Page 91 of Irreplaceable

“Aiden,” I said. I’d always dreamed of having a son named Aiden. “It means little fire or little and fiery.”

“Aiden,” he said, as if testing it out. “Come here, Aiden.” He took a breath. “Let’s go play soccer, Aiden.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I like it.”

“I like you,” I said, falling a little harder.

“I’m glad because you’re kind of stuck with me now.” He lightly elbowed my ribs in jest.

I knew Enzo was joking, but I didn’t want either of us to feel like we were trapped in this relationship because of the circumstances. Talk about a recipe for disaster.

He gave my shoulder a shake. “You know I’m teasing, right?”

With my head still resting on his chest, I nodded.

“Harper,” he said. “Did I upset you?”

My belly felt like it was full of worms. “I just…” I huffed. “I worry that things happened so fast. I don’t want either of us to feel stuck.”

“I don’t feel stuck at all. In fact, I’m thrilled that this happened. It feels like the start of another adventure.” He pulled me on top of him, forcing me to look at him, to face this. “I don’t know how to explain it, but us, the baby—it all feels meant to be.”

He cupped the back of my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. For a moment, I forgot about the obstacles and the haters. I forgot about my fears. And I allowed myself to indulge in this moment, even if it did feel like a fantasy.