Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2)

by Abbie Zanders

  “But I don’t think it really matters how you do it, as long as it’s not when he’s doing something dangerous, like welding or something,” Stacey said matter-of-factly, making Lina giggle a little. “And it’s probably not a good idea to tell him in the throes of passion, either.” Lina’s giggle grew into a laugh. “And definitely not when he’s getting his next tattoo.”

  Lina collapsed in gales next to Stacey, who couldn’t help but join in. The more they tried to stop, the harder they laughed. When their men arrived shortly after, they found both women in fits of laughter, tears streaming down their faces.

  “Do we even want to know?” Kyle asked, raising an eyebrow to Johnny.

  “Um, no. I don’t think we do.” But he was smiling.

  They were on their way up the turnpike, a little more than halfway home. Johnny was driving, Stacey was in the passenger seat. Kyle and Lina were in the back.

  “Hey, Stace?” Lina said, raising her voice to be heard over the radio.

  “Yeah?” Stacey asked, turning slightly to look over her shoulder.

  “What about in the backseat of a Jaguar doing seventy-five up the Northeast Extension?”

  Stacey giggled. “Go for it, sweetie. No time like the present.”

  Johnny cast a curious look at her, but Stacey just smiled and winked.

  Lina leaned close and whispered something in Kyle’s ear. For an instant, everything froze. He didn’t speak, he didn’t blink, he didn’t breathe. With tremendous effort he turned his head to Lina, his eyes searching, hopeful.

  “Yeah?” he said, his voice unbelieving.

  “Yeah,” she confirmed, watching him carefully.

  “Stop the car.”

  “What?” Johnny asked, flicking a glance into the rearview mirror.

  “Stop the fucking car.”

  Johnny applied the brakes and pulled off onto the shoulder. Stacey looked concerned and Lina looked like she was about to cry. Kyle threw open the door and lunged outside, walking two steps left and two steps right. Then he fell onto his knees and looked like he was going to be sick as he drew in great gulps of air.

  “Kyle?” Lina asked, sliding over toward the open door. “Are you alright?”

  Kyle ran a shaky hand down his face and stood as Lina stepped out of the car. He scooped her into his arms as if she weighed no more than a rag doll. Then he set her down and cupped her face with his hands.

  “I’m going to be a father?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We’re going to have a baby?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You and me?”

  “Yeah.”

  Kyle pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply. The kiss went on and on, eliciting horn blows and catcalls from passing motorists. It was only when an unmarked police car pulled behind them that Johnny looked up at the unfamiliar voice.

  “Having car trouble?” the officer asked Johnny, though his eyes were on Kyle.

  “No, Officer. He just found out he’s going to be a father.” Johnny’s mouth tilted up in a half smile.

  The officer must have been married with a few kids of his own, because he chuckled and nodded knowingly.

  “Son,” he said, raising his voice a little to get Kyle’s attention. “Congratulations. Now get back in the car and finish your celebration somewhere else before you cause a pileup on my turnpike.”

  Kyle pulled away from Lina, looking like a man who didn’t seem to know where he was. But he smiled at the officer and nodded.

  “Well, I think he’s happy about it,” Stacey mumbled out of the side of her mouth.

  Johnny leaned over and kissed her. “Yep. I know just how he feels.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Two months later

  “You’re doing great, Stacey. One more set, then we’ll hit the bike.”

  “And I thought my last PT was a sadistic asshole.”

  Marissa Davis grinned, unfazed. “Flattery isn’t going to get you out of hammy curls. Haven’t you figured that out by now?”

  Stacey grunted and powered through the last few, then gladly accepted the bottled water and towel Marissa held out to her.

  “You’ve made remarkable progress. Have you met with Ken yet?”

  Ken Blackstone was the director of the rehabilitation facility where Stacey had been spending a good part of her time the last eight weeks. She had four weeks remaining in her initial three-month commitment. Her third and final evaluation under the current program was fast approaching. What happened next would depend on the results. And other things.

