give me any sort of logical explanation as to why he wanted to wait.

The eternal bond I used to share with Jax had been transferred to Trent. He’d claimed me as his soulmate, and we were getting married in less than five months. We were more than committed to each other, so I didn’t understand what the issue was.

“Your aunt and uncle are already upset that we’re getting married so soon after graduation. How do you think they’ll react when they find out your pregnant before you graduate high school?” he asked.

When Aunt Beth found out I was engaged, she had not been happy. In fact, the first thing she’d asked me was if I was pregnant, so I honestly didn’t think it would be that big of a shock to her.

Not to mention, everyone at school was whispering and gossiping that I was pregnant, because apparently that was the only reason Trent could possibly be marrying me. I had to admit, every day I showed up at school not pregnant and proved all the gossip was nothing more than vicious rumors gave me a sense of satisfaction.

“And you’ve already bought your wedding dress. If you get pregnant now, you won’t fit into it,” he said, his tone gentle.

My shoulders relaxed a little, and I dropped my arms to my sides. Trent closed the small distance between us, and I glanced up at him. His expression was calm, but there was a war waging behind his sharp blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice shaky.

“Nothing. It’s just… your dream is to be a mom, and it’s my dream to be a dad, but I always imagined that would happen after I was married, that I would share the excitement with my wife,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck, his gaze pleading.

Understanding clicked in my brain. He wanted to wait until after we were married.

“I can’t really explain it,” he said. “But having a child is a big deal, especially now, considering the circumstances, and I don’t know. I guess I just want to do this right. I want to have a baby with my wife, okay?”

My heart melted. Nothing about Trent’s existence was normal, but he wanted this part of his life to be as normal as possible. Could I really blame him for that? Still, why hadn’t he told me that before?

“So, you haven’t changed your mind?” I asked, my throat tight with fear.

“No.” He shook his head. “But I feel like we were both so excited about the possibility of having a child, with the knowledge that we could to this that we never stopped to think if we should.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, as soon as you change, we’re going to have to deal with the Zoya, and the thought of having an innocent child in the middle of that terrifies me. What if I can’t protect our child? What if I can’t protect you?” His voice wavered the tiniest bit.

My breath hitched. I’d seen Trent scared before, but his fear had never been this palpable.

“We’re going to be two vampires raising a human child,” he said, pacing away from me. He dragged his hand through his hair. “Eventually, he or she will get older and realize we’re not human. What happens then? Do we tell him or her the truth? Do we let our child become what we are, or do we let them grow old and die?”

I froze. None of those thoughts had ever crossed my mind. Not once. How could I have been so stupid? Numb, I shuffled back toward the bed and sank down onto the mattress.

“We can’t possibly give this child any sort of stability because we’ll have to constantly be moving around,” he continued. “Sure, he or she will have family that will know the truth and can be in their life, but what about school? Friends?”

My stomach knotted. When my father walked out on me, Mom and I had to move because we couldn’t afford the house, which meant I’d had to switch schools. Then, when Mom died, I moved to Keene Valley. Then to Malibu… I knew firsthand what it was like not to have any real stability, to have to constantly move and adapt and make new friends. I hated it.

And that was the reason I’d fought so hard to have the life I wanted with Trent—so I could have something permanent, something I knew wouldn’t ever change or be ripped away from me. But I’d been foolish to think anything about the life I’d chosen was normal.

I rubbed my hands over my face and swallowed against the lump in my throat. “Why didn’t you mention any of this before we made the deal with Ivy?” I asked.

Trent kneeled in front of me, his hands on my legs. “Because I hadn’t really thought about any of this, either. Not until recently.”

I kept my head down, letting his words sink in. Everything about my and Trent’s relationship had been impossible, but we’d always found a way. I desperately wanted to believe we’d find a way for this, too, but we were talking about a child now. An innocent life that didn’t deserve to be dragged into the midst of a war between witches and vampires.

“Chloe, honey, look at me,” Trent said, gently tilting my head until my gaze met his. “I’m not saying we shouldn’t do this, but I am saying we shouldn’t rush. Can we please agree to wait until after we’re married?”

Tears stung my eyes. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop from crying and nodded. “I’ll promise not to be so impatient.”

Trent sat next to me and gathered me in his arms. I buried my face against his chest, and he kissed the top of my head, his hold on me tightening.

I wanted to have a baby—Trent’s baby—but I wanted him more. When I first made the decision to become a vampire, I’d done so knowing full well I’d never have a child

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