“Me too.”
Abby edged closer, turning on her side. Tristan held his arm out flat so she could lie on his chest and Abby accepted the invitation with a smile. His heart beat a steady rhythm under her cheek and the sound was soothing.
“Tristan,” she said as the beginning of sleep overtook her.
“Mmm hmm?”
“Wake me...before you go to...work.” She was asleep before she heard his response.
~
When he was sure that Abby was asleep, Tristan slid his phone out of his pocket and sent one-handed emails to his secretary and the head of his security team, notifying them that he was working from home. His security team would pass that on to anyone in the house prone to worrying that he wasn’t awake at this time of day. Then, he closed his eyes for a second before he felt something poking him in the side. Tristan looked down at the spot where Abby’s belly rested. The baby was moving, as if the child Abby carried knew his father was nearby. Tristan smiled as he saw the almost imperceptible motions. The baby was growing and making himself known. Tears blurred his vision as he watched this miracle of life. The baby they had prayed for, spent countless hours in doctors’ offices working for, and cried many tears over, was tucked safely inside Abby’s body.
His son was a reality, and this beautiful woman carried him all alone. There wasn’t a husband there to help her at night. She did everything, all while undergoing the stresses and fatigue of pregnancy. How much should one woman have to take? Logically, Tristan knew that there were women all over the world who had much more weighing on them. But Abby and the baby were his. He had the power to at least make her life simpler, and he was going to do just that.
Tristan closed his eyes for just a few moments, his woman and his child safely in his arms. As soon as he woke up, he was going to make everything better for Abby.
Chapter Thirteen
Abby’s first thought on waking was that the pillow wasn’t soft. She opened her eyes and saw a broad expanse of olive-tinted skin, dark brown nipples and a faint covering of hair trailing down an abdomen she ached to touch. She sat up as quickly as she could, with as little movement as possible to avoid waking Tristan. Abby looked around for a clock and nearly gasped when she saw it was after ten o’clock.
“Tristan.”
He didn’t move. Should I wake him? Surely, he had a busy morning ahead of him?
“Tristan.” Intending to shake him awake, she placed her hand on his shoulder and her finger landed in something wet. Abby bent for a closer look and realized it was from her.
Dear Lord, I drooled on Tristan.
She took the edge of her shirt and wiped quickly, hoping not to add to her already considerable embarrassment.
~
Abby didn’t realize that he was already awake. The moment she’d called his name, he’d woken but kept his eyes closed, curious about what she would do. Feigning sleep as she wiped his shoulder was difficult. He wanted to smile, to thank God for letting her do this. It showed that Abby cared. She always drooled in her sleep. In another life, he would’ve joked about it. But now, he thought it was adorable.
“Tristan.”
He stayed still, hoping she would get closer. The bed shifted as she moved and her breasts brushed against his chest. Tristan was so very glad the blanket was bunched over his mid-section, otherwise his erection would’ve been obvious. Abby leaned down by his ear, her breath caressed his skin.
“Tristan, it’s after ten. You may want to wake up.”
He could feel her nipples through the shirt and almost groaned with the effort it took to not react.
“Tristan...” He could stand it no longer and lifted his head to place a kiss on her lips. She opened her mouth to gasp and he used the opportunity to kiss her more thoroughly, deeper, and slid his tongue along hers. She pressed herself closer, her breasts flattening against his chest and her heart pounding. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She moaned and threaded her fingers in his hair.
This was it. He trembled with the knowledge that he was going to take Abby. The first time would not be slow. Later, he would make love to her but now, this would be sheer carnal need. Two souls reconnecting after being lost.
He took the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up and, in the process, he felt a tiny fluttering along his stomach. The baby. Abby’s stomach touched his and he could feel his son. Tristan’s lust-filled mind regained clarity as he remembered his words.
My intentions are honorable.
With more restraint than he ever imagined possible, Tristan released Abby and gently pushed back on her shoulders.
Her lips were swollen and her eyes dazed with desire, as his had been mere seconds before.
“What’s wrong?”
“We can’t do this, Abby.”
She looked down at her stomach. “Does my pregnancy bother you?”
He shook his head vigorously. “No. I made a promise.”
“Promise? What?”
“I told you I didn’t want you to be alone last night and promised to treat you with honor. I’m not going back on that.”
She frowned. “But...but I’m not holding you to your promise.”
He clenched his fists and gathered as much resolve as he could in this moment. “Abby, honey, it’s important to me. I gave you my word.”
“But the need is mutual.”
He got out of bed, needing to distance himself and held a pillow in front of his groin. His formidable erection was still quite noticeable and Abby didn’t need any help with her argument. Resisting her was difficult enough. “I’ve done very bad things in my life. You’re a fresh start. You’re my hope. If I go back on my word with you, I won’t be the man I want to be for you.”
Her shoulders sagged in disappointment and Tristan almost caved.
“Do you understand?”
She looked up, pursed her lips in a pout and crossed her arms over her chest. “I understand. Doesn’t mean I’m happy about it, but I understand.”
Tristan resisted the urge to smile. “Good. I need to be better for you, Abby, and a better man lives up to his word.”
