“You haven’t cashed the check.”
Of course, this was about money. It was one of the ways her sister controlled others. She had money and she used it to keep people in line.
“I’m not going to cash the check.”
“Don’t be an idiot. Having a baby isn’t cheap. You’ll need it to get out of this situation unscathed.”
A heavy weight sat on her chest. “Unscathed? You think growing a human being inside my body for nine months will leave me unscathed? I used to look up to you. Can’t believe I wanted to be like you. When you came to me crying that you couldn’t have a baby, I gave you one and you tossed it aside like a pair of used Prada shoes.”
“Why always so dramatic?”
“I’m not. I’m passionate about the people I love. I love this baby. I’m going to have him and I’m going to keep him. You’ll never be a mother, but if you’re nice and find some trickle of humanity in your heart, an ounce of love in your soul, I may allow you to be an aunt.”
“You can’t keep my baby,” Suzanne screamed.
“I can and I will.” She hung up the phone and turned it silent before she buried her head in the pillow and cried some more.
When the bed dipped beside her, she startled.
“Hey, don’t cry.” Thomas’s voice broke through her sorrow.
When she turned to look at him, he was sitting beside her, a shadow backlit by the hallway light.
“Wh … what are you doing here?”
He chuckled. “You may have kicked me out, but I actually own the house, so I came back.”
She rolled over and buried her face in his lap. “I’m so sorry. I was so wrong. It hurts me to think that you don’t like me anymore.” Her sobs turned into a choking cry.
“Move over and let me hold you.”
She edged back in the bed to make room for him. He lifted the sheets and climbed under with her. There were no words for minutes. He pulled her close to his chest and stroked her hair.
“I want to tell you everything.”
He shushed her. “You don’t owe me an explanation.” His lips brushed the top of her head.
She gripped onto his uniform shirt, her fingers sliding underneath the buttons to touch the soft cotton of his T-shirt.
She took in a shaky breath. “I don’t owe you, but I want to tell you if you want to listen.”
In the dark room lit by the moon’s glow slicing through the slats of the blinds, she opened her heart and soul to a man who had earned her truth.
When she was empty of words, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her. It wasn’t a kiss of passion or pent-up lust. It was a kiss of understanding and unity. When his lips moved against hers, she knew she wasn’t alone.
He rolled her into the cocoon of his arms and cradled her body close to his. “I’ve got you,” he whispered against her mouth. “I’ve got both of you.” His hand splayed protectively over her stomach before she fell asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Thomas
He woke after the best sleep of his life. Curled against him, her back to his front, his nose buried in her hair was Eden. Her stomach rippled under his palms, the baby stirring awake before her. After an emotional night, he knew she needed her sleep.
Her story floated through his mind. With each new twist in her tale, his heart ached more for the beautiful woman in his arms.
In an attempt to ease the baby back into a quiet state, he slowly caressed her belly. A soothing touch he hoped would lull the child back into slumber.
“You’re still here.” Her voice was only a whisper.
“I’m not leaving you. Seems to me like that’s happened way too often in your life.”
She rolled over and faced him, forcing him to shift back to make room. “I’m not your responsibility.” She lowered her head until it touched his chest.
“No, but you’re my friend, and I like you. I like you a lot. Maybe too much.”
“I like you too. Maybe too much.” She scooted closer to him. Might have even crawled inside him if there was a path.
He let an arm fold over her, and his fingers pushed into her lower back, where he knew it ached.
“Oh, that feels so good. How did you know?”
He chuckled. “I think one disastrous story is good for now. Let’s stick with yours.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “Sarah?”
He nodded and pulled her tighter against him. Hell, he’d let her live inside him if he could. Any woman volunteering to have a child for her infertile sister before she had a child of her own was either stupid or a saint. He’d gotten to know Eden while she’d been staying with him. She was far from stupid. The fact that his T-shirts and boxers were white again definitely put her in saint status.
“You hungry?”
“Starved.”
“How about I take you to the diner and then we head into Copper Creek? You’re about to have a baby and there isn’t a diaper in sight. It’s time we get prepared for the birth, don’t you think?”
“Oh, Thomas, it’s all coming at me so fast. I don’t know where to begin.”
When a sharp kick pressed from his stomach to hers, he laughed. “I’d say let’s start with food.”
“Do I have time to shower?”
He edged back and placed his hand on her stomach. “Hey, Rocky, you think your mom can have time to shower before she feeds you?”
“Rocky?”
“You’ve got a prizefighter in there.”
“What if I’m having a girl?”
“We’ll call her Rockette.” He rolled away from her and onto his feet. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. Dressed in a T-shirt that fell mid-thigh, she was gorgeous. The glow of motherhood pinked her cheeks or maybe it was because he’d slept with her all night. Could be that he was checking out her legs and those thighs he knew would be lush and comforting.
When he felt the twitch in his pants, he turned and headed toward the door. “I’ll meet you in fifteen in the kitchen.” He stopped long enough to pull jeans, boxers, and a cotton T-shirt from his drawer before he dashed away.
