Dead at Heart (Ariel and Jayson) novel Chapter 818

Jayson turned his gaze toward Ariel. "Have you forgotten how to breathe properly? Relax a little."

Ariel swallowed hard. "Who does our daughter resemble more? Her facial features should be more defined by now, right? I still don't know how to hold a baby. Jayson, it feels like my heart's about to jump out of my chest."

She kept rambling nonstop out of nervousness.

Jayson stared at her, then tilted his head slightly and covered his mouth as he chuckled. "Are you going to abandon her if she turns out ugly?"

Ariel shot him a glare. "Do you think a baby is like some supermarket item you can return or exchange?"

"Well, you're not making sense either. With such excellent genes from her dad, there's no way my daughter will look ugly," Jayson replied leisurely.

His smug tone was infuriating, and Ariel was left speechless—but admittedly, he wasn't wrong.

The two of them kept bickering throughout the journey.

Half an hour later, they arrived at a secluded villa. No one else seemed to live nearby, and the roads leading there were winding and difficult to navigate.

Ariel pressed her lips together. She wasn't sure if it was because of the cold weather or her own emotions, but her entire body was trembling uncontrollably.

Jayson noticed and slipped an arm around her shoulders, guiding her stiff movements as they stepped into the villa together.

Inside, the interior was completely different from what Ariel had imagined. The place was filled with various advanced equipment. Even at a glance, Ariel could tell that setting up something like this must have cost a fortune.

Several men in sterile gowns stood nearby, apparently overseeing the operation.

One of them glanced at Ariel before turning to Jayson. "Mr. Larkin, please follow me."

Jayson and Ariel entered the elevator and went upstairs.

Jayson walked over and leaned in. "What do you think? With me as her dad, it's only natural she inherited great genes, right?"

Ariel could tell he was teasing her to lighten the mood. She nodded, wiping away her tears. "You're right. She does look more like you. Her nose and mouth are exactly the same."

It turned out to be true what people often said—daughters tended to resemble their fathers.

Jayson sighed softly and wiped the tears from her cheeks. "If you keep crying like that, you're only going to make me feel bad."

Then he smiled warmly. "Actually, our baby doesn't need to stay in the incubator anymore. I just asked the staff to keep her there a little longer, to be cautious. Do you want to try holding her?"

Ariel's face lit up instantly. "We can touch her?"

"Of course," Jayson said. "She's your daughter, after all."