  “Not yet.”

  “Why not? You’re not thinking of leaving us, are you? You know my day wouldn’t be complete without you cussing me out.”

  “Somebody has to. You’re evil. Pure evil.”

  “Damn right. And don’t you forget it.”

  Stacey laughed. She and Marissa had a unique push-and-push-back kind of patient-therapist relationship. As much as the two women nettled each other, they had become good friends. Stacey never would have come as far as she had without Marissa consistently pushing her to her limits.

  “You’ve earned yourself a thirty minute easy ride. No strength-cardio intervals today, got it?”

  “Got it.” Stacey didn’t think she could do much more than that anyway. Marissa had really put her through her paces and her legs felt like lead. The thought made her smile. She felt her legs, all the way down to her toes, and it was wonderful.

  With the time set and the bike ready to go, Marissa left Stacey to see to another patient.

  Stacey popped in her ear buds and adjusted her pace to the rhythm. They wanted her to extend her therapy another six months, but she’d been putting it off.

  It should have been a no-brainer. Despite her grumbling, rehab was going well. The program was grueling. She left the center exhausted every day, but as a result of her efforts, she no longer needed the wheelchair 24/7. She had progressed to using a walker for brief periods, and was getting stronger every day.

  The pregnancy was also going well. She’d had two appointments with an OBGYN since returning to Birch Falls, and everything looked good. She had yet to experience a single bout of morning sickness. Other than being more tired than usual, she felt great.

  She got to see Lina nearly every day, too, which was wonderful. They had grown closer, and were more like sisters than ever. Unlike her, however, Lina was having a difficult time with her pregnancy. After the first month or so, the constant nausea grew so bad she nearly had to be hospitalized for dehydration. Stacey felt bad about that, especially since she was doing so well, but Lina told her that God probably figured she already had enough to deal with. Whether or not there was any truth to that, she didn’t know, but she was glad she was there for Lina to help her through it.

  Going from near total seclusion to being around others again was an adjustment, but Stacey wasn’t complaining. She still had some time to herself each afternoon, which she usually filled with writing. The odd thing was, she was accomplishing more in those few hours than she had in a full day at her place in California.

  And there was Johnny. Living with him didn’t really have a downside. He was thoughtful, caring, and attentive most of the time, though admittedly, he had been rather preoccupied lately. He’d closed off the formal dining room in his house and turned it into a first floor bedroom, and added a second bathroom with huge pocket doors that made wheelchair and walker access easy (there were definite perks to living with someone who worked construction).

  Waking up in his arms every morning was pretty incredible, too. The longer she was around him, the more she got to know him. And the more she got to know him, the deeper in love with him she fell.

  That’s where the niggling doubt that had been plaguing her as of late came in. They hadn’t really discussed anything beyond the present. Johnny seemed happy enough. Things had settled into a comfortable, pleasant routine. They ate breakfast together, then Johnny dropped Stacey off at the rehab center on his way to th
e job site. The afternoons were hers to rest and write and experiment in the kitchen. After dinner – on those nights when Johnny was able to make it home - they’d do the dishes together and then settle in for a quiet evening.

  Living with someone else did take some getting used to. Even small decisions, like what to have for dinner or what kind of toilet paper to buy, required thought and consideration. For the most part, Johnny told her he was fine with whatever she chose, but she wanted to please him, too. Thankfully, Lina was a huge help with that; she provided Stacey with valuable inside information on her brother’s likes and dislikes.

  Stacey hoped the extra efforts would make things easier. After all, hers wasn’t the only life that had changed drastically. Practically overnight, Johnny had gone from a bachelor biker lifestyle to a partner and father-to-be. He never complained, but Stacey couldn’t help but worry how that was affecting him.