Living with Eden was agony and ecstasy. She was his biggest nightmare and his greatest dream. Everything he’d longed for and everything he’d lost.
In the shower, as the steam rose around him, he leaned against the cold tile and considered his feelings. How different was she from Sarah?
“Night and day.” His voice echoed in the empty bathroom.
Eden’s dilemma didn’t solve the issue in his mind that she was still having some other man’s baby, but even that didn’t bother him as much as he would have thought. She had no attachment to the father. No emotional connection. She hadn’t been pressed beneath his body calling his name. His contribution was simply one healthy swimmer that managed to impregnate an egg in a petri dish.
Sarah, on the other hand, had lain with her lover one night and the next with him. She’d treated them like menu offerings she couldn’t decide between, so she indulged in both. Most aggravating was her boss knew Sarah and Thomas were a couple and Thomas only thought of David Hicken as her employer.
He shampooed his hair and watched as the bubbles turned to clear water when he rinsed. Suddenly like the suds that disappeared, his muddy thoughts washed away.
His problem wasn’t with raising another man’s child but with raising a child conceived by deceit. It was never about the baby but always about the untrustworthiness of her mother. He’d loved Heather the moment she was born. Hated her mother the moment her lie became his truth.
He turned off the water and stepped into the cool air. Air that surrounded him and invigorated him. He had no idea if what he felt for Eden would go anywhere, but he did know that he’d do everything he could to help her and the baby she carried. If that led to something more, he could honestly say his heart was up for it.
When he walked into the kitchen to find her pouring a cup of coffee into a to-go mug, his insides warmed.
“Yours is
fully leaded.” She handed him the cup and lifted another. “Mine is not.” Her words ended on a sigh. “What I wouldn’t do for a Mocha latte double shot with extra whipped cream.”
They walked out the front door, only to find another box of baby clothes.
Thomas picked them up and carried them inside.
At his truck, he lifted her into the seat and gave her a quick chaste kiss on the lips. He rather liked them. Liked that their relationship would have to progress slowly since she was weeks away from delivering her baby. There would be no nights of too much alcohol and sex. They’d have to rely on connecting with each other the old-fashioned way—with walks and talks and stolen kisses.
They pulled into a spot in front of the diner. “Do you mind if I run into the clinic for a blood pressure check?”
He raced around the truck to help her out. “Can I come with you?”
Was it possible to light up the world with a smile? Eden’s certainly did that for him. He helped her down and threaded his hand through hers.
“I’d like that. I haven’t had anyone with me in a long time.”
They walked hand in hand into the clinic. Doc Parker was behind the register today.
“Eden, good to see you. Wasn’t sure if you’d stop in over the weekend.”
“I wasn’t sure either.”
“Now that you’re here, let’s see how you’re doing.” He walked from behind the counter to the small waiting room and into the nearest exam room. “Hop on up.”
Doc looked up at Thomas, who stood at the door. “You coming in, son, or you hitting a chair in the hall?” It wasn’t a hall any more since Wes Covington, the town’s resident builder, did a remodel for his wife, but old habits die hard, and everyone still called it the hallway instead of the waiting room.
“He’s coming in.” Eden tugged at his hand and pulled him close to her. She backed herself up to the exam table and he helped her onto it. She was a lightweight in his book. Though she’d gained pregnancy weight, he was sure she still weighed little compared to his two-hundred-pound frame.
Standing next to her, hand wrapped around hers, Doc adjusted the cuff and listened as he pumped and let the air loose.
The old man’s bushy white brows lifted along with the corners of his lips. “Best I’ve seen since you arrived.” He looked at where Thomas and her hands intertwined. “Must be something agreeing with you.”
She looked between the two men. “Yes, my life is sorting itself out. Thank you, Doc. You’re the reason I’m here.”
Doc looked at Thomas. “I won’t be the reason you stay.” He rolled up the cuff and set it on the table beside her. “You have a few minutes? I’d like to take a listen to the little bugger’s heartbeat. Would you like to hear?” Doc wasn’t looking at Eden, his eyes were directed straight to Thomas. If he didn’t know better, he’d say that Doc was pulling out all the stops to make Thomas fall for this girl. No one could hear the heartbeat of a child and not melt in awe. “It won’t take long. Just a few minutes.” Doc walked to a nearby door and pulled an ultrasound machine toward them.
Thomas and Eden exchanged looks.
“What do you say, Eden? You want to hear Rocky?” Thomas asked.
She lay back on the table. “Let’s do it. I’m sure Rockette won’t mind waiting a few minutes to eat.”
Doc took the edge of her shirt and lifted. When he unveiled her bare skin, Thomas flushed. “You want me to step out?”
Doc chuckled. “It’s a stomach, Thomas. I’m sure you’ve seen one before.”
He nodded and moved beside Eden. His eyes floated between her face, her stomach, and the screen.
Doc squirted the gel on her belly and rolled the wand over her skin. In seconds the quick ba bum, ba bum, ba bum of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room.
