LOGINAshton let out a soft laugh and gave me a sidelong look.
It made me nervous, and when he finally spoke, his voice was teasing. ‘Are you sure you’re not trying to remind me I should be doing something?’
I pushed at his chest, flustered. ‘I’m going to sleep. You do whatever you want.’
‘That sounded suspiciously suggestive,’ Ashton said, lifting the hand he was holding and pressing it to his lips.
The warmth of his touch made me forget myself, until he lowered his gaze and smiled. ‘Judging by that look in your eyes, I’d say you’re definitely hinting at something.’
‘What look?’
He leaned in until our foreheads touched, then murmured with a grin, ‘The look of someone who’s trying to undress me with their eyes.’
‘You’re ridiculous,’ I muttered, pushing his head away and yanking the blanket over my face to hide how hot it f
Ashton came to the ranch whenever he could, but honestly, he was becoming more childish by the day.Every evening, after carrying me upstairs to the bedroom, he would sit down beside me and start giving our unborn babies a very serious lecture.I’d be half-lying there while Ashton leaned over slightly, one hand braced on the mattress by my waist, his whole face filled with concentration as he talked to my belly.He spoke as if they could actually understand him. It was ridiculous, but I had to admit it was also a little heart-warming.Watching him like that, in the quiet of the night, softened me. I reached out and gently stroked my stomach, thinking, ‘Your dad really does love you two. He’s going to be a good father.’Just then, I felt a faint movement in my belly, and Ashton stopped mid-sentence.I looked down and saw a small bump rise and fall under the thin white fabric of my nightdress.It wasn’t the
Ashton let out a soft laugh and gave me a sidelong look.It made me nervous, and when he finally spoke, his voice was teasing. ‘Are you sure you’re not trying to remind me I should be doing something?’I pushed at his chest, flustered. ‘I’m going to sleep. You do whatever you want.’‘That sounded suspiciously suggestive,’ Ashton said, lifting the hand he was holding and pressing it to his lips.The warmth of his touch made me forget myself, until he lowered his gaze and smiled. ‘Judging by that look in your eyes, I’d say you’re definitely hinting at something.’‘What look?’He leaned in until our foreheads touched, then murmured with a grin, ‘The look of someone who’s trying to undress me with their eyes.’‘You’re ridiculous,’ I muttered, pushing his head away and yanking the blanket over my face to hide how hot it f
Ashton stood there, watching me with that same familiar gaze that felt almost achingly nostalgic.My heart gave a small, helpless tremor.When I finally found my voice, it came out tight, nervous without my realising. ‘You… what are you doing here?’‘I came to see… the babies,’ Ashton said.‘Oh.’So that was all he’d come for.‘How have you been these past few days?’I thought he was still asking about the babies.‘Good,’ I said casually. ‘I’ve been eating and sleeping well. The babies are fine too.’‘That’s good.’‘Mm.’We stood there facing each other, both at a loss for words.After a while, when the silence began to stretch too long, I looked up at him. ‘Would you come for a walk with me? I go out every morning for a bit.’He nodded. ‘Take a jack
Yvaine came to have lunch with me at the studio the next day.We chatted about this and that, then she waited until the mood felt right before saying, ‘By the way, Mira, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you.’‘What is it?’ I looked up.‘I’m thinking of taking a little trip somewhere, just to relax for a bit. Want to come with me?’‘A trip?’ I hesitated.Truthfully, I hadn’t been anywhere in ages. But could I even go?Earlier today, I’d only stepped out of the studio for a short while and Ashton hauled me back with a long lecture. If I were to travel, I’d have bodyguards following me everywhere. Just picturing that scene made me feel as if I might as well stay home.In the end, under Yvaine’s hopeful gaze, I shook my head.‘You’re not coming?’ she said, sounding genuinely pained. ‘Why not? You used to love
Still, I didn’t argue, just got up and let him steady me as we started walking slow laps around the villa.I kept sneaking glances at him as we walked. His expression was so serious it was almost comical, as if he were pondering some grave philosophical problem.Then, as we passed the conservatory, he suddenly stopped. I stopped too, confused.‘We need two names,’ he said, thoughtful. ‘For both girls and boys. And not Maple.’I stared at him. So that’s what he’d been thinking about all this time.‘Fine. Not Maple.’ The name had been something I’d made up on a whim ages ago, never meant to be permanent, but apparently he’d taken it to heart.‘So,’ I asked, ‘have you come up with any good ones?’‘I’ll think about it properly when we get back,’ he said.I could only sigh. So all that brooding was for nothing, then.We
‘When you’re at work, you keep your phone on and stay on a call with me the entire time.’I was speechless. That meant zero privacy.But seeing the stubborn set of his jaw—the clear ‘take it or leave it’ message—I finally gritted my teeth and agreed to his demands.When we got in the car, Ashton fitted the Bluetooth earpiece to my ear. He drove me to the studio and insisted on walking me upstairs. He gave the place a once-over, clearly not impressed, but finally left when I reminded him he was running late.Work went smoothly that day, but something Priya said stuck in my mind.That evening, after dinner, I sat on the sofa, rubbed my stomach and said to Ashton, ‘Don’t you think my belly looks a bit odd lately?’He froze, immediately put down what he was doing, and looked at me with sudden seriousness. ‘You’re eating well, sleeping fine, and the baby’s healthy. What







