to.” The conflict on her face nearly killed him, because she wanted to say yes. He could see it in her eyes, but wanting something and trusting it were clearly two very different things for her.
“What if this gets too intense too fast?” she whispered.
Jonnas answered honestly. “Then we slow down.”
Her breathing turned shaky. “And if I freak out?”
One corner of his mouth lifted slightly. “Then I’ll probably put you to bed early and make you eat crackers.” A startled laugh escaped her. There she was—his girl, and the realization hit him hard enough to nearly knock the air from his lungs. Was she his girl? Maybe he was getting ahead of himself, but he just couldn’t stop thinking about her that way.
Dani searched his face for a long moment before whispering, “You really mean all this, don’t you?”
Jonnas didn’t hesitate. “Yes.” And for the first time since this entire mess began, Dani looked at him like she might finally believe him.
Jonnas knew the exact moment Dani decided to trust him a little. It happened quietly, with no dramatic declaration and no big emotional speech—just a tiny nod while standing in the middle of his office with tears still clinging to her lashes.
“Okay,” she whispered. Two syllables—that was all it took to completely wreck him. Jonnas exhaled slowly, trying not to react too strongly to the sudden warmth spreading through his chest. Because this mattered more than she probably realized. Dani didn’t strike him as someone who gave trust easily, so the fact that she was giving him even a small piece of it felt important—dangerously important.