by Lori Foster
“I’ll get you a paper towel. Just pinch it.”
“It’s okay,” she said, squeezing her nostrils shut. “I learned about this in nursing school. It’s all the extra blood flow during pregnancy, especially during the second trimester. It can cause dizziness and nosebleeds.”
“I think I should take you to the ER,” Travis said, holding a glass of water up to her lips. “You almost fainted.”
“I’m fine,” she insisted, wondering in sudden irritation how he thought she was supposed to drink water with her nostrils pinched closed. She took the glass from him and set it down. She still felt a little bit like the room was moving and she wasn’t, but she was not going to faint. “I think I’m just tired from the drive.”
Amber handed her two paper towels, one damp and one dry. “Did you drive it by yourself? No wonder you’re tired. When was the last time you ate?”
“I had some cookies an hour ago.” Which wasn’t exactly food to fuel her.
Travis clearly realized the same. “That’s my fault. I gave her sweets. I can make some dinner, though. Just give me twenty minutes.”
Sighing, Sara used the damp towel to wipe the remnants of blood off her nose. She was pretty sure the bleeding had stopped. “Don’t go to any trouble.” She knew she should eat, but she was actually feeling a little sick to her stomach. She wanted a nap more than anything. “I should probably just get some sleep. I’ll be fine after a few hours of rest.”
Travis had already pulled tongs out of a drawer and he pointed them at her. “You’re eating. End of story. I’m going to grill some chicken.”
“I’ll make a salad.” Amber scooped up the bloody paper towel and pitched it in the trash bin. She washed her hands at the sink, then opened the refrigerator, clearly comfortable in Travis’s kitchen.
Sara sat at the table, hot and wet, and not in a good way. “What can I do to help?”
“You can go and change out of those wet clothes, for one. That can’t be good for you,” Travis said, pulling raw chicken out of the refrigerator. He and Amber bumped into each other and he steadied her with a hand on her waist while she gave a giggle.
Ick. Sara felt nauseous again. She wasn’t sure if it was because she hadn’t really seen Travis with a girlfriend in a lot of years, or if it was because she didn’t have that kind of easiness, intimacy, with a man.
Or maybe it was because when she pictured Travis being comfortable with a woman, it was her.
Disturbed by her own confusing thoughts, Sara stood straight up, knocking the chair backward onto the floor. “Oh, damn, sorry.” She bent over and reached for the chair to right it.
Travis beat her to it. “I got it.”
Feeling like a moron, she felt heat flooding her cheeks. Feelings of inadequacy flooded her and without responding to him, Sara just bolted from the kitchen. She needed to get her bag out of the car to change anyway. But Travis followed her.
“Do you need help? Where are you going?”
Sara jogged down the wooden steps from his front porch to the brick walkway. “No, I got it. I’m just getting my bag so I can change.”
“Don’t be lifting a suitcase.” The screen door swung shut as he followed her. “Let me get it.”
“I’m not an invalid. I’m just pregnant.” Sara opened the back door and reached in for her bag. She’d only tossed a few things in it anyway, her drive here impulsive.
When she stood and turned, she nearly collided with Travis.
“It’s okay to accept help,” he told her gently, prying the bag from her fingers.
“All I do is accept help from you.” And she had nothing to offer him in return. She never had.
Travis didn’t understand why Sara was actually flghting him to hold on to her bag. “I’m not going to look in it,” he told her. “And I haven’t seen you in two years, how can you say you always accept help from me?”
She made a sound of exasperation. “I don’t care if you look in it. That’s not the point. The point is, how am I going to stay here for the next four months, intruding on your life without a penny to my name?”
Travis studied her face. She was worried again, biting her lips, shoving her damp hair out of her eyes. She had been flne earlier. “We already talked about this. We’re friends, family, whatever you want to call us. Damn it, Sara, you’re important to me.”
More important than he could ever fully express. He wanted that baby growing inside her to be his. He wanted her with him, in this house, building a life and a family together.
