Rookie - The Finale | Ethan Ramsey

Chapter 38~ Just Us Three

Just Us Three

"But I look at you and I keep thinking... You're carrying our baby."
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The apartment was still wrapped in the quiet blue of early morning when Ethan stirred awake.

For a brief moment, habit convinced him that it was an ordinary Tuesday.

Then his eyes drifted toward the woman sleeping beside him.

Blue had curled instinctively toward his side sometime during the night, one hand tucked beneath her cheek, her caramel strands fanned across his pillow in soft, unruly waves. Jenner was sprawled at the foot of the bed in a position that defied every known law of canine anatomy, though sometime during the night he had managed to inch his way closer until one oversized paw rested lightly against Blue's calf, as if making certain she had not gone anywhere.

Ethan could not help but smile.

Yesterday had happened.

The reveal.

The tears.

The ultrasound.

The tiny flicker of a heartbeat that had somehow rewritten every plan he had ever made for the future.

Somewhere beneath the duvet, hidden beneath an oversized Hopkins T-shirt and blankets, was the woman he loved more than anything in the world. She looked exactly the same as she always had. Her waist was still slender, her breathing slow and even, her face relaxed in sleep.

And yet...

She was carrying their child.

His chest tightened with a feeling he could not quite name.

Wonder, perhaps.

Gratitude.

A little fear.

More love than he knew what to do with.

Almost unconsciously, his fingertips drifted to her side, tracing lightly over the fabric gathered at her waist. He was careful—almost absurdly so—as though the gentlest touch might somehow disturb the tiny miracle tucked safely inside her.

It did not wake her.

Instead, she shuffled closer with a sleepy little sigh until her forehead rested against his shoulder.

"There you are," she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.

His smile widened, "I've been here the whole time."

"Mmm..." She frowned faintly without opening her eyes. "I had a dream."

"Oh?"

"You stole all the blankets." she said.

"I categorically deny those allegations." Ethan bantered back.

"You would."

"I would also like the record to show I am a very considerate husband." he added, poking her nose.

She cracked one eye open just enough to look at him. "The jury's still deliberating."

He laughed quietly, the sound barely more than a breath in the stillness of the room. "I suppose I'll have to improve my public image."

"You'll need better legal representation." she quipped back.

He leaned down and brushed a lingering kiss against her forehead.

"I'll hire Jenner." he said playfully.

At the mention of his name, one floppy ear twitched from the foot of the bed.