The Truest Thing (Hart's Boardwalk 4)

Till death do they part.

39

Jack

Light burst into the room, waking Jack at the crack of dawn. He’d forgotten to shut the curtains when he brought Em back to her beach house the night before. To his relief, Em didn’t ask him to leave. She let him take her upstairs, help her undress, and she even let him hold her while she fell asleep, exhausted by the day’s events.

They’d been allowed to go in twos to see Jess and the baby.

Cooper had a son.

It was surreal.

But fucking great seeing how happy it made his friend.

Jess and Cooper had named their boy Tyler Joseph Lawson.

Apparently, the umbilical cord had wrapped around Tyler’s neck, causing oxygen deprivation. When Cooper told them that, Jack had pulled Em so tight into his side, he was probably gripping her too hard. But that shit was terrifying. The thought of it happening to their little one scared the hell out of Jack.

As for Tyler’s size, he was long and big at eight pounds and eight ounces. No wonder Jess had been uncomfortable for most of the pregnancy.

Seeing how tired Jess was, they’d excused themselves and promised they’d be back in the morning to visit since Jess would have to stay until the doc said she was okay to be discharged.

An exhausted Emery hadn’t said much in the truck on the way home, and Jack had known that it wasn’t the right time to bring up the status of their relationship.

Turning his head on the pillow, every part of him ached as he took in the sight of Emery lying beside him. God, he wanted this for the rest of his life. Waking up to her.

The thought of losing it … it was worse than any grief Jack had ever experienced in his life.

Em had kicked the duvet off during the night. She’d been getting especially hot in her sleep lately. That’s why he’d helped her into a cami-and-short set for bed, despite the cool fall temperatures.

The cami had risen up Em’s stomach, revealing the cute little baby bump. Unable to resist, Jack reached out and smoothed his hands over it. Sometimes when he touched the bump, he felt like a kid who’d just been told Santa was real. It was awesome, magical, that there was a baby, a little person, growing inside Emery. A little person made up of him and her.

Jack hoped their kid had Em’s eyes. It would be a dying shame if Em didn’t pass on such beauty to her kids.

Kids.

Jack wanted more than one.

And he wanted them with Em.

Because if he didn’t have them with her, he wasn’t having them at all.

Suddenly her hand, bare of the silver rings he’d helped her remove last night, covered his. His gaze moved from her belly to her face. She was awake, a soft, sweet look on her face.

“Morning.”

“Morning, sunrise,” he whispered.

At his words, Emery got this unbelievably beautiful, tender look in her eyes. A look she couldn’t stop, couldn’t hide.

A look that said she loved him.

And it caused Jack to blurt out, “I’m so goddamn in love with you, Emery Saunders.”

Her eyes widened, any sleepiness disappearing.

Then she sat up, fast, panicked.