“I don’t think Amber is going to appreciate this arrangement. She’s a very sweet person, but as your girlfriend, I can’t imagine having a pregnant woman in residence is going to thrill her.”
Travis cleared his throat, not sure how to address the Amber issue. “She’s not my girlfriend. We just casually date. And I’m sure she’ll understand that I’m helping you out.”
The truth was, if he had any sense, he would take things more seriously with Amber. She wanted to. But he could never bring himself to take it deeper. He hadn’t even slept with her yet. There was no rational reason to be dragging his feet with Amber. She was one of the kindest women he’d ever met.
But she wasn’t Sara.
“I don’t want to interfere with your relationship.” Sara gave a smile, her teeth still digging into her lip. “And I have to tell you, I really don’t want to be in the next room when you two are having your naked fun.”
He could just leave it alone. It didn’t matter, really. But Travis wanted her to know the truth. “I’ve never had sex with Amber and I’m not planning to anytime soon.”
Her mouth dropped open. Her eyes widened. Then she gave a short laugh. “Geez, now I feel like an even bigger slut.”
“What! Why would you say that? For the last time, you’re not a slut. I swear, if you say it again, I’ll wash your mouth out with soap.” It infuriated him to hear her trashing herself.
“It’s true!” And she burst into tears again.
Travis didn’t know what to do other than to pull her into his arms. Surprisingly, she let him, dropping her bag onto his feet. She burrowed into him, her embrace tight and desperate.
“No, it’s not true.” Then he just held her, petting her back, her hair.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Amber said from behind him. “But I left a salad on the counter, and I’m going to head on home. I think you two need some time to catch up.”
Travis shot her a grateful look over Sara’s head. Amber didn’t look pissed off, like most women would. She just looked like she was well aware Sara hadn’t driven all the way to Rabbit Hash just for a visit.
“Thanks, Amber,” he told her gratefully.
But Sara pulled back. “No, no, please don’t leave. Stay and eat, honestly.” She wiped her red eyes and bent over to grab her bag. “If either one of you is any nicer to me, I swear, I’m going to just die of embarrassment.”
As she ran into the house, her gait uneven and awkward, her hand on her belly, Travis stared at her back in bewilderment. “What the hell . . .”
“The father ditched out, didn’t he?” Amber asked.
“In a manner of speaking.” Sara’s predicament wasn’t something that needed to be broadcast.
“Men who do that should be strung up. It takes two to make a baby, and two should raise it.” She shook her head. “No wonder her emotions are running high. Not to mention the fact that she’s always been in love with you.”
Travis swiveled to face Amber, struck dumb. “What? Are you nuts? She isn’t in love with me.” He only wished she were.
Her eyebrows went up. “Lord, Travis, don’t be so dense. That girl has been in love with you since middle school.”
“If she were, wouldn’t she say something?” he pointed out, his heart suddenly beating way too fast. “She wouldn’t have run off to Charlotte.”
“She doesn’t tell you because she doesn’t feel worthy of you.” Amber’s voice softened. “You’re an amazing man, and S
ara has never felt worthy of any man’s love, let alone yours.”
Sara was definitely insecure, always had been. She’d been a hangdog of a kid, but she had always raised her chin up defiantly when she had needed to. That didn’t mean that she wouldn’t feel worthy of him. He wasn’t anything special. Just a regular guy, trying to do right in life. “I don’t think you can be certain on this one.”
“I’d bet your life on it.”
“My life?”
She laughed. “Well, I’m damn sure, but I’m not going to risk my own life. Now I’m going to leave and I want you to go into that house and tell Sara how you really feel about her. What she needs is you.”
Hope suddenly bloomed in his chest. He wanted Amber to be right so bad his desire was painful. But her intent suddenly registered. “Wait. Are you breaking things off with me?”
“Yes. And I’m wishing y’all the best of luck.”