“Look there.” Doc pointed to the screen. “You’ve got a thumb sucker.”
They took in the image on the screen and watched as the baby sucked his thumb. Doc took some measurements.
“You want to know the sex?”
Eden looked up to Thomas.
He cupped her cheek and smiled. “It’s up to you, sweetheart.” It was the first serious term of endearment he’d used with her.
“I don’t think so. Let’s keep it a secret. It’s kind of like waiting for Christmas morning to see what Santa has put under the tree.”
“You heard her. No reveal,” Thomas said.
Doc cleaned up her stomach and pushed the machine aside. “I’ll see you weekly until you have the baby, which by the latest measurements should be in a couple of weeks. Now go feed that kid before he gnaws off his fist.”
Eden hopped off the table. “Can’t I pay you, Doc?”
He looked at Thomas and back to her. “You already have.”
The next stop was the diner, which was busy today, but a single table remained open and Thomas and Eden slipped into the seats.
Maisey was there with Riley, and a new girl was in training.
“Hey kids.” Maisey breezed toward them with the newbie rushing behind her. “This is Natalie. She’s a new hire. Just moved here from California. You’re going to be her first solo order.” Maisey turned on her white loafers and rushed to the window, where orders were stacking up.
“What can I get you?” Natalie asked.
He knew what he wanted. It was his standard breakfast. “Cakes, eggs and bacon.”
She wrote down his order. “Juice, milk or coffee?”
He smiled at Eden. “I’ve had my coffee, how about an orange juice?”
She turned toward Eden. “And for your wife?”
He could see Eden getting ready to correct her, but there was no point. “You want the same, sweetheart?”
She nodded. “No bacon though, I’m watching my salt intake, and I’d like milk please.”
Natalie read back the order. “You two are so cute together.” She took a glance at Eden’s pregnant stomach. “When are you due?”
Thomas smiled. “We’re due in a few weeks.”
When Natalie walked away, Eden covered his hand with hers. “That was very kind to not point out that you’re not the father.”
“I wasn’t being kind, Eden. You and I are in this together. That’s what friends do for friends.”
“How was it that I was on my way to Alaska and found myself here?” She squeezed his hand.
He loved the way her fingertips brushed over his skin like she was memorizing every cell she touched.
“It’s the detours that make life exciting.” The door opened to the diner and in walked his team. James led the way, with Jacob following and Luke taking up the rear. “Don’t look now but here comes trouble.”
She turned her head as the three men dressed in their blue uniforms headed their way.
“What is it about firemen? Is there a pre-requisite that says you all have to be model worthy?”
A thread of jealousy weaved through his insides to twist around his gut.
“We made a calendar.”
“You did? What month were you?”
“June.”
“That’s the only month I’d want to see.”
How she could coil his insides and iron them with a sentence he didn’t know, but she did. “I posed with a Saint Bernard and a gushing fire hydrant.”
She fanned her face. “It’s getting hot in here.”
“You got room for three more?” Luke asked.
Thomas didn’t want to share Eden with anyone. He wanted her all to himself, but not sharing her with the world would be like taking every song from every bird or stealing every petal from every bloom. Happiness should be shared.
Chapter Nineteen
Eden
After breakfast, Thomas took her to Copper Creek. They stopped at a food warehouse, where he picked up another case of Good & Plenty.
“You’re going to make me fat.”
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. “You’re beautiful.”
�
�You’re blind.”
He pointed to his eyes. “I’ve got 20/20 vision. I see perfectly.”
“Tell me I’m beautiful after I have this baby, and I’m pudgy and soft. What if I get stretch marks?”
“I’ve got stretch marks. Grew too fast between my sophomore and senior year of high school. They’re thin silvery lines that edge up my back. Kind of look like a growth chart. The only thing missing is the date they appeared.” He stopped in the aisle and turned her around to face him. “There is nothing sexier than a woman glowing in pregnancy. Nothing as attractive as one who battles through the birth to produce a life. We all leave this world with war wounds. Some are internal and some are external. No matter what, they are a testament that we lived.”
“God, you’re something else.” She’d never met a man so grounded. “What if your girlfriend gained twenty pounds, would you slap her on the ass and tell her to take it off?” She thought about the time her ex had done that to her, but it was five pounds and was the beginning of the end of their relationship.
“No. While I’d want my girlfriend to be healthy, chastising her for weight gain would never be beneficial. None of us are perfect. It’s the imperfections that make us unique. Besides”—he warmed her insides with a smile—“I love a little meat on my woman.” He took her hand and led her to the clothing section. “When was the last time you got a new outfit?”
She stared down at her elastic paneled jeans and the oversized T-shirt she wore.
“New? Never. I’m a resale shopper.” Her fingers breezed over a salmon colored sundress that hung from the rack. It was pretty in a feminine way. Not something she’d ever buy herself because it wasn’t practical. Something she could throw on daily was useful. Wash and wear was better and by the looks of the cotton material, this was an iron before you dressed outfit. She didn’t own an iron.
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