A Moment for Us

by Corinne Michaels

  “Not really.”

  “Because you’ll be tearing up the damn floors, which is loud. Do you know how I know that?”

  “Not a clue.”

  Delia huffs. “Because Mrs. Garner, who is on the other side of the wooded lot, came over to ask if everything was okay. That led to her staying here for an hour, telling me about the break-in down the road. That turned into her opening her police scanner app, which I didn’t know was a thing, and listening to it to be sure she was safe to head home.”

  There’s so much to unpack in that tirade but only one thing that really matters. “What break-in?”

  She moves her jaw back and forth and then grabs for the coffee, but I sidestep her. “Answer and you can have your coffee. I’ll hire a barista if you want.”

  “Oh. I want.”

  I shake my head. “What break-in?”

  “I don’t know. She said someone had their car broken into a few days ago, and then there was an attempt at the house a few doors down.”

  “Did they catch the guy?”

  She shrugs. “I assume not, Jeremy is the sheriff.”

  Yeah, that doesn’t sit well with me. “Was anything taken? Anyone hurt or has Jeremy increased patrols?”

  “Again, no idea. I’m not worried.”

  Of course she’s not. She’s a lunatic who doesn’t lock her damn doors but has a camera . . . because that’s really going to stop someone. “I don’t like this.”

  She extends her hand, opening and closing her fingers as I move the cup around. “I’m not particularly happy about it either. Coffee . . . now.”

  I hand it over, and she sighs in relief as she brings the cup to her lips. “I’m calling Jeremy.”

  “Why would you call him?”

  “Because he’s a cop.”

  “Not a good one,” Delia counters.

  “He’s the only one the town has, so we’re going to start there.”

  She rolls her eyes. “We have a new guy too.”

  “Oh, good, now we have two cops. I feel better.”

  “I can’t believe you’re worried about this. Mrs. Garner is a crazy old lady! She and Mrs. Villafane sit on that porch and gossip all day. If anyone is going to catch the guy, it’s them. Plus, they could be wrong and this didn’t even happen.”

  That’s the worst deflection I’ve ever heard. “Right. I’m sure that’s it. We both know it happened and those two women know everything that happens in this town. If the two of them teamed up with Fred and Bill, they’d be unstoppable.”

  She shakes her head while grumbling. “Call Jeremy, learn nothing. I checked the camera after she left. No one has been around the house.”

  “That you know of. What if they just didn’t walk in the camera’s view?”

  Delia purses her lips and then turns away.

  “I’m going to call and find out,” I inform her.

  She waves her hand as she enters her bedroom and shuts the door behind her.

  I don’t waste a second. I dial Jeremy’s number. We went to high school together and played football. He’ll tell me everything.

  “Hey, Josh,” he answers on the first ring.

  “Hey, Jer, listen I’m calling to ask you about the break-in by Delia’s house.”

  “Oh, that . . . dude, if I was friends with her, I’d be worried . . .”

  Well, that’s all I need to hear.

  Chapter 16

  Delia

  “You are not moving in. No. Nope. Not . . . no,” I say again, wondering what second dimension of reality I’m living in.

  “It makes sense.”

  “It does? How?”

  Josh nods. “I live in an RV. I hate it. Oliver hates living with Grayson and needs to move out before Jess has the baby, and . . . you’re not staying here alone.”

  He’s lost his fucking mind. They say that women go crazy when they find out they’re pregnant, but I’ve never heard of the father losing his damn mind.

  “I’m perfectly fine living in my own house alone.”

  He crosses his arms over his chest. “Do you know what Jeremy’s first words were when I called him?”

  “Where are the donuts?”

  Josh’s brows lower. Apparently, he doesn’t find me amusing. “No, it was that if he were friends with you, he’d be worried. Then he said he wouldn’t let you be alone if he were me.”

  Now that pisses me off. “Let me?”

  “Yes, let you. He’d protect you.”

