She wrinkled up her nose. “The usual.”
Not what he wanted to hear. He hated the idea of her being ill. He hated even more the thought of her needing help and not calling out for him. “You got sick?”
“Don’t feel left out. It happens several times per day. There will be another round soon.” She leaned against the counter and sipped on the tea.
“Why didn’t you let me know this time?”
She smiled at him over the rim of the mug. “I heard you get up around three, right after I went back to bed.”
Son of a bitch. “What?”
“Don’t pretend. I bolted for the bathroom and you held my hair and did all those sweet things, including tucking me back in.”
The way he remembered it she threw up and his stomach heaved. He’d performed a mental countdown, hoping she’d be done fast. “See? I can handle it.”
“Then ten minutes later you were in there on your own gagging.”
Just thinking about it made bile rush up the back of his throat. “You must have been dreaming.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Fine, I admit it. Throwing up is not one of my specialty areas.”
“I hate to think anyone is an expert at it.”
The toaster dinged, and he took out the two pieces he’d made for her. Not exactly a breakfast of champions, but he suspected she wouldn’t be able to keep any of the better-tasting stuff down.
“Pick.” He set the plate next to her as he held up butter in one hand and jam in the other. “You might want to be quick about it because we’re about to get a lot of company.”
She pointed at the butter. “What does that mean?”
To make sure she didn’t ignore the food, he grabbed a knife and started spreading the butter, holding it up to her after each swipe until he got the exact amount she wanted.
“You had a text from Becky. Nine, actually.” Each text sounded more desperate than the one before.
Mixed in were a few from Tim. He talked about coming over first thing because Becky was upset about Linc showing up. Seemed his office manager wanted him back in DC and was happy to list all of his faults to convince Thea to kick him out.
“You looked at my phone?” Thea picked it up and scrolled through the long list.
“It didn’t take impressive undercover skills. It’s right there and it buzzed every two seconds while you were in the shower.” And he needed something to take his mind off the fact she was in the shower right there so he’d read the texts as they popped up.
Thea made a humming sound. Not the singing kind. The concerned kind. “It looks like she’s unraveling.”
“There’s an understatement.” When Thea raised an eyebrow at him, Linc decided not to pretend he’d missed the begging. “She’s not exactly a cheerleader for my side.”
“I think she’s actually on my side.”
Linc snorted as he put more bread in the toaster oven. “You’d think she’d worry about her paycheck.”
When he turned back around, Thea pointed at him. “You are not allowed to fire her.”
From anyone else the order would make his back teeth slam together. But Thea could get away with a lot. It had been that way from the start. Being the mother of his child lowered his resistance to her even further.
Still, once he let this woman walk all over him, he’d never get off the floor again. “Allowed?”
“You heard me.” Thea took a tiny bite of toast crust.
“Becky doesn’t want us anywhere near each other. She calls me a jackass more than once.”
“You should hear what she says in person.” Thea tore off a corner of the bread and ate some more.
“Just what one wants in an office manager.”
“Linc, don’t you dare—”
“And…” Yeah, that was just about enough ordering. “Nick is also coming.”
Knowing Nick, he was spending the entire trip whining. The guy loved his job. He was not fond of stupid errands, and even Linc had to admit this was one. Not that he’d told Nick to come, but when Linc said he wasn’t getting back to the office for a while, Nick insisted they talk in person.
Linc couldn’t exactly blame the guy. Linc rarely took vacations and never headed out without notice to chase a woman. Never chased a woman, actually.
“We’ll have to wait and see if he agrees with Becky’s position on us being together,” Linc said.
Thea snorted but kept munching. “We’re not together.”
A technicality as far as he was concerned. “We slept in the same bed.”
She’d announced she was pregnant and his priorities shifted. If she had stolen his corporate document, he would figure out how to put it behind him. He refused to lose his child and he couldn’t seem to forget Thea, so he’d have to deal with it and put up safeguards to make sure it never happened again. Building trust again would take much longer.
She glared at him as she shook her head. “Ignoring the sleeping arrangements and the fact I usually call him Mr. Talbott, tell me why Nick is coming.”
