Opposites Attract

by Cat Johnson

  As he walked through the apartment toward the bathroom, he started to make lists in his head about what he wanted to get done before she got home. Get the chicken and rice started cooking, set the table, light some candles, put on some music, open a bottle of wine.

  Antonio was just dropping the razors off in the master bath when the phone rang. He considered picking it up in case it was Maddie, but then realized she would just call his cell. Checking the phone hung on the waist of his jeans, he confirmed it was on and had signal and walked back to the kitchen, figuring her machine would pick up eventually. He started unloading the grocery bags as he listened to Maddie’s voice on the outgoing message and smiled.

  Boy, he had it bad if just hearing her answering machine message could make him feel warm and fuzzy. Then he heard the beep and the caller say, “This is County Obstetrics and Gynecology calling for Madeline Morgan. Just a reminder that you neglected to leave us a copy of your insurance card when you were in for the pregnancy test this morning. If you could fax over a copy or drop one by the office as soon as possible, we’d appreciate it.”

  The package of chicken slipped from his grasp and hit the counter with a thud. His knees felt shaky as he leaned on the kitchen table and grasped the edge with both hands. He had a brief memory of what they’d done on that very table. All over the condo, actually and never once had they taken any precaution because she was so sure she couldn’t have kids. Holy shit. No wonder Maddie sounded weird on the phone.

  She hadn’t told him she was worried or even that her period was late. Why hadn’t she? Whatever her reason, he’d have to respect her decision not to tell him yet. He took a deep breath. As hard as it was going to be, he was going to have to pretend he hadn’t heard this message and let her tell him in her own time.

  And then…? What would he say to her then? How exactly did he feel about this?

  He walked to the wine rack in the kitchen and bumped the opening of a bottle of wine to the top of the list of things he had to do. He poured himself a big glass. Leaning against the counter, Antonio took a long drink and let the idea of Maddie being pregnant with his child settle in.

  On autopilot, he started getting things ready for dinner. He put the vase of flowers he’d bought on the dining room table, then wandered over into the living room and picked up a picture of Maddie and Brad as children. It must have been taken in the summer when they were about the same ages as his kids were now. They were sitting in a field of daisies. Maddie had picked a fistful and held them out toward the camera. She’d been a beautiful child. She’d have beautiful children. He noticed his hand was trembling. He put down the picture and went to the kitchen to start browning the chicken.

  ~

  Maddie drove home from work, exhausted from the emotional roller coaster she’d been on since she realized her period was late. Now, all she wanted to do was maybe take a bath, put on a pair of cozy pajamas and sink into Antonio’s arms.

  When she pulled into her spot, she was surprised and very glad to see his SUV already parked there. Her bag from the pharmacy in one hand, she walked fast to the door, anxious to be with him. She realized she loved coming home to Antonio.

  They would have to have a discussion about all that she had discovered today, but maybe she could push that off, at least for a little while.

  Inside she stashed the bag and her coat in the hall closet, and then walked past the table set with candles and flowers and directly into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around Antonio and hugged him hard. “Hey. I’m so happy to see you.”

  He threw the dishtowel he was holding onto the counter, hugged her back tightly, then pulled back to look at her. “You okay?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine when I’m with you. But I could definitely use a nice glass of that wine you’re drinking.”

  “Wine? You sure?”

  She let out a breath. “Very sure.”

  “Okay.” He poured barely an inch of wine into a glass and handed it to her.

  She frowned down at it, wondering why he was being so stingy with the wine when there was still plenty in the bottle and nearly a case still in the wine rack. But she accepted what she was given and swallowed deeply. “So, what are you cooking?”

  “Mama’s specialty, Arroz con Pollo. It’s not going to be ready for a little while though, so why don’t we go sit down in the living room and, uh, talk.” Antonio looked at her very strangely.

  “Okay.” She moved into the living room, him at her elbow. She perched on the couch and put her already empty glass on the coffee table. Eyeing his full glass, she decided she’d simply drink Antonio’s wine if he didn’t pour her a decent-sized glass of her own. “So, how is everything going?”

  “Nothing really new with me.” He shrugged. “You?”