  “Jeremy can’t protect himself, let alone someone else.”

  “Delia.” His voice is low with warning.

  “I’m not alone. I have cameras. Plus, I’m not some damsel in distress.”

  “No, you’re the mother of my child, which is far more important.”

  My jaw falls open, and I blink. “You’re taking this a little too seriously.”

  “By wanting to protect you? By caring that you’re out here alone and without a neighbor close enough to hear you if you need help. If you stopped for a second, you’d see how my moving works out well for everyone.”

  I laugh once because none of this works. Him staying in my home does not bode well for the no sex thing since we had sex not even five days ago. Not that there’s much of a chance of that at the moment since I want to shake him until the sense he has comes back.

  “You’re not moving in with me. It would never work!”

  “Why?”

  “Are you insane? What do you mean why? I want . . . I can’t have you living here!”

  “But you’re over me,” Josh reminds me.

  I glare at him. “So, you’re going to be fine if I bring a guy home?”

  His jaw clenches, and there’s fire in his eyes. Exactly.

  He may not be able to love me, but there’s feelings beyond friendship. A man doesn’t react that way if there are no feelings.

  “Do you have plans to bring someone home?”

  I shrug. “I could.”

  “Right. So, is that a yes?” The steel in his voice goes straight to my core.

  Oh, I like jealous Josh. He’s a lot a bit sexy.

  No. No sexy. No anything with sex in it.

  “I don’t, but that doesn’t mean I won’t at some point. You’ve made it clear that you don’t want a relationship, and I get it, but I want more.”

  “Delia.” He says my name with a hint of pain in it.

  “No, you living here would be a mistake.”

  “You have two bedrooms.”

  “Yes, and the second one will be the baby’s.”

  He sighs. “We have about seven months before that room is needed. It works, Delia. I’m here every day to work on the floors. Once I finish with those, there are other projects as well as the baby’s room that will need to be redone. I can give Oliver a place to stay and be here to help with the renovations and make sure you’re not alone. What if someone breaks in? What if you’re here—by yourself—and this crazy person gets past your state-of-the-art alarm system?” The sarcasm is thick on that last part.

  “Grrr.” I am really getting annoyed. “I have neighbors!”

  “Oh, yes, that’s reassuring. I’m at least thirty minutes away now. If I stay here, I’ll be thirty seconds.”

  I cannot believe I’m even listening to this, but he has a point about the break-ins. I may joke that Jeremy is a horrible cop, but Mrs. Garner was completely freaked out, and I can’t dismiss that. If Josh is here, it might bring a little comfort to her too.

  “I don’t know . . .”

  He walks over, taking my shoulders in his big hands. “Think about it. It works out that you’d have me near if you needed me. We’d have some time together to get to become better friends before the baby comes, and you’ll have your own personal errand boy for when you get a craving in the middle of the night. But we’re about to be parents. So, if for nothing other than the baby, we should figure things out before he or she arrives.”

  I shake my head, refusing to listen to his reasoning that s
ounds so damn appealing. “I don’t know. I have to think about it.”

  “It’s not a no.”

  “It’s not a yes either.”

  “Where do you want me to put this?” Oliver asks as he carries in a box for Josh.

  “The second bedroom,” Josh yells from the car.

  Two days. That’s all it took before the man was moving into my house. I am so damn weak.

  Oliver walks over to me and then kisses my cheek. “Bless you. You’re doing the Lord’s work.”

  “Shut up.”

  He laughs. “I’m serious. You’re giving me a place to live, free from Amelia and her way-too-fucking-early play time. Not to mention Jess is seriously about to burst and so, so cranky because she can’t sleep.”

  “You’re a horrible uncle.”

  “That’s just it, I’m not. I’m the best, and it’s because I don’t live with them.”

  I roll my eyes as he passes me. Josh walks in next with a much bigger box. I huff and then walk into the kitchen to get myself something to drink, wishing it could be vodka.

