Your Fierce Love (The Bennett Family 7)

“Yeah. I was waiting for you to have the interviews behind you, thought it was the right moment. But there is no right moment, just right now. This is our moment. I love you, and the baby.”

“You love Beanie,” I whisper, my heart all but bursting out of my chest.

“Huh?”

“That’s what I’m calling the baby until we know the sex.” I touch my belly in round circles.

“Terrible, even for a nickname.”

We both laugh, but then our chuckles fade into a long and heavy silence.

“Blake, I need time to process this,” I say eventually.

“I thought as much. Look out for a delivery tomorrow too.”

“Why?”

“I can do better than flowers, but thought I’d start small.”

My smile reappears. “Blake.”

“I want to see you, Clara. There is nothing I want more. But I won’t come until you ask me to. Now go and kick ass.”

***

I do just that, starting my training day with renewed energy, and my heart significantly less heavy. The next day, Blake sends me a box of crystallized ginger with a note that says Ginger is supposed to help with morning sickness.

Wow, I’d read about it, but what with the fabulous training taking up every waking hour, I didn’t even have time to run to the pharmacy for any cures. And speaking of time, I’m dangerously close to running late, which is why I head straight out of the hotel, munching on the ginger. Ah, these are going to make my life so much better.

On my way, I thumb off a message to Blake.

Clara: How did you know about my morning sickness?

He answers a few minutes later, just as I enter the building.

Blake: I have my methods. Any time you want me to fly over there and take care of you, let me know. Any time.

Grinning, I slip my phone in the front pocket of my jeans, joining my group.

***

“All right, everyone! Let’s order in lunch, and maybe it’s time for a round of introductions, get to know each other better,” the trainer suggests. I think the competitive vibes are becoming unnerving even for him.

The introductions reveal I’m the only one to have passed the three-zero mark here in the room. Everyone else ranges from college graduates to midtwenties, but I don’t mind. It might have taken me a long while to get here, but I’m not going anywhere except forward. Still, some of the looks the recent graduates gave me when we introduced ourselves this morning were downright comical. I forgot that when you’re twenty-two, thirty seems ancient.

All this I owe to Blake, for pushing me, for believing in me. If it weren’t for him, I’d still be getting ready. I’d still be waiting for the right moment. Blake put it right. There is no right moment. Just right now.

The first thin

g I do once training is over for the day is call him.

“Hey!”

“Hey back. Wait a second,” he says softly. I recognize the voice of Blue Moon’s location manager in his background. A sound of a door follows and then silence. “I can talk now.”

“I realized I forgot to say two very important things when we spoke.”

“I’m listening.”