Race the Storm

Chapter 30

Willa eyed the phone in her right hand as her left idly rubbed her belly. Was it possible the powers were actually her baby's?" She didn't know, but wouldn't that make more sense than them being hers? Had her anger triggered the baby?

That was a scary thing to think about, she didn't want the baby to get so emotionally triggered it started using its abilities already.

"You look deep in thought." Willa glanced up with a half smile, a tired sigh escaping her as Jax brought her the cup of raspberry tea she'd requested. It was just a store-bought tea bag and a cup of hot water from the little hotel coffee maker, but right now, it brought comfort.

She had to say though, the caffeine limit was the worst part of being pregnant so far.

Outside of running away from a government-sponsored militant experimental baby-making organization of course.

As Jax sat down behind her on the hotel bed and pulled her against him, letting her rest against his solid chest, she reflected that okay, there had been another benefit to being pregnant. Meeting Jax.

He handed her the styrofoam cup and then ran his hand through her hair while she took a sip before answering.

"Just...thinking about everything that's happened," she finally said.

"Starting when?" he rumbled. She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head before he looped one arm loosely around her.

"The dawn of time."

"Wow. Impressive."

Willa smiled a little at his absolutely deadpan tone and took another sip of her tea. "I know, right? I'm just all kinds of interesting and deep."

"I have to agree. And not in the sarcastic way you're saying it."

"You started the sarcasm..."

"No, that was you." Jax's hand ran along her side. "Anything from Wes?"

"He's still looking," she said, shaking her head. "He doesn't want to say anything before finding more data."

"Very Wes of him," Jax said, a touch of aggravation in his voice. "But at least he's being thorough."

"Mhmm." The tea was warm and good, a touch herbal mixed in with all of the raspberry.

Jax tightened his grip on her for a moment. "You were thinking about everything that's happened since I kidnapped you, right?"

"Before that," she said, shrugging a little, "I was at the Estate for a few months before any kidnapping happened."

"Willa..." Jax's thumb pressed into her skin. "Why did you go to the Estate to begin with?"

"I told you, I needed money," she said, shrugging. "And it seemed like a nice thing to do for a family that couldn't have kids." That was basically it.

"But what did you need money for?" he asked. "You don't have to tell me. But I was curious."

"My brother," she said, shifting. "I wanted to put him through college." She hadn't tried to get in touch with him since she had gone on the run, too afraid to contact him unless the Estate traced her to him. A blush colored her cheeks. "And I wanted to open my own bakery."

Jax's thumb stroked absently against her arm. "That's pretty cool, Willa. But you know I'm going to have to find us one of those hotels with kitchens now so you can bake something for me to try."

Willa chuckled, leaning back against him after setting the cup down on the bedside table. "You might have to wait longer, most baking things require a number of kitchen instruments as well. Buying those doesn't exactly fit our traveling cover story."