  Today, I’ve felt so nauseated. I’ve been lucky in that I haven’t had any morning sickness before now, but I’ve been on the verge of puking all day.

  Might be stress of having a tall, hunk of a man sleeping in the room opposite of mine for a while.

  The first thing we agreed on was that he will not be sleeping in my room. I am not remotely strong enough to turn down that temptation. The second was that we have to be respectful of the other person’s life. If he wants to date, I will pretend not to give a shit while secretly wishing her a lifetime of diarrhea. If I date, he will not say a word to intimidate or be rude.

  “Delia?” Josh calls from the door of the kitchen.

  I turn, letting out a low breath. “Yeah?”

  “Oliver is done, he’s going to head to Melia Lake and then meet us at Grayson’s.”

  “Why are we going to Grayson’s?” I ask, not aware of this plan.

  He smiles. “Jessica’s water broke.”

  Chapter 17

  Delia

  “She’s perfect.”

  “She is, isn’t she?” Jessica says with tears in her eyes.

  “Did you decide on a name?”

  Jess’s gaze moves to Grayson, who is out in the hall calling his siblings. “No. Grayson doesn’t like the names I picked, and I really hate his.”

  “What’s your top choice?” I ask.

  “I like Adeline, but he says it’s going to be hard having two girls with names that start with A.”

  I smile. “He might be right, especially if you have another one after her.”

  She sighs deeply. “He likes Ember.”

  I purse my lips and think on that. “You know . . .”

  “I know, I know. It has meaning, and it’s pretty. But, like, do we need to immortalize the fire?”

  I rub my finger against her daughter’s cheek. “She’s not the ash from the fire, but the ember that remains warm. I think it’s beautiful, just like her mother.”

  Jessica looks back down at her, a tear falling. “She is, and you’re right. She stayed alive, enduring and fighting to be here. I . . . I . . . ugh. I hate that you’re both right. She is Ember, isn’t she?”

  I let out a soft laugh. “I think she is.”

  “I think so too.”

  “I’m so happy for you.” I look at the sweet little girl in her arms, and my lip trembles. This is going to be me soon. Maybe not the girl part, but the holding a baby part. I’m not ready.

  I sniffle and turn away.

  “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “I’m just so happy.”

  She laughs. “So, you’re crying?”

  I open my mouth to tell her that I’m pregnant, but stop myself. It’s her day, and I’m not going to take away from her. Plus, I want to get through the first trimester and out of the danger zone before telling everyone.

  “Isn’t that what we do when we’re happy?” I ask.

  Jessica kisses the top of Ember’s head. “I guess it is.”

  Grayson enters the room, looking at us with a slightly terrified look in his eyes when he sees us whispering. “You okay?”

  “I picked the name.”

  “You . . . picked the name?” he says carefully.

  She nods. “Ember.”

  He lets out a sigh and then chuckles. “Delia liked it?”

  “She did.”

  Jessica looks up at me. “So, I hear that Josh moved in?”

  “Today is the day your daughter was born, we don’t have to discuss that.”

  “Oh, I think we do,” Jess says with her head tilting to the side. “Is there anything else you want to tell me?”

  I shake my head. “No, nothing to say.”

  “Really?” she asks again. “Because, well, I’m not stupid, Deals.”

  “I never said you were.”

  Grayson gets up from the edge of her bed and backs toward the door.

  “I know, but you and Josh . . . like, I’m pretty sure that you’re a lot more than you’re saying.”

  What, like, pregnant?

  My heart stops for a second, and Grayson’s feet stop moving. He looks back to me and then to Jessica.

  “Jess . . . do not get involved in this,” he warns.

  “I agree with your husband.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I’m not getting involved. I’m worried about a friend, and I’m helping.”

  “There’s nothing to help, Jess. I’m fine, and Josh moving in with me made sense because he’s an overprotective ass.”

