He should turn away, but he couldn’t.
“Whew!” She sat up, tugging on her shirt. “It’s been quite an afternoon.”
And he didn’t want it to end. “You know, it’s going to be after six by the time we get home. You said on the way here Peggy was going to close up the shop for you. How about us having dinner together?”
The low lighting in the room made it difficult to read her expression, but her silence spoke volumes.
“At my place,” he quickly added. “I’m cooking.”
“Really? I didn’t know you cooked.”
“As long as you like spaghetti.” He took a step toward her. “Along with a fresh garden salad and my mother’s homemade sauce.”
The low grumble of her stomach filled the air, causing her to laugh and Adam’s heart to soar.
“Is that a yes?”
“If you include garlic bread, I’m all yours.”
That’s exactly what Adam wanted to hear.
* * *
“Shadow, stop begging.”
“Sorry, buddy, but I’m not sharing,” Fay said, then offered an apologetic grin to the dog sitting next to her chair. “I still can’t believe you kept him.”
“Dev suggested I take him to the vet to see if he might have one of those embedded chips. By the time we left there Monday night, he’d been examined to within an inch of his manhood, given a handful of shots and came out sporting a new collar.”
Adam tried to sound grouchy, but Fay could see he and his new friend were already close by the happy greeting she and Adam had received when they arrived.
“And his name?”
“That was easy.” Adam rose, taking his dishes into the kitchen. “The darn thing is exactly that, a shadow. He follows me everywhere. I’ve taken him to work, where he usually hangs out in the office or plays with Nolan’s boys. At night he curls up at the end of my bed.”
“He sleeps with you?”
Standing at the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining room, Adam’s hand paused over the sink’s faucet. “It’s a king-size bed. There’s plenty of room for both of us.”
Having no idea how to respond to the intimate innuendo, Fay popped the last bite of bread into her mouth, the garlicky flavor bursting on her tongue. “Wow, this really is good.”
Adam watched her for a moment then punched out a quick whistle. The dog trotted into the kitchen and was rewarded with an extra meatball before Adam put the pan into the soapy water. “Did you have enough to eat?”
“More than I should have.” Fay pushed away from the dining table with a groan. “Boy, when Liz told me I needed to start putting on a few pounds, I don’t think she meant all in one night.”
Shutting off the water in the sink, Adam looked over at her. “You’ve been losing weight?”
“Morning sickness and I have been good friends for the last month.” She stood, lifting her plate, silverware and glass in her hands. “Thankfully that seems to have gone away in the last week, but even before…well, you know with everything that’s happened. It’s been a long year.”
He only nodded as he took the dirty dishes from her. Fay wanted to kick herself.
Despite the incident in her shop, his questions about her parents, and that awkward moment during the ultrasound when she’d been sure Adam was going to kiss her—
Okay, so that was pure speculation on her part, but still it’d been an amazingly wonderful afternoon that turned into a great evening. She hadn’t wanted anything to spoil that.
“Why don’t you relax in the living room?” Adam walked past her and gathered up the remains of their dinner from the table. “I’ll just be a few more minutes here.”
“You sure you don’t want any help?”
He shook his head. “Nope, I’m all set. Go on, you look like you’re about to fall asleep on your feet.”
Realizing he was right, Fay walked to the couch and sank into the buttery soft cushions. She really should insist he take her back to her apartment now that dinner was over, but after spending so many nights alone, she found she wanted to stay.
A surprise considering her first instinct had been to turn down his dinner invitation.
She still wasn’t ready to have everyone in Destiny know the two of them were having a child together. Not that sharing a meal out would lead people to that conclusion, but it would start people talking.
Then again, the locals already knew, or thought they knew, everything there was to know about her life.
Still, she was glad she’d said yes. Glad she came.
She took the light flutter low in belly as an affirmation the baby felt the same way. After months of grief and pain and anger, it was so nice to let all that go and just be…
Happy.
Right here, right now, she was happy.
Was that right? Should she feel this way?
Slipping off her flats, she wiggled her toes before curling her feet beneath her. There was still so much to deal with, her parents, her in-laws, her business, but today had been all about the precious life growing inside her.
She gently caressed her belly and thought back to how Adam had willingly answered all of Liz’s questions, even the most intimate ones about his sexual history. Her heart had flipped over in her chest when he’d made it clear she’d been the only woman he’d slept with in the past year.
Or maybe it was the way he’d looked at her when he said it. As if it was very important that she believed him.
When he’d entered the examination room and froze in the doorway, she’d thought he wasn’t going to stay. But he did, and the moment they’d first heard the baby’s heartbeat…
How long had she dreamed of a moment like that?
And the expressions of wonder and awe on his face as he understood what they were listening to…well, that was something she was going to remember for the rest of her life.