  “Same.” She returned his shrug with one of her own. He’d diverted her question with a counter question. Very interesting. “So, Tina and the kids are fine?”

  He nodded. “Yeah.”

  She continued. “And your shift at the firehouse. Anything happen?”

  “Nope. Same old stuff.”

  “Oh. That’s good I guess.” Maddie was running out of options. She was nearly out of small talk. Considering as a lawyer she talked for a living that was pretty amazing.

  “So, did you get to whatever appointment you had today?” He reached out and took her hand in his, holding on to it tightly.

  “Um, yeah. I got there five minutes early actually.”

  She frowned. What could be making him act so weird today? If he’d grabbed her and thrown her on the bed, or even the kitchen table, and made love to her, she’d expect it. Enjoy it even. But this question and answer period was strange. It wasn’t making her feel any more comfortable about bringing up what she needed to talk to him about.

  Then she noticed something. Were Antonio’s hands shaking? She looked closer at him. Something was definitely wrong. “Are you certain everything is fine?”

  “Yeah. It’s just, Maddie, I’ve been thinking.”

  Uh, oh. That was never a good start to a conversation.

  “We haven’t known each other for very long…” Antonio took a big breath.

  He was definitely visibly trembling and now so was Maddie. No way, she would not let herself believe he was about to dump her. But something was definitely very wrong. Then she watched him get down on one knee. “I don’t even have a ring to offer you, but Maddie, I want you to be my wife.”

  Her eyes opened wide and she realized so had her mouth, although no words came out. Just when she was sure he was about to break up with her, he proposed instead? After they had only been dating for a few weeks? Was his divorce even final yet?

  Relieved but confused, she pulled him up off his knee and back onto the couch beside her. “Antonio, what’s this about? Are you sure you’re all right? Oh, my God. You didn’t get trapped in a fire and almost die or something, did you?”

  He shook his head. “No. It has nothing to do with work. I…I love you.”

  A smile crept across Maddie’s lips. “I love you too. But marriage? Don’t you think this is a little soon?”

  “I guess soon is relative. It depends really.”

  “On what?”

  His warm hands continued to envelope hers. He squeezed her fingers. “The circumstances.”

  Maddie frowned. “What circumstances? What’s changed between today and the last time you and I saw each other?”

  “I was going to wait for you to tell me in your own time but…” Antonio let out a sigh. “The phone was ringing when I got here. I couldn’t help but hear the message.”

  “What message?” Her heart began to pound. What in the world was going on?

  “Your OB/GYN, talking about your pregnancy test.”

  She should have shared this with him immediately. The moment she realized she was late. Then the most recent news. He should have been there with her to hear it. She could have used him actually. Couples shared the good and the bad. He deserve
d that at least from her.

  “I went to the doctor today because my period is late. I was afraid I might be pregnant because—” Maddie drew in a deep breath. She looked him directly in the eyes. “—when I went through Alan’s old stuff this morning, I found the paperwork showing the lying bastard has a low sperm count and the doctor’s advisory that it would most likely be very difficult to conceive naturally given his condition.”

  Antonio was visibly shocked. “Wow. And all that time—”

  She nodded and finished his thought. “He let me think I was the reason we couldn’t have children. And because of that, we haven’t done a thing to prevent my getting pregnant. He’s lucky he wasn’t here when I discovered that paper today, or I would have used that fireplace poker over there in ways it was never meant to be used. But anyway. Antonio, you don’t have to marry me, the test came back negative. I’m not pregnant. The doctor said that all the changes in my life recently probably just threw off my cycle.”

  “Wow.” He looked a bit shell-shocked, kind of like how she’d felt all day.

  “Can I please have a sip of your wine, now that you know I’m not pregnant? I could really use it.”

  He handed his glass to her. “Sure. Sorry about that. Um, Mads? Were you going to tell me? If I hadn’t heard that call?”

  “Of course. I’m sorry. I was going to tell you tonight but you were acting so…strangely.” She let out a laugh. “I would have had to tell you when I whipped out the box of condoms I picked up at the drug store along with my new prescription for birth control pills. But at least you don’t have to pretend you want to marry me. That’s a relief for you.”