  “Jeremy did say these break-ins were something to be concerned over,” Gray offers.

  “Jeremy also believed there was a ghost under the bleachers that would grab your ankles at the football game.”

  Grayson has the decency to look ashamed. “It was a prank.”

  “He wore garlic around his neck for a whole school year to ward it off,” I add on. “He’s not all that bright.”

  Jess smiles and then shrugs. “Gray was very convincing.”

  “I’m just saying that Jeremy is the last person we should be taking advice from.”

  “Josh seems to think there’s some validity. I know that we are setting our alarm again, and I’m a bit more vigilant,” Grayson says as he moves to Jess’s side. “There’s nothing a man won’t do to protect the things he loves.”

  I laugh once. “We all know that Josh doesn’t love me. He’s just . . .” He’s just protecting me because I’m pregnant.

  God, this is so damn hard to keep to myself. I want to scream and tell her everything. Jessica is my best friend, and I hate that I haven’t told her yet. However, I need more time to wrap my head around it as well as I’m worried it won’t stick. My mother has a history of miscarriages both before and then after me.

  “He obviously cares about you enough to move in,” Jess says.

  “Because he’s a stupid guy,” I say with exasperation. “There were two possible break-ins, and suddenly, he’s worried for my life.”

  Jessica laughs. “We all know that Josh is complicated. He always has been, but the one thing I will say is that he won’t let the people he loves get hurt.”

  I force myself not to glare at her. I honestly don’t want to hear it anymore. I let false hope take root. “Enough about me. Let’s talk about your beautiful daughter and how perfect your life is.”

  “It’s not perfect, but it’s our family.”

  “It’s perfect, Jess.”

  She shrugs. Both of our gazes move to Ember, and I force myself not to feel sad because my day won’t come along with the same joys about being a family.

  “Maybe a little.”

  I smile, my heart aching a little. “Yeah, maybe a little.”

  “Are you heading to bed?” Josh asks as I put the mug from my tea into the sink.

  I lean against the counter and nod.

  Josh shifts his weight from side to side. “Do you work tomorrow?”

&
nbsp; “No, I’m off.”

  “Okay. Would you . . . like to watch television or something?”

  He looks so cute when he’s uncomfortable. “Sure. I was going to head to bed, but we can watch something.”

  We head into the living room and sit on the couch with at least two feet between us. Jesus, this is going to be a lot of fun.

  “What do you want to watch?” I ask.

  “You can pick.”

  “I don’t really watch television. I usually read, but I’m sure we can find something.”

  After fifteen minutes, I give up, tossing the remote between us. Each thing I chose, he vetoed and vice versa. Do I look like I want to watch sports? I don’t even understand half of what they’re talking about.

  Josh grabs the remote, muttering under his breath, and puts on one of the shows I was enthusiastic about. It sort of fit both of our wants, it’s a love story, it’s set in the 1800’s England, and it’s all about the game of what I think was rugby. It is perfect.

  Episode one cues up, and we end up settling into the same position. Our hands are clasped in front of us, legs straight, and our postures so still it’s as if we don’t like each other.

  It’s like middle-school-dance level awkward.

  “Josh?” I say softly.

  “Yes?”

  “Is there a reason we’re being like this?”

  He laughs, lifts one arm, and jerks his head. “Come here.”

  I don’t wait, not just because I love the feel of his arms around me but also because today has been draining.

  Jessica had her baby, Joshua moved into my house, and I took a stupid vow that we wouldn’t have sex again.

  I lie on his leg, and he pulls the blanket over me before resting his hand on my hip.

  The show goes on, and it’s really good. I mean, I could do without all the sports stuff, but then it wouldn’t really make sense. I close my eyes, feeling warm and safe. Josh’s hand moves up and down my back, and then his fingers graze my cheek.

  My mind wanders between all sorts of nothing, and before I know it, I’m completely unaware of anything other than how content I feel. I can’t remember the last time I was this comfortable with another person.