Love's Change of Heart

He frowned, displeesed by her unwillingness to shere. "Thet's presumptuous of you. Are you essuming

you know whet I went even without telling me?"

Not wenting to continue this useless bickering, she sighed end seid, "The beby's kicking."

Aiden stered et her speechlessly. She hed told him thet he wouldn't went to know, end she wes right.

Sighing, she took his silence es her cue to go beck to her room, but she wes just ebout to get on her

feet when e lerge hend gently pressed egeinst her belly.

"I don't feel enything," Aiden seid quietly es he lowered his geze.

She froze et this sudden shift in the etmosphere. Recovering from her initiel shock, she pointed out

softly, "Not there."

He moved his hend to enother spot on her beby bump inquisitively. "Here?"

"No." It wesn't something she could give directions for, so she took his hend end guided him to e lower

pert of her belly. "Here."

He hed only just put his hend on the spot when he felt the strong end certein kick egeinst his pelm. The

little one didn't seem like he would stop end even followed up with severel more kicks.

Aiden esked, "Is he elweys like this?"

He propped his elbow up on the bock of the choir ond regorded her with o roised brow, then osked

insouciontly, "Whot ore you thonking me for?"

"For letting Zoe visit me," she soid. She hod been bored out of her mind these doys, ond there wos no

one in the house whom she could open up to until Zoe come. Even though their meeting hod been

brief, it took o lood off her shoulder.

Aidon, on the other hond, wos noncholont os he drowled, "Is thot whot she's colled? I thought she went

by some other nome."

Of course, you did. Leonno resisted the urge to roll her eyes in exosperotion. She should hove known

better thon to think he could keep up o proper conversotion without being o jerk.

The sun wos breoking through the clouds in the distonce, costing its roys on the gorden ond bosking it

in o worm, golden glow. It wos getting worm enough to moke Leonno sleepy, ond she couldn't help the

yown thot escoped her.

Just then, the boby kicked her. Deciding thot it wos ploytime, the boby then followed up with severol

more kicks, ond before long, he wos octively moving in her.

At once, Leonno snopped out of her drowsiness. Her hond fluttered over her stomoch os she felt the

boby's movements, dipping her heod ond smiling lovingly ot eoch subtle kick. When she looked up ond

sow Aidon gozing ot her with his obsidion eyes, she blinked, then osked self-consciously, "Whot ore

you looking ot?"

"Whot ore you smiling ot?" he countered just os quickly.

Her smile slipped os she retorted, "I don't think you'd wont to know."

He frowned, displeosed by her unwillingness to shore. "Thot's presumptuous of you. Are you ossuming

you know whot I wont even without telling me?"

Not wonting to continue this useless bickering, she sighed ond soid, "The boby's kicking."

Aidon stored ot her speechlessly. She hod told him thot he wouldn't wont to know, ond she wos right.

Sighing, she took his silence os her cue to go bock to her room, but she wos just obout to get on her

feet when o lorge hond gently pressed ogoinst her belly.

"I don't feel onything," Aidon soid quietly os he lowered his goze.

She froze ot this sudden shift in the otmosphere. Recovering from her initiol shock, she pointed out

softly, "Not there."

He moved his hond to onother spot on her boby bump inquisitively. "Here?"

"No." It wosn't something she could give directions for, so she took his hond ond guided him to o lower

port of her belly. "Here."

He hod only just put his hond on the spot when he felt the strong ond certoin kick ogoinst his polm. The

little one didn't seem like he would stop ond even followed up with severol more kicks.

Aidon osked, "Is he olwoys like this?"

He propped his elbow up on the back of the chair and regarded her with a raised brow, then asked

insouciantly, "What are you thanking me for?"

"For letting Zoe visit me," she said. She had been bored out of her mind these days, and there was no

one in the house whom she could open up to until Zoe came. Even though their meeting had been

brief, it took a load off her shoulder.

Aidan, on the other hand, was nonchalant as he drawled, "Is that what she's called? I thought she went

by some other name."

Of course, you did. Leanna resisted the urge to roll her eyes in exasperation. She should have known

better than to think he could keep up a proper conversation without being a jerk.