Would Scott have ever reacted that way?
Comparisons weren’t fair, she knew that, but the thought had raced through her head anyway.
It’d taken her a long time to accept that having a baby had been her dream, not Scott’s. As the years passed, and medical tests revealed how slim the chances were of that dream becoming a reality, her hope had faded to a quiet acceptance.
An acceptance that Scott had bluntly told her she’d have to learn to live with. He’d even gone so far as to suggest she find another doctor. When she tried to explain how Liz was more than just a physician and how their relationship had grown into a true friendship, his eyes would glaze over and she’d know he’d lost interest in what she said.
A trait she’d gotten used to over the course of their nearly fifteen-year marriage. So, Scott had gone on living a life filled with secrets and lies, and she’d lived hers. As the years flew by, it wasn’t so hard to see how distant they’d become.
“That’s in the past,” Fay whispered, pushing the thought from her mind. Leaning back deeper in the cushions, she struggled to keep her eyes open. “The future is the only thing that matters now.”
Hmm, it felt so good to just sit and relax. Just until Adam was done with the dishes. Then she’d open her eyes and ask him to take her home.
Moments later, she blinked then squeezed her eyes closed against the bright sunlight.
Wait, that wasn’t right. It’d been almost eight o’clock by the time she and Adam had finished dinner—
She stretched her legs, then froze. Instead of sitting at one end of the leather couch in Adam’s living room, she was lying flat in bed, the weight of a light quilt over her.
Over them.
She stiffened and whirled to face him. Tilting her head back, her eyes traveled upward until she found Adam’s dark eyes looking down at her.<
br />
Chapter Eight
Damn, she woke up pretty.
A fact Adam had witnessed twice in the past few months. The first time was after she’d spent the night here with him and again last Sunday after she’d opened her door obviously fresh from bed. Her curls exploding around her face, eyes sleepy and sexy, full lips parted, almost naked beneath her robe.
It was the same way she’d woken up now, except for the naked part. The thought of undressing her last night to make her more comfortable had crossed his mind, but he’d only covered her with blanket instead and left the room.
Before he did something really stupid.
Like join her.
After he showered this morning and made a pot of coffee, having finally figured out how to run that fancy machine, Fay still hadn’t stirred.
He came back to check on her and she’d looked so warm, so right lying in his bed that he gave into temptation.
His weight had dipped the mattress and in her sleep, she’d angled away from him, her backside pressing against his hip. The need to mimic her movement, to wrap his arm around her and pull her body close, had been strong, but he refrained in case she woke up suddenly.
Like she’d just done.
“Good morning,” he said with a smile.
“What—what am I doing here?” Her voice was warm and low, almost a purr, and his body responded.
“Sleeping.”
She brushed a wayward curl off her cheek. “What time is it?”
The bouncy length of hair sprang back to its original spot. Adam couldn’t resist, and gently tucked it behind her ear. “Almost seven.”
“Seven?” She blinked several times, her green eyes relaying her confusion. “In the morning? Saturday morning?”
“Last time I checked.”
This time she groaned and pushed at his chest. As much as he enjoyed the feel of her hands on him, when she started kicking off the covers, she kicked at him as well. A little too close for comfort.
He moved off the bed and she scrambled after him.
“What happened?” She pushed her hair away from her face again. When her fingers became tangled, she yanked out the elastic band, wincing. “Ow! How—how did I end up spending the night in your bed? Why didn’t you take me home?”
“When I got to the couch last night you were already asleep.” He jammed his hands in his pockets. He had to or else he was going to sink them into those sexy curls of hers. “I tried to wake you. I nudged a few times, said your name.”
Fay’s eyes narrowed. “Doesn’t sound like you tried very hard.”
He hadn’t.
What he’d done was wrap her in his arms, loving the feel of her soft curves pressed to his side, his hand resting against the warm skin of her waist. He’d started slowly massaging her lower back and the soft moan of appreciation that escaped her lips had him shifting against the cushions thanks to his suddenly too tight jeans.
He’d keep that bit of information to himself.
“You muttered something about it being a long week, how tired you were and to give you a minute,” he said instead. “Then you fell back asleep. After a half hour of listening to you snore, I carried you back here.”
“I do not snore.” Her gaze flicked to his bed. “Where did you sleep?”
“On the couch. With the dog.”
Not that he’d slept that much anyway. Somewhere between watching Fay sit across from him at his dining table and his morning shower, he’d done some thinking.
A lot of thinking.
And he’d come to a decision. A decision he couldn’t wait to share with her.
She shook her head. “I can’t believe I fell asleep like that. I just can’t…”
“Fay, we need to talk.”
“No, you need to take me home. Now.” She righted her twisted shirt and smoothed her palms over her thighs to do the same thing to her jeans. “Where are my shoes?”
