Chapter Three
“Layne?”
Jax looked into the bedroom, confused when he didn’t see Layne sitting at the small desk where she had been spending the majority of her time lately. He wasn’t sure what she was doing exactly, but he was glad that she had something to do to keep herself occupied. The pregnancy had been unexpected, and he could tell that it was taking its toll on her. But she was holding up remarkably well.
It made him feel better to know Layne was spending her time doing something constructive. She had been really depressed for a while, not to be able to do the same kind of physical exertion that she had originally been used to doing when she tended to the garden. But since it was winter, there wasn’t as much to do anyway. Still, the woman he loved was the restless, energetic type, and if she wasn’t busy occupying her mind with new ideas, she was doing something physical and innovative that proved just how intelligent she truly was.
Jax had never met anybody so intelligent. He was surprised daily by things that she said. Off-handed remarks that seemed to be of no consequence to her at all left Jax in awe of her incredible gifts. She didn’t think anything of herself, but he knew that Layne was remarkable. The fact that somebody so smart, so beautiful, was able to survive the apocalypse was nothing short of incredible. But the fact that they were so ridiculously compatible just blew him away. The very fact that they were together was a miracle as far as Jax was concerned.
“Jax?” Layne’s voice met his ears and he felt a surge of peace settle his nerves.
It was strange and probably overprotective, but whenever she was out of sight, he found himself fighting pangs of anxiety. They had been separated far too many times for his comfort, and not knowing where she might be always brought a primal fear into his heart. It was the fear of a man who had lost too much. A fear that knew that life was cold and cruel, and would not make allowances simply for his pleasure. He could love Layne, love their child, love anything in general with his all. But there was a lot of risk involved in that. He had found it to be a lot safer to keep others at a distance after the tragedy struck. Even if he gave his all for his family, there was the terrifying chance that it would still mean nothing in the end, because anything could happen to take it away from him.
“Why do you look so gloomy?” Layne asked, smiling at him.
Jax stared at her, captivated by the immense beauty that radiated off of her in waves. And yet, she seemed to know nothing about how beautiful she was, or how much he truly loved her. She leaned her head against the doorframe and quirked an eyebrow. “You’re too pretty to be thinking that hard.”
Jax couldn’t help but laugh. He was far from a meathead, but she made casual jokes precisely because he was smart enough to see the humor in them. He could tell that in the world before devastation, she had been a firecracker. The kind of woman no man would ever get in the way of. These women were intimidating to Jax’s friends, even his own brother, but secretly Jax had always had a strong attraction to them. There was something sexy about confident women, especially the ones who were proud of their own minds. It was like he had been born to fall in love with Layne.
“Seriously, what’s wrong?” Layne asked, moving toward him and putting her hand over his forehead. He pulled away and gripped her wrists, his dark eyes shining mischievously.
“I can think of a couple of things,” he said, pulling her inside the bedroom and kicking the door closed. “And one of them is that you still have clothes on.”
“Easy, tiger,” she said, pushing him gently away and guiding his hand to the mound where their baby was growing. “I’m feeling kind of nauseated right now.”
“They call it morning sickness,” Jax sighed, sinking into the chair beside her desk. “But it never seems to go away.”
“It will,” Layne promised, kissing Jax on the top of his head. “How is the nursery coming along?”
Jax perked up at the mention of his latest project. The house where they had settled had only one small bedroom, and it was soon to be cramped with Tobi, Sam, and a new baby. The girls had made themselves a makeshift bedroom where the couch was, but Jax had decided that he would find a solution that was better for everybody. It had started out as a simple way to keep himself busy. Realistically he would be able to do little if their little settlement was caked with snow, but so far it had been a mild winter there. Up north where his brother was, however, was a different story.
“It’s great,” Jax said. “I have almost all of the wood ready. I just need to finish digging up the foundation and finding enough stones to make it secure.”
Layne smiled lovingly at Jax, and once again he felt overwhelmed by his love for her. He would do whatever it took to take care of their family.