by Maya Banks
She stared at him in shock. “No. God, no. That isn’t it at all, Matt. I’m thrilled for you. Stephanie is a wonderful girl and you deserve to be happy. I’m angry at myself for being such a screwup. You shouldn’t have to plan your life around me and my stupidity.”
He frowned hard at her. “I don’t want to ever hear you talking like that. Stephanie and I could never be happy knowing it was at your expense. And you aren’t stupid. No one thinks that.”
“So you don’t think it’s stupid I got myself knocked up and have no man in the wings?” she asked dryly. She immediately regretted her snappy question when Matt jumped on it with both feet.
“I have to admit I’m curious,” he said quietly. “You’ve never talked about the father. I’ve respected your privacy, but I’m a little hurt you feel you can’t confide in me.”
She groaned. “Oh, Matt. It’s not that I can’t confide in you. The fact is I can’t confide in anyone right now. I’ve just got to work out some things on my own right now.”
“I don’t like this distance I feel opening up between you and us. You know A.J. and Simon love you as much as I do. We’re family.”
Her heart constricted. Matt would be so pissed if she ruined things between the four of them. And she may well have already done it.
“Just give me some time. This pregnancy gig isn’t a cake walk.”
“Let us help you, Toni. You aren’t alone.”
“Thanks, Matt. I just need some time to sort things out.”
“Okay, I’ll back off, but you have to promise to take it easy. I don’t like this second job you’ve gotten at all. And if you don’t take care of yourself, I’ll make sure Lonnie cans your ass.”
She laughed. “Okay, deal. Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to bed.”
He gave her a hug and kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you on Thursday.”
She wasn’t about to tell him she worked then. After he’d left, she shuffled into her bedroom and pulled back the covers. Truth was, she didn’t feel much like going to sleep, but the alternative was getting the riot act from the guys.
Chapter Fifteen
Thursday morning, to her surprise, she seemed to have popped out overnight. When she shed her clothes to get into the shower, she had a very noticeable bulge. She stood in front of the mirror examining all the different angles.
According to her pregnancy book, she should be feeling the baby’s first kick just anytime now. In just four more weeks, she’d have her sonogram at twenty weeks, and if everything went right, she’d find out the sex.
After she dressed, she surveyed her appearance one more time. She grinned. Yep, there was no mistaking her pregnancy now. “Now if you would only let me know you’re in there,” she said smoothing her hands over the bulge.
Before she left, she wrote a note saying she was working that night and left it out on the counter.
The day passed quickly. At five, she changed her clothes at the veterinary practice then headed over to dispatch. Sarah walked in just as she sat down to don her headphones. She motioned for Toni to take them off. “Call this your baptism by fire, but can you work tomorrow night? I know you’re scheduled for the weekend, but Cody’s out sick and Steven’s mother died so he’s going to be out of town for a week at least. I wondered if you could take over a half shift for the next ten days.”
“Sure,” Toni replied.
“You feel up to it?”
“I’m pregnant, not dying of a terminal illness,” she retorted.
“Fair enough. Okay then, I’ll see you every day at five thirty. Except this weekend. I need you here at eight to work a full shift if you can.”
Toni nodded and put her headphones back on.
At eleven, she drove home ready to fall into bed. It wasn’t strenuous work, but coupled with a long day at the veterinary clinic, it became interminable. What had she gotten herself into by agreeing to work the next ten days straight?
Simon and A.J. were up watching TV when she came in. They immediately got up when they heard her. “How was work?” A.J. asked as he ambled into the kitchen.
Simon slid onto a barstool and watched her across the table. His gaze made her uncomfortable so she concentrated on A.J. “It was fine. Not much going on tonight. A fire over on Stiller road. Turns out old Mrs. Studdard left one of her cigars burning. Caught her drapes on fire.”
A.J. laughed. “Glad I wasn’t working tonight.”
She turned to put her glass in the sink when she felt a light fluttering in her stomach. She gasped and her hand flew to the bump.
From nowhere, Simon was beside her. “Are you all right?” He gripped her arms with his hands. “What’s wrong?”
She smiled, a feeling of awe pouring over her. “Nothing. I mean it’s just the baby. It kicked.”
“Cool!” A.J. exclaimed.
“Where?” Simon asked softly putting a hand over her stomach.
“Here.” She slid his hand over the slight bumping on her left side.
A peculiar expression lit his face. “That’s amazing.”
“Let me feel,” A.J. said, pushing Simon aside.
He put his hand over her stomach and waited. A few seconds later the tiny bumping resumed. “Wow. That’s weird.”
She laughed. “Weird? Well, I guess so. It feels even weirder.”
“It’s like that alien movie where the alien bursts out of the woman’s stomach. Freaky.”
“You watch way too much TV,” Simon muttered.
“I’m going to say goodnight now,” she announced. “I’ll see you guys later.”
Simon’s look of frustration told her he had been waiting up to talk to her. More the reason for her to get out of Dodge quick.
“I’m going to kill Lonnie,” Simon muttered as he and A.J. threw their gear into their lockers.
“Dare I ask why?” A.J. asked with a raised brow.
“He’s working Toni way too hard. Hell, she hasn’t had a night off since she started working there almost two weeks ago. She’s exhausted. She’s working herself into the ground.”
“Yeah, last time I saw her, she wasn’t looking too great. That was a few days ago, so I can’t imagine she’s looking any better now.”
Simon glanced over at him. “What do you mean? She looks great. She’s just tired.”
A.J. laughed. “Calm down. I didn’t say she needed a paper bag over her head. And yeah, she looks very tired.” He glanced over at Simon, his look of amusement gone. “So tell me. What happened between the two of you?”
The knot grew bigger in Simon’s stomach. A.J. had always been too perceptive for his own good. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
A.J. snorted. “Please. I’m not an idiot. She’s avoiding us all like the plague, but you in particular.”
He rubbed his face in agitation. “Yeah well, she has reason.”
A.J. leaned back against his locker. “What’d you do?”
“I kissed her.”
A.J.’s lips twitched suspiciously. “She’s avoiding you because you kissed her?”
“Not exactly. I was a jerk. I took advantage of her.”