by Quinn, Taryn
“No. I didn’t say that.”
“Oh, really? Because that’s what it sounds like.”
“Tell me something. Would you be here right now if you weren’t bored? Wouldn’t you be on some race track in Florida or God knows where?”
“Daytona already happened.”
“I don’t know the races, Gage. Pick another one. Any one that you would be at this spring and summer.” Her eyes flashed and her hands fisted at her sides.
“Would you have told me?”
The fact that I had to ask her made my chest ache. Would she really keep it from me?
“Since I literally just thought of it, I can’t answer that.”
“I think you just did.”
“What do you want me to say?” She sliced her hand through the air. “We were together once.”
“Twice,” I reminded her.
“And neither time was supposed to mean anything serious.”
“Maybe not to you.”
The anger knitting her brows cleared into shock. “What?”
I tried to control the fear and anger growing in my chest. I’d already been wound up about her kicking me out the other day. I couldn’t stop thinking about her and for once, it wasn’t only because I was using the wrong head.
She was exciting and intelligent and her mouth made me nuts. Not just when it came to kissing her or tasting her, but the crazy things she said. But the idea that she could be having my kid…
Everything stilled inside of me.
Maybe I was being given a second chance after all. All the money in the world didn’t mean anything when I was always alone. Passing the time with a pretty girl had been fun for a long time, but only because there’d been nothing but winning burning in my brain.
Meeting Rylee that day at The Spinning Wheel had jarred something loose inside of me. Something I didn’t even realize I needed.
Someone who meant more than a sweaty night.
Maybe she didn’t see me as anything more than that. And that was the real problem. I needed to prove to her that I could be counted on.
“Even if there’s no baby, I’m not just looking for a hot fuck anymore.”
“What?”
Her startled glance told me I was on the right path. I stepped closer to her, curling my arm around her back. She was too surprised to back up right away. When she tensed, I cupped her cheek. “I’ve been trying to tell you since I got back to town that I want to spend time with you.”
“Yes, I know what you want.”
“You don’t. I mean, of course I want this.” I yanked her closer so she could see what she did to me just by being in the same room. “But I’m also not a fourteen-year-old led around by my dick.”
“As you push your hard-on into me.”
“He wants you.”
“It’s sentient?” She rested her hand on my chest, but she wasn’t pushing me back this time.
“Let’s just say he’s had a mind of his own in the past. But you’re not alone in this, Ry. Not by a long shot. And if you don’t want me—” I cleared my throat and resisted the urge to toss her over my shoulder and prove just how much that was a lie. “I’ll respect it. I’ll keep trying to change your mind, but I’ll respect it.”
She broke our gaze. “Gage—”
“Let me finish.”
Her dark eyes lifted to mine again.
“I want to be in my baby’s life. Just know I want the mom too.”
She lifted her chin. “And if there’s no baby?”
“Maybe you’ll want one with me someday.”
Her eyes shimmered. “You don’t even know me.”
“You’re worth getting to know. I’ve survived this long by following my instincts.” I lowered my mouth to hers. “So, maybe don’t give up on me yet,” I whispered against her mouth before giving her the kind of kiss she wouldn’t soon forget.
If she wanted to push me away again, I’d let her this time. Because in the kiss was a touch of salt and it broke me in a way I didn’t know what to do with.
“Ah, babe.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “We’ll figure it out together.”
“Okay.”
I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until she said that single word. “How about we go see if we have anything to worry about?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
I framed her face with my hands. “Just one question.”
Her lashes were starred with tears, but they weren’t running down her face. Small mercies. “Yes?”
“If there is a baby, do you want it?”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes. No hesitation. I swallowed down the lump that had been climbing up with each minute since she’d dropped the bomb on me. I opened my eyes when she wrapped her fingers around my wrists. “Good.”
“Just let me go wash my face and get my purse.”
I nodded. “I’ll be here.” Letting her go alone was a lesson in patience and I really sucked at that particular virtue.
“Not bad, ace.”
I glanced over at Macy. She was leaning against the half wall sectioning off the café with the couches and comfortable reading nook she’d created. “Thanks, I think.”
“I was mostly kidding when I mentioned it to her, but then a few things started adding up.” She chewed on the inside of her cheek.
“Got something else to say?”
“Just go easy on her. I like her.” She drummed her fingers on the half wall. “I don’t like too many people. So, just remember I’ve got a really big baseball bat and lots and lots of—”
“Solvents. Yes, I’m aware.”
“I like a guy who listens.” She headed back to her counter. “I made you a coffee and her a hot chocolate.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Just in case.”
I had to laugh. Damned if I didn’t like Macy too.
By the time I got back to the reading nook with our drinks, Rylee was back. She had on a different shirt and a little makeup. I passed her the hot cocoa, then held out my hand for her. She hesitated for only a moment before wrapping her fingers around mine.
“I’m assuming you want to go out of town.”
“God, yes.”
“I figured.” I took a quick sip of my coffee. Still glorious.
