My Dad's Bestfriend

Chapter 218

Evelyn

I woke up to the sensation of rough fingers tracing slow, featherlight patterns up and down my stomach. The warmth of small, lingering kisses ghosted over my skin, and for a moment, I just lay there, letting myself sink into the tenderness of it.

Blinking the sleep from my eyes, I looked down to find Jacob sprawled across me, his head resting just above my belly, arms wrapped around me in a possessive grip.

It took me a second to realize he wasn't actually putting any weight on me. He was simply listening.

A soft smile curled my lips as I tangled my fingers into his silky hair, scratching my nails lightly over his scalp. "What are you doing, silly?"

"Isn't it weird that I can't hear anything?" he murmured, his voice low and

thoughtful. Without looking at me, he pressed his ear a little closer to my skin, as if trying to catch even the faintest whisper of sound.

"Holy shit! I heard one!" he suddenly exclaimed.

I bit my lip, struggling not to burst into laughter. "Jacob... that was my stomach grumbling. I'm hungry."

He finally sat up, his brows furrowing in disappointment. "We should go to the doctor. This isn't normal."

A small chuckle escaped me. "You really have no idea how pregnancy works, do you?" I pushed myself up, wrapping my arms around his neck, my fingers caressing the nape of his neck. I couldn't help it—I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before whispering against them, "Babies don't make sounds in the womb, Jacob. They don't talk or cry. They just eat, sleep, and sometimes move. And ours is still too tiny for even that. Right now, they're just growing."

"I see," he mumbled, though the skepticism still lingered in his expression.

I hesitated for a moment, my heart warring with my thoughts. Then, finally, I spoke.

"Jacob, can I ask you something?"

His eyes met mine instantly, and for a brief second, something flickered behind them-recognition. He already knew what I was about to ask.

Still, he sighed, shifting as he pulled me onto his lap, straddling him. My hands slid over his chest, fingers splayed against his warmth as I gazed at him, my voice soft.

"Your biggest fear... is that you'll become like your biological father, isn't it?" I felt his body tense beneath my touch-but he didn't freeze. He didn't flinch. He didn't even try to deny it.

he had been expecting

wondering what if one day I wake up and see him in me? What if I start to behave

become him. You are Jacob. My Jacob. You are mine, and no matter what, you will always be the man I know." My eyes searched his, trying to anchor him. "You're the one who carries everyone's burdens so they can sleep in peace. The one who loves me, takes care of me, feeds me even when I refuse

sound escaped him as he pulled me into his arms, burying his face into the crook of my neck. I felt his heartbeat, hard and unsteady against my chest. This man bottled

the most?" I

His body stiffened instantly.

hard it was for him-to think

he had to let it

couldn't keep storing it inside,

a slow breath of resignation,

I

gave me a black eye," he said, his voice rough, as though the memory itself tasted bitter on

"Which eye?" I asked.

"Left."

in and pressed a gentle kiss over his left eye, my lips barely brushing against

whispered. "There's no pain anymore." I rubbed my thumb soothingly over the spot, as if I could erase the ghosts of his past with a simple touch. "It's just you and me now. Our friends. Our family. And our baby. The

breath, his eyes still closed, as

asked, my

twitched before he spoke again, "When

trembled. So did his

arms around him as tightly as I could.

grounding him. "She's happy. She lives in her beautiful Hittle apartment, in a safe space, with a protective little brother who has grown strong enough to shield her from anything. She is free. The marks are gone. The memories ate fading, she is safe and mostly, she has everything she

didn't say anything for a long time, just held onto me as though I was the only thing tethering him

Love.

Relief.

was pulling him out of the darkness that lived inside his head. As if I

beat her so badly that she bled." As the words

sharp sting

didn't know how

She was gone.