  As much as she loved the whole domestic tranquility thing they had going on, she certainly wouldn’t begrudge him a few nights out with the guys. According to Lina, Kyle still went down to Tommy’s for a couple of hours now and then, to shoot pool, have a few beers, hang out. Likewise, Lina said she wouldn’t miss her weekly get-togethers with her friend Amy for the world. She said the space did them both good.

  Whenever she broached the subject or suggested he take a night off to hang out with his brother Michael or Kyle, he shrugged it off and insisted he was fine.

  But was he?

  Lately he seemed more distant than usual. Oh, he still doted on her, but there were times when he seemed a million miles away. Was he missing his freedom? Second-guessing the living arrangements? Spooked by unplanned, impending fatherhood?

  She told herself she was just being paranoid. Johnny loved her. He had changed everything for her, without question, hadn’t he?

  Yeah, her snarky voice piped up. Maybe that was the problem.

  If he was feeling overwhelmed, he wasn’t the only one.

  They might not talk about what was going to happen, but that didn’t mean Stacey didn’t think about it often. There hadn’t been a single mention of the “M” word, which, by itself, wasn’t a bad thing. She loved Johnny, and she knew he loved her. That was what was really important, right?

  It did raise some questions given the current circumstances, though. Ready or not, they were going to become parents in about six months, give or take. Would their baby have her name, or his? Would Johnny want them to continue to live here, with him, as a family? Would having a baby change things between them? Things had happened rather quickly; they hadn’t had the chance to build their relationship over time and now they were going to be A Family.

  And, quite frankly, the thought of being responsible for a tiny, helpless little human scared her to death. At least she had Lina to talk to about it. They were muddling their way through their pregnancies together.

  Johnny was going to be a great dad, Stacey had no doubt about that, but was he ready? She certainly didn’t feel like she was.

  The digital timer went off, signaling the end of her workout and a temporary respite from her internal musings. With Marissa’s help, she poured her tired body into the chair. She couldn’t wait to get home and soothe her weary muscles in the custom, twelve-jet shower stall Johnny had crafted for her, and take a nap.

  “Hey Zack.” Stacey greeted the handsome young man in the lobby.

  “Hey Stace. Looks like Marissa really worked you hard today.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed. She must look as bad as she felt for Zack to say something. He was the one who had driven her to Valley Forge months earlier. Because Stacey couldn’t drive yet, she’d hired him to pick her up from her rehab sessions and take her back to the house. It was a mutually beneficial agreement. Zack was working his way through college and appreciated her generous compensation. Stacey didn’t have to take the patient courtesy shuttle van, which meant she got home sooner and didn’t have to inconvenience anyone.

  “Then I’m glad I got this.” He held out a double-mocha decaf vanilla iced latte – arguably her favorite indulgence these days – and smiled.

  Stacey snatched it eagerly from his hands. “You, my friend, have just earned yourself a huge tip.”

  Zack beamed and helped her into the car. Twenty minutes later, she was home.

  “Same time tomorrow?”

  “Maybe,” she grumbled, but they both knew better. She was simply too tired to think about doing it all again anytime soon. The pregnancy, intense therapy, and lack of caffeine was making it difficult to think about anything besides a nice nap.

  She was just getting out of the shower and about to tumble into bed when her cell phone rang. It was Johnny.

  “Hey, baby, how’d therapy go today?”

  “Brutal, as usual. But I walked the length of the corridor and back.”

  “I am so proud of you,” he said, the sincerity in his voice humbling. Just hearing him say that made it worth the effort.

  “I’m pretty proud of me, too. Is there anything special you’d like for dinner?”

  “That’s kind of why I’m calling. I’m not going to be able to make it home for dinner tonight.”

  “Oh.” Stacey tried to hide her disappointment. It was the third time this week Johnny had to work late. “Nothing too serious, I hope.”

  “Nah. Just a little behind.”

  Guilt washed over her. Johnny was behind because he’d spent so much time with her when she was in the hospital, and now he was busting his ass to get back on schedule.

  “Okay. Johnny?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  “Love you, too, baby.”

