Method for Matrimony – Jupiter Tides Read Online Anne Malcom

Categories Genre: Alpha Male, Contemporary, Suspense Tags Authors: Anne Malcom Advertisement

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I was seeing her expression when I spoke to her, watching the way she shrank in on herself in my presence. She was nothing like the vibrant, fiery woman I married, ready to go toe-to-toe with me and win.

Well, I’d seen a glimpse of her at the end. Her fury lit up her face and reminded me that she was okay. That I wasn’t ruining her beyond repair.

She didn’t look good, though.

Of course, she looked fucking beautiful. She always would, no matter what.

But she looked sick.

Weren’t you meant to put on weight when you were pregnant?

I should know this shit. I’d been married before. My wife had been pregnant before. Except I wasn’t there for it. I was across the world, fighting a war that wasn’t mine to fight, fighting it for all the wrong fucking reasons, thinking I was being noble or brave or some fucking shit.

I was in the battlefield trying to find my manhood while my wife had been at home growing our baby and doing it alone.

And now I was here, in the same house as her, and the second time around, my wife was growing our baby and doing it alone.

It was fucking torture.

I should leave.

I had a duffel packed in my truck. Had driven out of town countless times over these past few weeks with the intention of leaving. Disappearing.

It was the one noble thing left I had to do.

No, dipshit, the one noble thing you have to do is step the fuck up and be there for the woman carrying your child.

I ignored that voice. It sounded too much like my father even though it was fucking right.

I couldn’t step up for Fiona. Couldn’t let myself get attached to her and the baby. No way in hell I’d survive that. Losing them.

It was selfish and cowardly.

But even if I did manage to get out of my own fucking way and try to step up, I’d fuck up. Cause more damage. That, I knew. She was better off without me.

fiona

Weeks passed, and I didn’t lose the baby.

The horrendous morning sickness seemed to be waning some. I thought I’d be thankful for that, except then I convinced myself the lack of morning sickness meant something had gone wrong.

Then I’d vomit up a quesadilla and be momentarily reassured.

Then I’d find myself eating a whole packet of gummy bears, holding them down, and worrying all over again.

It was a really fun cycle.

Punctuated by Kip’s cold shoulder.

I’d gotten used to the proverbial temperature in the house as winter crept in, the cold seeping into my bones despite my really great heating system.

I’d gotten used to him having that emotionless, empty look in his eyes on the rare occasion we crossed paths. The way he would try to get out of my presence as quick as possible, not look at me, and just generally act like my existence was torture to him.

No, not my existence, the existence of the baby growing inside me.

I could live with him hating me for whatever reason. That was something I’d signed up for. Sure, it would’ve been hard to adjust to after we’d spent a decent amount of time in harmony, fucking, and almost acting like a couple. It’d hurt. But it wouldn’t settle deep down inside me and gnaw at my insides like this was.

It made me hate him.

This child was something precious to me. It was becoming more and more real. It was a miracle, for fuck’s sake. And here he was hating on it because he was a big fucking coward.

So, it was probably good he all but ran in the opposite direction when I saw him, because I couldn’t completely trust myself not to stab him in the eye with a fork.

Well, I didn’t trust my stomach’s ability to deal with the gore. Otherwise, I would’ve totally stabbed him with the fork.

I still wasn’t showing, so the town as a whole didn’t know I was pregnant. It was only a matter of time. It was not lost on my regulars that my pallor had been somewhat green for the past few weeks, and there were more than a few of our retirees who had regarded me with a knowing gaze.

Thankfully, no one voiced their suspicions out loud. To my face, at least. I was sure there were various gossip pools speculating on my fertility status. This town was slightly wacky, especially when it came to any kind of romances between well-known residents. Kip’s and my nuptials had almost caused as much of a stir as Rowan and Nora. Fuck, there had been an article in the local paper about them.

Luckily no one had penned anything about us. That would’ve been a total fucking disaster. Though it would’ve served as great ‘evidence’ of our relationship for the government.

My closest circle knew, though. Both about my pregnancy and Kip’s reaction to it. And my closest circle had varying degrees of fury toward my husband. Nora muttered about it under her breath at various points in the day. Tina didn’t say a word, but when his name was mentioned, her nostrils started flaring and her face got all red. Tiffany had been filing her nails the last time I’d been at their house, speculating on how well that nail file would slice into his balls.

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