Squeezing her arm in gratitude, Travis told her, “You’re a good woman. There’s a great guy out there who will be damn lucky to flnd you.”
“Maybe someday.”
“You sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?” he asked out of pure politeness.
She smiled. “No. But thank you.”
With a wave, she left, and Travis turned and stared at his house.
Inside was everything he’d ever wanted.
But did he have the courage to go for it?
four
Sara couldn’t sleep. It was hot in Travis’s guest room and there was zero breeze. The baby was moving aggressively, Sara had to use the bathroom, and she was dying of thirst. Since it was midnight, she figured she could take care of two out of three of her needs without waking up Travis, though nothing could be done about the heat.
Climbing out of bed, she debated getting dressed, but after wiping sweat off her forehead, her upper lip, and between her bra, she axed that idea. If she was this hot at six months pregnant in mid-May, she was not looking forward to August. Nor did she think her breasts could get any bigger. Always small-chested, she now found it was more comfortable to wear a bra all the time to control the burgeoning balloons that had inflated above her rib cage.
Opening the door, she peeked down the hall to make sure the light was out in Travis’s room, then headed for the bathroom. After stealing all the cherry tomatoes out of Amber’s salad, she had headed to the guest room while the couple had talked out in the drive. When Travis had come in, wanting to talk to her, she had told him she didn’t feel well and just wanted to sleep. He had pressed her for a minute, but she had stuck to her guns, and he’d gone away.
She just hadn’t been able to stomach a dinner with Travis and Amber. They were good people and she was just a screwup. She didn’t think she could sit there and not feel bad about herself. And they wouldn’t want her to feel bad. Which would just make her feel even worse.
Sitting on the toilet, she gave a sigh. She couldn’t stay with Travis, as tempting as it was. She couldn’t interfere with his life like that. Nor could she feel particularly good about herself, knowing she had no job, no money, and no baby daddy. It was time to go back to Charlotte and stand on her own two feet. She couldn’t expect Travis to fix her problems, any more than she could expect Evan Monroe to.
After flushing and washing her hands, she checked again to make sure she hadn’t woken up Travis. There was no sound coming from his room. Heading to the kitchen, she wondered if he had fruit juice. She was craving it, that cold, sweet tanginess, and any flavor would do.
Wiping her dewy forehead again, she lifted her hair up and tried to ignore the dampness at her neck. How could she be this hot when she was only in a bra and panties? Grabbing a glass out of the cabinet, she set it on the counter next to the refrigerator and pulled the door open. The cool air floating across her legs and tummy was a welcome relief. Closing her eyes for a minute, she just sighed and let it cool off her damp skin.
“Are you okay?”
Sara jumped, bumping her belly on the door as she turned toward Travis. He was standing in the doorway in his boxer shorts, looking sleepy and concerned.
“I’m fine.” She told herself not to look at his chest. That resolve lasted about three seconds, and then she was taking in the span of his shoulders and the firmness of his biceps in the moonlight streaming in from the kitchen window.
Sadie padded past Travis and licked Sara’s hand, forcing her to glance down and remember that she herself was not nearly as dressed as she should be under the circumstances.
“Are you hungry? I can fix something for you. I really wish you’d eaten dinner.”
“I’m just thirsty. I was looking for some juice.”
“I have grape juice in there somewhere.” Travis started toward her.
“I got it,” she told him, pulling the door closed a little with her behind it so he couldn’t see her sweaty pregnant body.
“I may have to dig for it in the back.”
“I can find it!”
Travis’s eyebrow’s shot up. “Stop being so stubborn.” He pulled the door open all the way and came around, his hand reaching out, right past her backside, to get the juice. “It’s behind the . . .
His voice trailed off and he snatched his hand back. “Sorry, I didn’t realize . . .”
Feeling her cheeks go pink as Travis gawked at her nearly nakedness, Sara tried to figure out if there was a way to turn to make her less obvious, but there wasn’t. No matter which direction she was facing, he was going to get an eyeful of giant breasts, big belly, and her brand-new booty. All sweaty. Every inch of it.