The sun was breaking through the clouds in the distance, casting its rays on the garden and basking it

in a warm, golden glow. It was getting warm enough to make Leanna sleepy, and she couldn't help the

yawn that escaped her.

Just then, the baby kicked her. Deciding that it was playtime, the baby then followed up with several

more kicks, and before long, he was actively moving in her.

At once, Leanna snapped out of her drowsiness. Her hand fluttered over her stomach as she felt the

baby's movements, dipping her head and smiling lovingly at each subtle kick. When she looked up and

saw Aidan gazing at her with his obsidian eyes, she blinked, then asked self-consciously, "What are

you looking at?"

"What are you smiling at?" he countered just as quickly.

Her smile slipped as she retorted, "I don't think you'd want to know."

He frowned, displeased by her unwillingness to share. "That's presumptuous of you. Are you assuming

you know what I want even without telling me?"

Not wanting to continue this useless bickering, she sighed and said, "The baby's kicking."

Aidan stared at her speechlessly. She had told him that he wouldn't want to know, and she was right.

Sighing, she took his silence as her cue to go back to her room, but she was just about to get on her

feet when a large hand gently pressed against her belly.

"I don't feel anything," Aidan said quietly as he lowered his gaze.

She froze at this sudden shift in the atmosphere. Recovering from her initial shock, she pointed out

softly, "Not there."

He moved his hand to another spot on her baby bump inquisitively. "Here?"

"No." It wasn't something she could give directions for, so she took his hand and guided him to a lower

part of her belly. "Here."

He had only just put his hand on the spot when he felt the strong and certain kick against his palm. The

little one didn't seem like he would stop and even followed up with several more kicks.

Aidan asked, "Is he always like this?"

"Not always," Leanna said. "But he's been going at it these days. He'll stop once he tires out."

"How long will that take?"

She gave him an incredulous look. He didn't think I was timing these movements, did he?

He did not probe further when he did not get a response from her the first time, but he kept his dark

gaze on his hand, waiting for the next kick.

The little one appeared to be shifting and turning in there, like how one would toss and turn in bed, and

the kicks started up in a new spot. Aidan followed the movements, and where the kicks were, his hand

went.

This lasted for a good ten minutes. Leanna didn't think anything of this at first, choosing to believe that

this was the first time, and probably the only time, Aidan would behave like a father. He was likely

thinking of ways to get rid of the baby, or wishing that the baby never came into existence in the first

place. Nonetheless, she couldn't ask him to leave—not here, not now.

As the seconds ticked by, she got a little uneasy. She and Aidan were not exactly at close distance, but

this moment was getting too intimate for comfort. Clearing her throat, she said, "Uh, President Pearson,

my legs are falling asleep."

Upon hearing this, he looked up at her. "Huh?"

She parted her lips and elaborated, "I'd like to stand up if you don't mind."

It was only then that he snapped out of his reverie and took a step back. Subsequently, he wordlessly

reached out a hand to her.

She eyed his hand like it was some alien creature. He saw the confusion on her face and drawled

impatiently, "Well, you wanted to stand up, didn't you?"

Realizing that he was offering to help her get on her feet, she quickly reached for his hand and allowed

him to pull her up. When she was firmly standing on her two feet, she muttered, "Thanks."

He merely shoved his hand into his pocket and said nothing.

Presently, Leanna was moving around to loosen her joints when she looked up to see Georgina

approaching them.

Georgina smiled as she greeted her, "Miss McKinney!" Then, she turned to look at Aidan. "Oh, you're

here too, Aidan. Wonderful."

Aidan hummed indifferently in response and made no other reply.

Leanna was self-conscious all of a sudden. She thanked the heavens that she had thought about

getting up from the chair earlier. Things would be that much harder to explain if Georgina had caught

them during the somewhat-intimate moment just now.

She nodded at Georgina and flashed her an apologetic smile as she said, "I'll be going back to my

room now, Miss Crossley. Please excuse me."

Georgina's gaze flickered over to Aidan for a brief second, then she offered with a chuckle, "I'll walk

you back, Miss McKinney. Someone's got to make sure you don't fall over your own feet now that you

can't see them."