  Antonio shook his head. “Not true. I had a bit of time to get used to the idea. You and I. Married. A baby. Yeah, it would have been sooner than I would have planned, but it was still kinda nice thinking about it.”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “Really?”

  Antonio smiled at her. “Really. I told you I loved you tonight because it’s true. That had nothing to do with a baby. I’ve been trying to figure out when to tell you for a while now.”

  “You always know the perfect thing to say.” Maddie dabbed at her eyes. Then she smiled at him. “You know, I really don’t think we had any choice in the matter—falling in love. We probably will be married by next year. We can’t fight Maria’s perfect record for getting couples together. She’s now three for three.”

  He laughed. “Yeah, there should probably be a warning sign on the outside of her apartment. ‘Enter at your own risk’.”

  She punched him playfully in the arm. “Hey, what’s that mean? You sorry you met me?”

  “Nope.” He laughed and captured both of her hands in his, then kissed them one by one. “Not one little bit.”

  The End

  For more works by

  CAT JOHNSON

  visit

  www.CatJohnson.net

  Don’t miss NICE & NAUGHTY for more of Troy and Antonio

  as they and their firefighter buddies take it all off for charity!

  Nice & Naughty

  A Hot Holiday Trilogy With Firemen! by Cat Johnson

  What’s better than a fireman? Twelve of them, naked, on the pages of your calendar.

  The hot firemen you loved in Opposites Attract are back with their friends, but now they're wearing a lot less clothing and heating up the holidays like never before. Be prepared for secret identities, a sizzling calendar shoot, smoldering bachelor firemen up for auction, sexy Santas and a whole lot more!

  Secret Recipe: A famous lifestyle maven who secretly can't cook? Good thing a sizzling hot fireman/calendar model knows his way around the kitchen and is there to rescue her and her charity event from certain disaster. If they detour to the bedroom on the way to the kitchen, even better.

  Mr. December: When the real December calendar man gets sick, a rich department store owner has to step in for him and play Santa. Once he meets the pretty lady photographer sent to cover the event, things really start to heat up. The only problem is, she has no idea who he really is, and he’s not all that keen on telling her.

  Can't Buy Me Love: What do you get when you take one over-worked caterer on the brink of a nervous breakdown and add a hunky fireman for sale at the charity bachelor auction she's catering? You get a woman who finally finds the one gift to buy herself that she's never going to want to return.

  If you love the old black-and-white classic holiday movies such as Christmas in Connecticut, Shop Around the Corner and Holiday Inn, you’ll love the three Nice & Naughty stories they inspired.

  This book was previously published. It has been reedited from the original version.

  JUST DESSERTS

  ~Three Sexy Tales of Revenge by Cat Johnson

  Revenge may be a dish best served cold, but these three tales are hot, hot, hot!

  Private Investigations

  Donna is the kind of person who never thinks twice when it comes to helping a friend in need. So when her co-worker suspects her boyfriend of cheating, Donna is right there in the stakeout car next to her. Little does she know that their brief foray in private investigation will lead to her own investigating of a sexy PI's privates.

  Between Love and Hate

  Jade thought she'd found the one, until she finds proof her boyfriend has been secretly meeting someone else. What's a girl to do? Get back at him, of course. However, sometimes things aren't always as they seem.

  Saving Grace

  As Valentine's Day approaches, Grace realizes all of her friends have found the loves of their lives while she is still alone and lonely. But when a secret admirer sweeps her off her feet, she discovers that Mr. Right may really be oh-so-wrong. With help from an unexpected ally, can she get free of him before she finds herself all tied up?

  This work has been previously published. It has been edited for rerelease.

  ABOUT the AUTHOR

  Cat Johnson is the author of contemporary erotic romance in genres including western, military, romantic comedy, multiple partner and a tiny bit of paranormal.

  She is known for her creative research and marketing techniques. Consequently some of her closest friends/book consultants wear combat or cowboy boots for a living and she owns an entire collection of camouflage and western footwear for book signings. She’s been a marketing manager, Junior League president, tour guide, radio show host and the sponsor for real live, pro bull riding rodeo cowboys. Cat is the author of both full-length novels and shorter romances and is currently contracted with Samhain Publishing and Kensington Brava.

  Email to Cat@CatJohnson.net

  www.catjohnson.net

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