  Stacey sighed and disconnected, trying to ignore the niggle of unease attempting to take hold again. There was no reason to be worried. If Johnny said he was working late to catch up, then that’s what he was doing. He wasn’t purposely avoiding her, right?

  It was probably just her hormones kicking in. The obstetrician warned her that emotional mood swings were a normal part of pregnancy, just like being overtired and having weird food cravings. She really needed to get a grip.

  She was slipping beneath the covers when her phone rang again. This time, it was Lina.

  “Hey, girlfriend,” she yawned. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Better,” Lina said. “I had a doctor’s appointment this morning.”

  “What did he say?”

  “Same thing he always does. The queasiness is perfectly natural, it should start to ease soon, blah, blah, blah.”

  “Maybe you should get a second opinion.”

  “I’m certainly not the first woman to have morning sickness, Stace, and it’s nothing compared to what you’re going through with your rehab and stuff. I refuse to be a wimp about this.”

  Stacey bit her tongue to keep from saying what was on her mind – mainly that while morning sickness was fairly common, being sick around the clock and throwing up more than she digested was not normal. She’d already expressed her concern more than once, but Lina assured her she was fine and that everything would pass.

  “Is there anything I can do?”

  “Well, now that you mention it... Kyle has to work late tonight, and I was wondering if you’d like to come over and keep me company. You know, if you can tear yourself away from my brother,” Lina teased.

  “It’ll be easier than you think. He’s working late tonight, too.”

  “Perfect! We can have a girls’ night.”

  It sounded like exactly what she needed. “Sounds awesome. What did you have in mind?”

  “Amy’s been bugging me to bring you over again. You up for it?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Cool. I’ll pick you up about four. We’ll hit the Book Shoppe, grab some DVDs, then come back to my place and feast on saltines and vitamin-fortified juice.”

  Stacey laughed, feeling better already. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  “Sorry about th
at. This was supposed to be a night off for you,” Lina apologized several hours later as they left Amy’s Book Shoppe, each with a tote full of paperbacks. Lina was a romance novel junkie, and Stacey enjoyed reading someone else’s stuff once in a while. Besides, it kept her up to date with what was going on outside of her own literary bubble.

  They turned at the end of the walkway just as the streetlights began flickering to life in the darkening twilight. The sidewalk was wide enough for Stacey to maneuver her wheelchair easily with Lina by her side.

  The autumn evening was unseasonably warm. The scent of damp leaves hung in the air, along with that of freshly cut grass. It was only a short distance from the Book Shoppe to Lina and Kyle’s house, so they’d opted to leave Lina’s car at the house and enjoy the lovely weather while they could.

  “No problem,” Stacey assured her. “It was fun. And enlightening.”

  As it turned out, the Birch Falls Romance Readers Club had been holding their monthly meeting at Amy’s, and their book of the month was a Salienne Dulcette (Lina claimed she had no idea). When Stacey realized what was going on, she asked if she could sit in on the discussion. The feedback was priceless; it was rare that she got to hear such honest, open critiques of her books. Nearly everyone present had enjoyed it, with the exception of one or two women who felt the intimate scenes were just too graphic.

  “Don’t listen to those old biddies,” Lina told her. “They’re just jealous because they haven’t seen any action since the Reagan administration. And I don’t know if you noticed, but for as loud as Gertie Hauser was preaching against the lack of virtue in contemporary romance, she snuck two more Salienne Dulcette’s into her book bag when she thought no one was looking. I bet if we swiped her smartphone we’d find pictures of naked men, too.”

  Stacey snorted in laughter. Lina never failed to lift her spirits.

  “Speaking of, we’re not going to tell the guys about the DVD Amy lent us, right?”

  “Not a chance,” Stacey agreed. She was pretty sure neither Johnny nor Kyle would be happy to know they planned to watch the uncensored director’s cut of a movie about professional male strippers. “But if they do manage to find out, we’re saying it’s strictly research for my next book.”