She peered at my cup. “Why does mine say hot chocolate?”
“I guess Macy is up on this baby stuff. No coffee.”
“None?” Her jaw fell open.
“Pretty limited, from what I’ve heard from Dare. Guess you’ll be able to talk to your sister about it.”
“How am I going to tell my parents I’m having a baby and I lost my job in the same week?”
“One step at a time.”
“Right.” She nodded and went through the door ahead of me.
“I can take care of us.”
She glanced back at me. “I don’t need you to take care of me. Of us.”
“I know.”
“I lost my job, but I have savings.”
I circled her wrist gently to stop her from walking ahead. “I think you’re the most capable woman I know.”
“We’ve established you don’t know me all that well.” She shook me off and folded both hands around her cup. If I wasn’t mistaken, her fingers were trembling.
“And I’ll continue to get to know you, but I’m used to strong women. I wouldn’t be attracted to you if you weren’t.” When she wrinkled her nose at me, I knew I had her. “No argument there, huh?”
She started walking and I lengthened my stride to match hers. “Mine’s the dark gray one.”
“A dick car?” She frowned at me. “I know for a fact you aren’t lacking in that department.”
“Thanks. Somehow you know just how to make a compliment sound like an insult.”
“It’s a gift.”
I held the door open for her. “More like Chevys are comfortable for me.”
She got in and looked up at me. “I don’t remember race cars looking like this.”
“Well,
I still like a good motor.” I grinned, then shut the door. The Stingray was an indulgence. I was still driving a rental since my Camaro had died a pathetic death in Colorado. Evidently, I would have to start thinking about something more in tune with my future. I got in on the driver’s side. “It’s a rental.”
She looked around at the tight quarters. “Can’t deny the hotness factor.”
I revved the engine. “No, ma’am.”
She let out a surprised laugh when I pulled out onto Main. I had to keep it under thirty, but when I got to the turnoff for the next town over, I opened it up a little.
It felt good to drive again, but I was also conscious of precious cargo for the first time in my life.
I was a very good driver—one of the safest in the industry—but for once, I wasn’t looking to impress someone with my skills. I wanted to make sure I got us safely where we needed to go.
There were a few towns surrounding Crescent Cove. I didn’t really want to head into my old stomping grounds either.
It was bad enough people knew me on sight. I could walk into a room and usually no one could place me, but at the same time, I was noticed. And all it took was one whisper. I didn’t want the tabloids screaming about me and a woman getting a pregnancy test when we hadn’t even brought up the subject with our families.
A few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot of a small CVS. “So, there’s just one problem.”
“Just one?”
I scrubbed my palms on my thighs. “I’m going to sound like an asshole. And I don’t want you to go in there alone.”
She crossed her arms. “You just said we were in this together. So, that changed in three miles? Nice.”
I turned in my seat. “I’d go in there and clear them out of pregnancy tests. I don’t care about that. But what if someone recognizes me?”
She stared out the window with her jaw set. “Oh, big bad race car driver knocked up a chick?”
Gently, I gripped her chin and turned her face toward me. “More like heading number three on US Weekly’s email list. ‘Gage Kramer and gorgeous stranger buy pregnancy test.’ Not sure about you, but those things get talked about in our circles.” She narrowed her gaze. “By our parents and friends, never mind anyone else.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
I pulled out my wallet and counted out a few hundred dollars.
“Gage, they’re not that expensive.”
I just gave her the whole wad of bills. “Buy what you think you need and come back to me.”
She sighed. “Why do you have to surprise me?”
I laughed. “Gotta keep things interesting, right?” She opened her door, but before she could get out, I dragged her back against me and covered her mouth with mine. The kiss was far too quick. “Thanks.”
She licked her lips and gave me another quizzical look. “I’ll be right back.”
I tapped on the steering wheel and checked my phone.
Over and over again.
How the hell long did it take to buy a test? Or a few tests. The parking lot had only a handful of cars.
Fuck it, I was going to get out and check on her. For God’s sake, what if she’d fainted again?
She opened the door and got in with the telltale white and red bag. “Sorry. I wasn’t sure what to buy. I looked online for the best test and then there were so many different options online, and in the store.” She huffed out a breath and shoved the bills back at me. “I got three different ones that were the highest rated.”
“All right then.” When I tried to wave off the money, she growled.
I wasn’t winning that battle. It was better to wave the white flag there. I tucked the wad into my jeans pocket and pulled out. “Where do we want to do this?”
“My place, I guess.”
I nodded.
She pulled out each box and read the back of them as she chewed on the side of her thumbnail.
“Is it hard?”
“Doesn’t seem like it. Pee on the stick and wait for the lines or the words to come up. I got both kinds.”
“Right.”
We parked near her building and went in the side entrance and up the stairs. She dropped the bag on the island and started ripping into the boxes.
I glanced at the stack of peach cups on her counter. “Lots of cups. Need any water? You know, to—”
Her gaze darted from the cups to me, then back again. “Um, no. I’m good.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll be right back.”
