Love Rents A Room
Chapter 67: His Longing

Chapter 67: His Longing

JD sat there, unmoving, staring down at her peaceful face.

He had never, in his life, experienced something like this.

And strangely... he didn’t hate it.

He blinked down at her, stunned, his arms instinctively wrapping around her in a protective hold.

Huh.

A quiet smile tugged at his lips.

His eyes wandered unconsciously to the kitchen, drawn to the sight of Joanne moving about, effortlessly taking care of things. The warmth of the baby against his chest, the quietness of the moment—it stirred something in him he had never felt before. How good would it be to have a family of my own... with her?

The thought came unbidden, yet it settled deep within him, refusing to be dismissed.

JD had never seriously imagined having children. He had been around them, sure—at a distance, as spectators in the lives of others. But he had never once felt the urge, the longing, to have his own. Even when he was in a relationship before, even when marriage had been brought up, the idea of starting a family had never felt... right.

He hadn’t even wanted to marry his ex, much less build a life with her. He had felt nothing but obligation and reluctance.

But with Joanne...

If his grandfather had arranged for him to marry someone like her, would things have turned out differently?

Would he have fought so hard to escape?

A shadow flickered across his mind, the memory of that gold-digger he had almost been bound to. JD shook his head, refusing to let her intrude on this moment.

Instead, he looked down at the baby, feeling the rise and fall of her tiny breaths against him. His heart, which had stirred with old frustrations just a moment ago, softened again.

Then his gaze drifted back to Joanne. She was walking out now, her steps light, her expression unreadable.

And yet, the moment he saw her, that familiar warmth spread through his chest, tingling, glowing.

He had never been this happy before.

And that terrified him.

How had he fallen for her so deeply? So quickly?

Would it end in heartbreak? Would she ever love him the same way?

Just then, Joanne’s phone rang, breaking the quiet moment. JD instinctively patted the baby, making sure she didn’t stir, but his attention was elsewhere. His eyes stayed fixed on Joanne.

She wasn’t the type to hesitate before answering a call. Normally, she would pick up without a second thought. But this time...

Her fingers hovered over the screen for just a second too long before she finally answered.

"Ah, yes, Jonathan..." Her voice was steady, but JD didn’t miss the way she turned on her heel and walked straight to the porch, closing the door behind her.

His jaw tensed. So, it was him.

Jonathan.

The name left a bitter taste in JD’s mouth. He had suspected it, but seeing her reaction confirmed it.

Still, something nagged at him.

Why had she hesitated?

Yesterday, she hadn’t been herself after meeting Jonathan. There had been a shift in her mood, subtle but noticeable. Had something happened between them? Was there trouble in their relationship?

His fingers lightly traced circles on the baby’s back, but his mind was elsewhere.

Could this be his chance?

---

Joanne had almost forgotten about the awkward, stinging moment with Jonathan—buried beneath the chaos of looking after the kids, keeping things running, and pushing through the day. But the second his name flashed across her screen, the raw, unsettled emotion came rushing back.

Embarrassing wasn’t the right word for what had happened.

What was it called—this feeling, when the man you were dating, the man who was supposed to want you, refused to kiss you when you leaned in first? When he pulled away as if you’d done something wrong?

She didn’t know what to name it.

But it left something heavy in her chest, something she didn’t have the energy to sort through.

Still, he was calling, and despite everything, she answered. Even though, deep down, she didn’t want to.

"Ah, yes, Jonathan..." she said, keeping her tone even as she walked to the porch.

"How are you doing?" His voice was uncertain, almost hesitant.

"I’m fine... as usual," she answered, keeping it casual.

"I heard..." A pause. A breath. "I heard that you were in a situation last night... Has it been resolved?"

There was something dry in his voice, something unreadable.

"Oh, that’s... yeah," she let out a light chuckle, though it held no real humor. "It was a terrifying incident, actually. I tried to help these kids who were running away, and their father—" She hesitated. "—he caused a scene at my door."

"Scene?" Jonathan’s voice sharpened. "With a gun?"

There was an edge of anger in his words, but Joanne couldn’t understand why.

"Yeah," she admitted. "He had a gun. Thankfully, the cops arrived at the right time, and no one got hurt."

"That’s good," Jonathan exhaled, his voice softer now. "It’s good that you’re safe... I’m relieved."

Joanne pressed her toes against the wooden floor, grounding herself, feeling the grain under her skin. What was Jonathan getting at? Was this going somewhere?

Was he calling... to break up with her?

Her throat tightened at the thought. She didn’t want to hear that. She didn’t want to stay on this call, waiting for another rejection.

"I... I have to—"

But as she spoke, Jonathan interrupted.

"I had to hear it from someone else..."

Joanne stilled.

There was pain in his voice. A quiet kind of hurt that made her feel guilty.

She was no expert in relationships, but wasn’t it normal to call your boyfriend after something like this? Wasn’t it natural to want to?

She hadn’t even thought of calling Jonathan. Not once.

But could he really blame her?

She swallowed.

After what had happened between them yesterday...

"Jonathan, about yesterday, I—"

"I need to talk about that too." His voice was deeper now, more serious.

Something about the weight in it sent a shiver of unease down her spine.

Joanne clenched her phone, a lump forming in her throat. She didn’t want to have this conversation. Not now.

"I apologize for acting indecently at your workplace," she said quickly, her voice brisk, almost robotic. "It won’t happen again."

She could hear her own heart pounding. She also heard him say something but she didn’t want to hear it.

"I need to take the kids to the hospital. I’ll talk to you later. Bye."

She ended the call before he could say another word.

Pressing a hand against her chest, she let out a deep breath.

Would he call again? Would he push her to talk about this now?

The phone remained silent.

Joanne exhaled in relief and turned back inside. What she saw in the living room, made her stop.