She nodded in understanding and climbed out of bed. “Is there any way I can get a ride home?”
“Are you upset?”
“No. I just need to get home.”
Tristan’s brows narrowed. “This isn’t a deal breaker, is it?” He hoped, he prayed.
“Not at all. But I have things I need to do and you have to work and—”
“Stay for breakfast, please.”
“Trust me. It’s better if I go.” Abby gathered her clothes and walked to the bathroom to change.
“Abby,” Tristan called out as he rounded the bed. His erection had subsided enough for him to put the pillow down. “Are you okay?”
She exhaled in a huff and closed her eyes as though trying to find patience. “I will be.” At his worried expression, Abby continued. “Being around you is very hard right now, okay? I’m kind of revved up with nowhere to go, if that makes sense.”
“Abby, I’m—”
She held up her hand. “No, don’t apologize. I do respect your morals, even if I’m a little frustrated with them right now. I’ll be right back and then if you’re ready, we can go.”
“I’ll be ready.” As she closed the door, Tristan realized the irony of his words. He was, indeed, ready. But there was no way he would break his promise.
Chapter Fourteen
Abby shook her head as the doorbell rang again—Tristan was going a little overboard. What would he like if they were married? If she were pregnant with his child? The thought stopped her cold. Where on earth had thoughts of marriage come from? David hadn’t even been gone a year. And that certainly would give Marianne lots of gossip fodder. Still, now that the idea was planted, it didn’t seem as scary as it would have, maybe, three months ago.
Two days ago, after delivering Abby home, Tristan had called with the name of a housecleaning service and told her a deliver
y would be made that afternoon. Tristan had an upright freezer delivered with instructions to install wherever would be most convenient for Abby. Bewildered, she pointed the delivery guys to the garage, where they set everything up. Tristan explained, when he finally was able to answer the phone, that the freezer was for the caterer. Abby protested, but Tristan said he’d made arrangements with a reputable organic caterer for individually packaged meals and snacks. If she got hungry and it wasn’t in the freezer, the food probably didn’t exist.
Tristan told her that someone would be by to do yard work. There was a knock and Abby opened the door in shock. “Ehron?”
The very tall man tipped his hat. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Tristan said to expect someone to do my yard work. You’re a painter.”
Ehron chuckled. “Just call me a jack of all trades. Mr. Ramirez is familiar with my work and if he recommended me, I can assure you I’m the best.” He looked past her into the den. “Is now not a good time?”
“What? No, it’s perfect. Come on in. And please excuse me for being rude.” Abby shut the door behind Ehron and wished she’d been a little quicker with what she was doing before he got there. “Uh, I guess this looks a little ridiculous, huh?”
“Not at all.” Ehron glanced down at the mountainous pile of baby clothes on the couch. “You’re preparing for a little one.”
“I sure am. But...could you please keep this between us? Tristan has arranged for a house cleaner, but I just felt the need to be the one to do my baby’s laundry and arrange everything in his room.”
Ehron smirked. “Just let me know if you need anything strenuous done.”
“Deal.” Abby shook his hand with a smile and exhaled in relief. If Tristan arranged for anyone else to come take care of her, it would make her feel like an invalid. “So, yard work, huh?”
“Today, yard work. As far as the future goes, who knows?” Ehron shrugged and looked around.
Abby wanted to protest, to tell Tristan that enough was enough, that she could pay for her own home upkeep, but...it felt good to be nurtured. She wasn’t feminist enough to look this particular gift horse in the mouth and tell it to go away.
“What about trimming trees? I’ve got a magnolia that is too close to the house and I’ve been meaning to get it trimmed back.” Abby looked out with window with a frown. “You know, I probably should have it cut down because it really is too close. But I can’t bring myself to do it.”
“Trimming isn’t a problem. I’ll get started right now.”
Abby followed Ehron to the door. “Thank you.”
He inclined his head. “My pleasure.”
She shut the door behind him and went back to folding her baby’s clothes.
~
Tristan resisted the urge to wave at the neighbors as he drove down Abby’s street. As David, he’d had conversations with these people. Some had been over to the house for cook-outs. He had to remind himself that they didn’t know Tristan Ramirez.
He pulled into the driveway in time to spot Abby going around the house. He got out and followed her. She stood beside the magnolia that had originally been the selling point for the lot. Abby had said she wanted to be able to open the windows and smell the blooms from the tree. Now, she cocked her head and put her hands on her hips.
“Is there a problem with the tree?”
Abby looked over her shoulder and greeting him with a smile. “No. I asked Ehron if he would trim the branches back because there used to be a problem with the leaves clogging up the gutters. Now, it seems as if the tree has moved.”
She was right. The tree was at least ten feet farther away from the house than it had been last year. “Huh. Did the limbs get trimmed?”
“I don’t know. Ehron walked back out to get started and I got very sleepy all of a sudden. I lay down for a quick nap and when I got up, he was gone.” She frowned.
No, he thought. The angel likely made her go to sleep and moved the damned tree. “You’re probably just tired. As the pregnancy progresses, I imagine you’ll need more rest.” He held open his arms and Abby leaned into his chest.