“Right. Okay.” I popped my knuckles and paced her small living room.
She came back out a few minutes later, drying her hands on a hand towel. “We have to wait like three minutes and five minutes for one.”
I looked down at my watch and set my timer. “The longest five minutes of my life.”
“We can check in three.”
“But then if they’re all done, we’ll know for sure.”
“Smart. Not sure how you can wait that long, but you know, we can.”
I went to her and grasped her hands. “Do you feel…different?”
“Considering I was shocked when Macy put this stupid idea in my head? Yeah, I’m going to say no.”
I played with her fingers. “Stupid question.”
“How do you think it happened? If, you know, we are.”
I resisted the urge to smile. She’d said we, not I. It was the little things. “All I can figure is when we got into the hotel and you jumped me. I wasn’t thinking and you felt so fucking good that even after I came, I was still hard and kept…” I blew out a breath. “Every guy knows to pull out after you finish so something stupid doesn’t happen, but I wasn’t fucking thinking.”
“You do have amazing resiliency.”
“Thanks, I think.”
She shook her head. “God. Has it been three minutes?”
“Five, remember?”
“At three, we can start.”
“No, five, then we know for certain.”
She closed her eyes and shook out her hands. “You are much too calm about this.”
Surprisingly, I was. Because nothing had ever felt so right in my life.
When my watch beeped, Rylee ran to the bathroom. I followed and at her gasp, I smiled.
She came out with three wands in her hand. She glanced up at me, her huge dark eyes larger than I’d ever seen them. “Every single one says yes.”
I picked her up and swung her around. “We’re having a baby.” I dropped a kiss on her shocked mouth.
“Holy crap, I guess we are.”
Twelve
The best way to deal with something was to rip the Band-Aid off. Or so I’d heard. So, I’d chosen the smaller Band-Aid to attack first.
Sister reveal, then parents, then the town at large.
God, if ever I’d needed alcohol, this was it. But nope, I was officially a teetotaler until I birthed my young.
Childbirth.
I couldn’t even keep a job for two weeks lately, but I could parent a newborn. Sure. No big.
After a brief talk about this pregnancy not being a crisis—ha, lies—I’d sent Gage home and promptly fallen asleep on the couch. Unaided, without any apps. And I hadn’t moved for the better part of six hours.
When I awakened, I’d found a text from Gage.
Just checking on the mom-to-be. Hope you’re resting.
I’d rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t help smiling a little too. Probably dopily. And I’d even answered him without much delay, mentioning I was fine and craving a sandwich.
I can go pick it up. Do you like corned beef, ham, turkey? Oh, there’s nitrates. Aren’t those bad for babies? I saw something on the news. Maybe a veggie sandwich is best.
I’d given him a mental middle finger at that one and said no, thanks. Why go for deli meat when I could have my old faithful peanut butter?
At this point, I wasn’t far from scraping the bottom of the jar. I might have to invest in a bulk order of the stuff.
My baby would probably have a nut-shaped head.
Full from my sandwich—okay, two sandwiches—I’d dozed again without incident. It was a damn miracle. Probably even my dazed brain couldn’t marshal enough forces to manage to sleepwalk while in the throes of such life-changing news.
So, now I was pressing my luck at my sister’s place. We were meeting with her friends in a little while to discuss all things baby shower, so what better time to tell Kel that I’d also imbibed the Crescent Cove baby juice?
It probably actually wasn’t a good time. These preparations should be all about her, not me. But I supposed I needed some comfort from someone who understood what it was like to be invaded without an invitation.
Or else attention-grabbing little sister syndrome was kicking in once again. Though I wouldn’t have minded skipping center stage when it came to this.
I played with the donkey-shaped salt and pepper shakers on Kelsey and Dare’s kitchen table.
Rather appropriate, because I felt like an ass.
“Do you want some decaf tea? Oh, no, of course not.” Kelsey thunked herself in the forehead with the heel of her hand. “I forget not everyone is on a restricted diet. I won’t be either soon. Soon as this guy takes flight,” she patted her enormous belly, “I’ll probably drown myself in caffeine.”
“I thought you were iffy on coffee to begin with?”
“Macy taught me her Jedi ways. Or is it Yoda? I never can get that straight.” She waved her hand. “Anyway, her coffee is bomb. Have you tried it?”
I blinked at my sister. “Excuse me, did you just say current lingo?”
Kelsey grinned and lifted the whistling teapot off the stove and poured the tea into a fussy china cup. “The kids say the craziest things. Best part is trying to vex Dare with the newest stuff I’ve learned. He usually adopts whatever it is within a few days.”
Now I knew I was hearing things. “Surly Dare cares about being current?”
“Dare isn’t surly. He just seems that way sometimes. No, he doesn’t care about being current. But somehow it seems to sneak into his vocabulary. Probably the married thing. Next thing you know, I’ll be talking about spark plugs.” She looked over her shoulder and wrinkled her freckled nose. “No, probably not.”