The Girl in the Hoodie is Mine

Jason’s POV

As we lay there—our bodies tangled, her head on my chest, our breathing finally slowing—I knew I couldn’t keep it in any longer. Not if I ever wanted a real chance with her.

This moment... it felt sacred. Honest.

And I was about to ruin it.

But she deserved the truth.

I shifted slightly, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear like I hadn’t done that a hundred times in my dreams.

"I need to tell you something," I murmured, my voice barely above the silence between us. "And I know the timing sucks... but I don’t want to lie to you. Not anymore."

She tensed, just slightly, but didn’t pull away. That gave me hope. Just enough.

"The bet," I began. "It was real. We were assholes, immature idiots, thinking it would be funny or whatever. And it was me. I was the one who started it."

Her breath hitched, but she stayed quiet.

"I’m not going to tell you what it was about," I said quickly. "Not because I don’t think you deserve to know—but because it was cruel. And if I say it out loud, I’m scared this—us—will fall apart again. I can’t risk that. Not after how far we’ve come."

"I was stupid. I didn’t know you. Not really. I saw a challenge, a game, a girl too fierce for her own good—and I wanted to win. But then... I got to know you. The fire, the sharp tongue, the way you roll your eyes when you’re pretending not to care..."

I smiled a little, even though my chest ached.

"And I fell. Hard. For all of it. For you."

I turned, cupping her face gently, making her look at me.

"I love you. I’ve never stopped. Not even when you went full crazy-witch mode on me during those first few months of marriage." I grinned. "God, you were terrifying. But beautiful. Real."

She let out a watery laugh, biting her lip.

"And I swear," I said, voice breaking slightly, "if you give me the chance—I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you. You’re it for me. My first and last."

I hesitated, then added quietly, "And... just so you know... all the guys had a thing for you back then. Every single one of them. But they backed off. Said they’d never seen me look at someone like that before. Said they didn’t want to get in the way of something real."

I paused, heart pounding. "And they were right."

The silence that followed was heavy—but not with anger.

It was hopeful.

I looked at her—really looked—and saw every version of her layered into one. The firecracker from campus who never let me get away with anything. The girl who bit my lip when I stole kisses she pretended not to want. The same girl who kicked me right in the knuckles once for calling her "cute" in public.

And now... the woman lying beside me, her eyes a little glassy, her chest rising and falling with something I couldn’t quite read.

So I moved slow.

Tentative.

I leaned down, heart thudding like I was back in freshman year again, trying to steal one of those forbidden kisses in front of her dorm. Except now, I wasn’t stealing anything. I was asking. Hoping.

Praying she wouldn’t bite me like before.

Though, honestly? I’d take it. I’d take the bite, the kick, the fury—if it meant I still had her.

My lips brushed hers, feather-light at first. Testing. Waiting.

And when she didn’t pull away—or bite—I deepened it just a little, like a man starved, like every apology I couldn’t fit into words was being poured into that kiss. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Because I didn’t want to lie anymore.

I didn’t want to lose her again.

We ended up going for a second round—this time slower, deeper. Like we were learning each other all over again. And that’s when I really noticed it—how responsive she was, how she clung to me, gasping like she couldn’t get enough.

Yeah... the rumors were true.

Pregnancy hormones? Real.

And apparently, they hit hard.

She was needy, insatiable in the softest, sweetest way, and damn, I wasn’t complaining. I’d read somewhere that pregnancy could increase a woman’s libido, but I thought it was just a myth. Not anymore. I was a believer now.

I grinned into her skin, holding her close as we caught our breath.

I was so gonna love this kid.

Not just because it brought her back to me like this, not just because it gave us a second chance—but because somehow, this tiny human already knew how to bring out the best in both of us.

I was so loving this side of pregnancy. Who knew it would turn my wife into this insatiable little vixen who couldn’t get enough of me?

Gods, she kept me awake all night.

And trust me—it wasn’t because she wanted me to run to KFC for chicken. Nope. This time, I was the craving.

Not that I was complaining... just saying, a man’s got limits. And she? Apparently didn’t care.

*********

I didn’t sleep. Not a wink.

And it wasn’t because I was up watching Netflix or doing something noble like reading parenting books. Nope.

It was because my beautiful, heavily pregnant, hormone-driven wife decided last night—at exactly 11:47 PM—that I was her personal craving. And I don’t mean emotionally. I mean physically. Repeatedly. Passionately. And very, very enthusiastically.

I’m not complaining. Let me just get that out there. I would never complain about being wanted like that by the woman I love. But I’m also not going to pretend my legs don’t feel like jelly, or that my back isn’t plotting to file for a divorce on its own.

I groaned and flopped over in bed, staring at the ceiling like it owed me answers. She was already awake, glowing like she’d just spent the night at a spa, not turning me into a human pretzel.

And there she was, sitting on the edge of the bed in my t-shirt, her belly soft and full in her lap, sipping orange juice with a damn smile on her face. Peaceful. Serene. Gorgeous.

The glow was real. And unfair.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she chirped like she wasn’t the reason I felt like I’d run a marathon... in a thunderstorm... wearing a backpack full of bricks.

I cracked one eye open. "You’re chipper for someone who committed war crimes on me last night."

She blinked innocently. "Oh? I thought you liked it."

Liked it? I loved it. But I also thought I might need a cane by the end of the week if she kept up this new level of... enthusiasm.

"You do realize I have a full day today, right?" I mumbled as I sat up slowly, every muscle reminding me of their existence. "I can’t be walking into meetings like I’ve just come back from bootcamp."

She snorted. "Oh please. You loved it. You kept asking for more."

I glared playfully. "That was before I realized you were trying to set a world record. Pretty sure I saw God at one point."

She grinned and leaned in to kiss my cheek. "You did great, daddy. Baby and I are proud."

"Oh, so it’s two against one now?"

"Always has been." She sipped her juice again, smug as hell.

I shook my head and reached for her waist, pulling her back onto the bed with me, gently of course. "You’re gonna kill me, Ella. But what a way to go..."

She laughed, soft and breathless, curling against me with her bump pressed between us. And in that moment—with her in my arms, messy-haired and happy—I didn’t care if I never slept again.