Darker The Forbidden Berry

“Jaleeyah and my Grandma. I’m sure my mom did too, but we weren’t very close,” she took a deep shaky breath. “I care about you too. And I’m not just saying that. It was the first thing that came to mind when I found out I was pregnant. I was worried about you.”

“Worried about me? Why on earth were you worried about me?”

“What are your parents going to say when they find out?”

Finn tossed his head back and let out one of those deep, honest belly laughs that made Aja fall for him in the first place. Her face went slack in surprise at the reaction.

“Who cares what they think about it?”

“I mean… Can’t they cut you from their will?”

Finn shrugged and leaned back, crossing his ankles, feet hanging off the arm of the couch.

“They could, but I’m their only kid. Seems like a stupid move to me. Besides, they would just end up hiring me to run their businesses over here. They act like I’m incompetent but they know that I’m good at my job. They are just upset because they don’t have an iron grip on me anymore.”

Listening to Finn made her relax a little. Aja allowed herself to take the breath that she’d been holding for so long, eyes fluttering closed.

“Really?”

“Really. Plus, I think that they will be thrilled to have grandchildren. They talk about it enough.”

“And they won’t be angry that you had their first grandchild with a starving artist who they hired to keep you from knocking people up?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips and he chuckled a little.

“Now that you put it that way, it does sound kind of bad, doesn’t it?”

“That was my whole point.”

Finn shrugged again and kissed the top of her head, easing her into a sitting position. They both sat up and got comfortable on the couch before Finn pulled her into an embrace.

“I don’t care if they get mad, Aja. You’re amazing and I’m lucky that you will be the mother to my first child.”

The sincere words made her cheeks flush and all of the fear that she felt washed away. She wrapped her arms around him in return and pressed her face to his shoulder. She’d been so scared that he wouldn’t want this.

Aja had bought the line that Finn was a party boy who loved sleeping around, and while some of that was true, it was not all Finn had in him. He was loving, caring and warm. He embraced the people around him without restraint and offered them whatever they needed. He was a kind and generous soul and that was the reason she’d fallen for him. His handsome, chiseled face was not too bad either.

At the end of the day, Finn embodied everything Aja wanted in a lover. He had all of the qualities she had not been able to foster in herself through the years. Maybe he could teach her, and their child, how to be as free with their emotion as he was.

“You okay?”

His concerned voice broke her from her trance and she nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Good. Because I’m hungry and I’m sure you are too…Especially since you’re eating for two.”

The unrestrained grin that broke out on his face made Aja’s heart flutter in a way she’d never felt before. She smiled and leaned over, placing a gentle kiss to his cheek as he handed her the food he’d ordered her. Aja was not even surprised that she loved what he got her. They’d settled into a sort of domestic bliss over the last few months. They knew each other’s favorite foods, drinks and could even sense bad and good moods coming on.

They clicked in a way that Aja never thought she’d click with anyone. All of the men in her life always acted like she was so elusive and mysterious, but they just never paid attention. Finn had an eye for detail that other men in her life had lacked.

They watched a movie together, barely paying attention to it as they stole kisses and whispered their excitement to one another. Aja’s eyes grew heavier earlier than usual and Finn eventually took her hand and led her up to the bed that they had been sharing for some time now. The cottage had most of the furniture moved out of it and was used as a studio space. It was one of the many kind gestures that Finn had shown her since they’d started… Dating?

The question was heavy on Aja’s mind as she lay on her back in bed, her arm over her eyes and her other hand resting on her stomach. Finn was beside her, silently reading.

“Finn?”

“Hmmm?”

“Are we dating?”

She uncovered her eyes when the silence went on for too long, fixing her gaze on him. He had his head leaned back and cocked to the side as he contemplated the question. Finally, he looked at her, with an easy expression.

“Do you want to be dating?”

Aja threw her arm over him and huffed, her head on his chest.

“I asked you first, but if you’re going to act like that, I suppose I can answer.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t care what we call it, but I want to be exclusive. I want to be the one you come home to every night. If we decide later that it isn’t working out then so be it, but right now I want you to be mine.”

A small smile cracked on Finn’s face and he kissed her cheek tenderly.