Broken Hearts (Light in the Dark 5)

“You’re okay with it?”

“Of course,” I tell him like he’s crazy, because he is.

He sets the notebook down on the coffee table before sitting beside it, across from me.

“I never wanted to believe I could do anything with my music. I loved it, I was passionate about it, but I never planned to make my living off of it. I dreamed one day maybe my music would see the light of day, other than me playing it in a bar, but it was always just that. A dream. Something I never believed would actually happen.” He reaches for my hands. “Losing Beckett showed me no dream is too big not to pursue, even if you’re scared it won’t work out. I dreamed and hoped for him, then we lost him, and it was crushing. But I learned I would rather have a taste of something good and lose it than not to try at all.” He lifts a finger to my cheek, wiping away my tears. “Please, don’t cry.”

I shake my head as more fall. I throw my arms around his neck and hug him.

“I love you,” I whisper into his neck.

“I love you too.” He grasps at the back of my shirt, holding me close.

I let him go and sit back, wiping away my tears. With a laugh, I say, “We better go. We’re bringing the food, so we can’t have everyone waiting on us.”

He chuckles. “Thea is going to bitch at us anyway.”

I nod in agreement. “True—but we still need to go.”

He groans and stands, holding his hands out to me. “Come on, beautiful. We have a demon to slay. And by demon, I mean Thea.”

The door to Xander and Thea’s house opens before we can knock or do it ourselves.

“I thought you guys would never get here. I’m starving.” Thea makes a grab for the dishes of food in my hands.

I look down and find Xael clinging to her mother’s leg.

She sees me looking and waves, smiling shyly. “Hi.”

“Hi,” I say back.

Thea scoots back, letting us in.

Xael sees Jace and smiles hugely, reaching for him to pick her up.

“I can take those.” I hold my hands out for the dishes he holds.

“Are you sure? They’re heavy, I don’t want—”

He shuts up and I roll my eyes. “I’m pregnant, it’s not like my arms are broken.”

Thea screams, a high-pitched excited scream, and nearly drops the dishes.

“You’re pregnant?” she asks, jumping around excitedly.

I raise my hands innocently. “Oops.”

Thea screams again. “Xander! Jace and Nova are having a baby!”

Xander comes into the room from the family room, his bare feet padding across the hardwood floor, baby Xoey sleeping in his arms. “Seriously?” he asks, looking at Jace and me.

“Yeah,” Jace says with a smile. “We’re serious.”

“That’s great, guys,” he says genuinely.

I close the door behind us and take the dishes from Jace. He bends down and picks up Xael.

“Hi.” She kisses his cheek.