“I was hot. I didn’t think you’d be up this time of night.”
“Sorry, I . . .” Travis was just staring at her, his eyes running from her neck to her knees, up and down and back again.
“Will you stop gawking at me?”
“It’s just . . .” Finally, his lifted his eyes to her face. “Sara, you look beautiful. Amazing.” His hand came out like he wanted to touch her belly. “I’ve never seen anyone look so . . . beautiful.”
Travis wished he had better words to describe her, but that was the best he could do. He couldn’t believe how ripe and soft and glowing she was, her skin dewy, her tummy firm and round, her body free of all those sharp bony angles for the first time in the entire length of their friendship.
“I don’t look beautiful,” she scoffed. “I’m sweaty.”
Maybe, but it only added to the exotic quality of the picture she made, standing there in a simple cotton bra and panties, their plain white lace trim bright in the moonlight against her lightly tanned skin. The bra was too small, her newly developed breasts spilling over the cups, and her panties were low in front, and exposing a lot of her firm bottom in back. She did look beautiful, and sensual, and feminine.
Seeing her naked belly without the T-shirt she’d had on earlier when he had touched her and felt the baby move urged him to do what he had been lying in bed all night contemplating. He couldn’t stop himself. He had to at least try for the future he wanted.
“Sara, I love you,” he told her, reaching out and taking her hand. “Will you marry me?”
A gasp flew out of her mouth and her eyes were like dinner plates. “What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, I want you to do me the honor of becoming my wife. I want to be with you here, in Rabbit Hash, raising this baby together. As a family.” Each word he spoke out loud rang stronger and truer as Travis found the nerve to tell Sara what he felt, what he knew. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
But she shook her head rapidly. “You don’t have to marry me out of pity. I’ll be all right, I really will. You deserve something more than being burdened with cleaning up my mess, and this is making me stronger.”
“I don’t want to marry you out of pity. I want to marry you because I love you.” He leaned down and whispered it in her ear. “I love you.”
She shivered, her head tilting slightly toward his. “Like a brother?”
In
haling the scent of her flesh and her shampoo, Travis ran his thumb across her fingers as he held her hand. “No. The way a man loves a woman. The way a husband loves his wife.”
“What about Amber?”
Travis dropped a kiss on her earlobe and brushed his lips over her jaw, murmuring, “Amber is wonderful, but she’s not the one for me. It’s always been you.”
“Really?” She sounded doubtful, like what he was saying was incomprehensible.
He hoped that didn’t mean her feelings weren’t the same. “Really. I love you.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I love you.” He kissed the other corner. “I love you.” Looking deep in her eyes, hoping she would believe him, hoping that she could love him even a tenth of the way he did her, Travis kissed her ripe lips.
Sara couldn’t believe what was happening. Travis was kissing her. He had told her he loved her. He had asked her to marry him. She didn’t know what to think or say or feel, so she poured all of her emotion, her elation, her wonderment, into her kiss.
He felt wonderful, his hands on what was left of her waist, his mouth warm and delicious. She gripped his shoulders and kissed him back, amazed that this was real, that all her girlhood fantasies were coming true. Throwing her arms around his neck, Sara kissed him on and on and on, sighing when his tongue swept over hers.
When she finally pulled back slightly and stared at him in elation, she told him, “I love you, too. I’ve loved you since I was thirteen years old.”
“You have?” Travis grinned and pulled her closer to him. “So that means you’ll marry me?”
“Yes.” She didn’t need to think about it at all. There was no man she’d rather be with than Travis. He had her heart and her back, and he always had.
“So we’re getting married then.” He hand shifted to her belly. “And we’re having a baby. God, Sara, I’m so happy.”
Sara felt an absolute peace and happiness descend over her, settling into her bones. “You’ll be an awesome father. The best. This baby is so lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.” Travis stared into her eyes. “I have you. And a daughter.”