“Maybe. I guess I should thank you.”
“For?”
“The freezer, the food, Ehron’s help, however he did that...”
“Abby, you already thanked me for the freezer and food. If you want to thank me for anything else, let me take you out for dinner.”
“But we can go inside and I can fix you something here. God knows you arranged for enough food to feed a battalion.”
Tristan shook his head. He didn’t think he could go in there and enjoy a meal with Abby, with all the memories of doing the very same thing as David going through his head. “That’s for you, later. It would make me very happy if you would come with me.”
Abby’s lips curled up in a smile. “In that case...”
~
Abby put her glass down, guessing she was probably the only woman Tristan had dined with that had milk with spaghetti. His plate was empty, and he sipped his wine as he watched her. Her feelings for Tristan were growing at an alarming rate—she spent the night at his house, for the love of God—but she knew nothing about the life he had before her, while she had shared much about David. She squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “What was she like?”
“Who?”
“Your wife.”
“Oh.” Tristan steepled his hands. “Caring, patient, intelligent, generous.” He looked off into the distance with sadness in his eyes. “Unlucky.”
“What do you mean?”
“Abby, I was not the best husband. She loved me, or at least she acted like she did. I can’t say for sure because the only time I returned her affections was in the bedroom.” He cringed. “Sorry, that’s not polite subject matter.”
“Don’t apologize.” Abby patted her belly. “I think we can both safely say that we had sex with our spouses.”
His lip curled in a semblance of a smile. “Good point. But, in regards to my marriage, I wasn’t there. We made public appearances together, lived in the same house but...I wasn’t the most attentive of husbands. At times,” Tristan paused to take another drink, “my memories seem like looking through a window at other people’s lives.”
How odd. Abby couldn’t understand because she cherished her memories of David because, until the last day, most of them were good. “What changed?”
Tristan shrugged. “I became a completely different man while on sabbatical.”
He smiled, as if there were an underlying punch line to that remark. “Do you think you’ll remain like you are now?”
“And how,” he asked, looking amused, “am I now?”
“Attentive, caring, protecting, and I have a feeling the longer we spend together, the more I’ll discover about you.”
He chuckled and took another swallow of wine. “I have no doubt of that.”
“I’m sure. So,” and this was important, “are you going to be gone a lot, now that you’re back at work?”
“I’ll be gone some. It’s the nature of my work. But I have also discovered that the ability to delegate is a wonderful thing. I have vice presidents that are more than capable of handling the responsibilities I used to take on personally.”
“That’s good.” She breathed a sigh of relief.
“Were you concerned about not seeing me?”
Abby nodded.
“Don’t be.” Tristan reached across the table and held her hands tenderly. “You’re infinitely precious to me. I’m not spending any more time away from Atlanta than necessary. I don’t want to be apart from you,” Tristan looked down at her stomach, “or the baby.”
Abby felt her eyes watering. His hands were so strong, his voice confident, his eyes sincere. “You don’t have a personal hero complex do you?”
“No, I’m no hero at all, Abby.”
There was a haunted expression on his face. She smiled and eventually, Tristan did as well. He’d saved her from despair. How could he not see th
at?
You think you aren’t a hero. Well that’s exactly something that a hero would say about himself.
Chapter Fifteen
“Why are the doctors doing an ultrasound today?” Tristan followed Abby around her living room as she straightened. The house was spotless, the cleaning service saw to that. But Abby was fidgeting. Nesting.
“Just to measure growth. I haven’t been able to feel him as much lately and my obstetrician ordered one as a precautionary measure, really.” Abby looked down at her watch. “I wonder where my parents are.”
Tristan looked at the door, growing more nervous by the second, for several reasons. Abby’s parents had loved David. He’d charmed her mother with ease. Her father was another matter altogether, but even he was easily won over when David revealed his season passes to the Braves. Jackson Adams, Abby’s father, was of the opinion that historians had it wrong. Jesus wasn’t born in Bethlehem; he was born at Turner Field.
This time around, Abby was a widow, pregnant with David’s baby, and Tristan was a businessman with a ruthless reputation. Jackson was an accountant for an international law firm, so he would be very familiar with Tristan Ramirez. The man had been protective of his only daughter before, but Tristan being a new person in Abby’s life, combined with his reputation, was going to make Jackson exceptionally apprehensive.
She frowned and checked her watch again. “They’re never late.”
“Your appointment’s in an hour?”
“Uh huh.” She peered out the window nervously.
“Maybe you should call them.”
“I should.” Abby pressed a few numbers and held the phone to her ear, resting her other hand protectively on her bump and highlighting the other reason for Tristan’s nervousness.
Today, he would see his baby for the first time. Tristan didn’t give a damn that biologically, another man was his father. This baby was his, regardless of whatever body Tristan was in. He would be the one kicking a soccer ball in the yard, talking to him about girls and holding Abby’s hand as he crossed the stage at graduation. And the doctors would not have ordered an ultrasound just to be safe, would they? Did they think something was wrong?
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