“Still in the living room. Look, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking—”
She turned away and headed across the room. “Excuse me. I need to pee.”
“Marry me.”
Fay froze, then slowly turned around. “What?”
“I think we should get married.”
Eyes wide and mouth open, she only stared at him. He’d surprised her. He knew that was putting it mildly, but once the idea had come to him, it’d taken root quickly and hung on.
Now came the hard part. Convincing Fay.
“Say something.”
She gestured toward the bathroom door. “I’m…I’ll be right back.”
“Think about it, Fay.” He followed, but stopped short when she closed the door in his face. Bracing his hands on the frame, he waited. “Getting married is the right thing to do.”
A few minutes later, he heard the flush of the toilet and the running of water before she yanked the door back open. “Are you crazy? Wait, don’t answer that. You don’t have to answer that!”
Okay, convincing her this was a good idea might be tougher than he thought. “We’re going to be a family.”
“No, what we’re going to be is parents.” She pushed past him. “Each of us. Separately.”
“Together.”
“One night of great sex and a spaghetti dinner does not make a family.”
Adam filed away the great sex comment to mull over later. “I can take care of you.”
“I can take care of myself,” she retorted as she walked out of the room. “Now, please drive me home. The shop opens in two hours.”
He followed, not willing to give up on this yet. When the idea first came to him, he had to admit the thought of getting married again had caused him to stop pacing and sit. Hard. But then he glanced at the blurry little lump on the ultrasound print and knew he wanted nothing more than to be there for his child, for Fay, from this day forward.
“Okay, then, I want to take care of you. Better?”
Fay jammed her feet into her shoes and reached for her purse. “Amazingly no, that’s not better.”
“It costs a lot of money to have a baby, to raise a child.” Adam stood in front of her. “Why do you think I went back to work for my family?”
Fay detoured around him and headed for the front door. “I have no idea.”
“What happened to Coggen Motors?”
The hesitation was so slight he might have missed it if he wasn’t watching her so closely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Neither you nor the Coggens have any connection to a company that was part of their family for over fifty years.” He moved in closer. “What happened after Scott died?”
“Walter retired long before you and Scott shipped out.”
“But that doesn’t explain why Scott’s partner totally owns the company now. Walter and Mavis must’ve kept some portion.”
Fay dropped her gaze, shaking her head. “They turned everything over to Scott.”
“Then his stake should be yours.”
She crossed her arms and looked away.
“Unless you sold it after he died?” Adam pushed when Fay stayed silent. “Why would you do that?”
“I didn’t sell anything.”
“Except your home.”
“I didn’t sell that either. The bank took it, just like Scott’s partner took one hundred percent ownership of the company.” Fay’s voice rang low and hollow, void of any emotion as she smacked a hand hard against her chest. “I had no control, no say…over anything. Scott’s death revealed a financial nightmare that took months to sort through. He’d put everything he had, everything his family had, up as collateral for loans against gambling debts he could never pay. When he died those loans
came due.”
Hearing rumors about his buddy’s shady financial dealings was one thing. The humiliation on Fay’s face as she confirmed what he’d learned in the week he’d been home was something else entirely.
He reached for her, but stopped when she scooted away from his outstretched hand. “Fay, I’m sorry.”
“All I have left is my shop and the apartment above it.” Her voice rose. “And both of them are mine, free and clear. It might not be much, but it’ll be enough. For me and the baby.”
No mention of him being anywhere in that picture.
Another thought Adam tucked away for later. “What about the one-time death gratuity from the Air Force?”
She lifted her chin. “That also went to paying off debts.”
Adam couldn’t believe it. “And the life insurance from the Servicemembers’ Group? The monthly DIC benefit?”
“There was no insurance policy that listed me as a beneficiary. Yes, I know the military was supposed to notify me when Scott opted out of the program, which they claim they did, but I never got any letter.”
“And the monthly payment as a surviving spouse?”
“Do you have any idea how expensive round-the-clock care is? Mavis lost everything. First her son, and then her husband suffered a stroke that totally incapacitated him. They were forced to sell their home to pay for his care. That monthly check from the government covers her living expenses.”
Her voice caught and she gulped in a shuddering breath. Adam saw the bright sheen of tears in her eyes before she blinked them away.
“So you see? I c-can’t marry you, because if I do, I lose that money.”
“Fay—”
“So if you don’t mind I really want to go home now. I have a business to open…” The request faded as her gaze locked on something over his shoulder.
Adam knew immediately what she saw.
His camouflage uniform, freshly cleaned and still covered in plastic from the dry cleaners, hung off the back of one of the bar stools. He’d gotten it from his bedroom closet sometime during the night, along with the boots he’d polished to a mirrored shine, in order to make sure everything was squared away for later today.
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