“He seemed unhappy with my decision to stay away from the office. He’s checking in and bringing some work stuff and clothes, since this outfit is all I have with me.” He pointed to his jeans and tee. He had a sweater around here somewhere, but he had no idea where. “This and a jacket I left in my car, which is a dumb place for it now that I think about it.”
Her hand fell to her side and her toast slipped out of her fingers. Thanks to some juggling, she saved the piece before it hit the floor. “You didn’t think to pack a bag before driving six hours?”
“The only thing on my mind was getting to you before Tim could. His leaving jumpstarted my plans. I was coming for you. Just not yesterday.” Her eyes widened but she stayed quiet. Linc decided that was a good sign.
“When then?”
A few days later, after he got his shit together and head in the right place. “Very soon.”
“Oh.”
“I didn’t think to ask if you needed Nick to grab anything for you.”
“Maybe you should just move your office up here since the entire staff seems to be in my town at the moment.”
“Worth considering.” Linc glanced out the window over the kitchen sink to the gray sky beyond. “Snow is coming.”
“Is Nick someone who can drive in the snow or is he as bad as Tim?”
“I’m not sure what that means, but Nick isn’t driving except for taking a rental car from the Syracuse airport to here.”
“Airport?”
“There are these things called planes,” Linc joked.
Nick being a guy who liked comfort, he was on one of those. Caught the first flight out and whined about the only nonstop being stuck on an airline he hated.
“And you’re assuming you can continue to stay here with me.”
“You’re pregnant.” That said it all, as far as Linc was concerned.
She performed one of those eye rolls that said you are an idiot loud and clear. “Why do I think that’s going to be your argument for everything?”
“Only for the next six or seven months.”
“Linc, I’m serious.”
“So am I.” He inhaled, gathering as much strength as possible before he launched into the topic that had the power to stomp the life out of him. “You’re not coming back to DC with me, right?”
“Not yet. Maybe not ever.”
The second sentence whipped and slashed through him, leaving him raw. “I’m going to ignore that last part.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m living with my kid and I’m not leaving you.”
She slowly lowered the last half of her toast to the plate and brushed the crumbs off her hands. “Living with?”
That tone, all low and deadly soft, was not good. He could match it with one of his own but went with a pivot instead. He’d never been so happy for an interruption in his life. “I think someone is driving up the lane.”
“You know I didn’t inv
ite you.”
Seemed she wasn’t as eager to shift topics. “You did last night.”
“You can stop looking so proud of yourself. That was a one-time thing.”
“Pride has nothing to do with it.” He wasn’t sure he had any left. She’d ripped his to shreds when she had him racing after her. “You asked me into your bed. As far as I’m concerned, that’s progress.”
The doorknob rattled after one knock. Then more knocking. Becky’s voice carried over the banging.
“Persistent, isn’t she?” Becky’s distrust started to tick Linc off. He’d never been anything but fair with her. He’d even been careful not to push too hard when it came to hunting for Thea. He didn’t want to put Becky in a position to choose between her friend and her job. Well, he’d wanted to, but he hadn’t.
With her robe gathered in her fist by her throat, Thea went to the door. A brief look out the side window and she unlocked it.
He thought pants might be a good idea. “You could change first.”
But it was too late. The door was open and the crowd swarmed. Tim stopped short and stared at Thea’s robe. Becky kept coming until she stood between Thea and Linc. “What’s going on?”
Linc decided to start with the obvious. “Apparently you’re both sick today.”
Becky barely spared him a glance. “I took annual leave. So did he.”
“Possibly,” Tim said.
What little pretense of being friendly dropped out completely. Becky turned to Linc. “Why are you here?”
The snap of her words shoved him right on the defensive. It took all his self-control to concentrate on being the pseudo-boyfriend instead of the boss. It would be hard to convince Thea he wasn’t a dick if he kept acting like one. “Visiting Thea.”
Becky’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“That was my nice way of saying it’s none of your business.” When Thea frowned at him, he smiled back. No need for her to know about the fury rolling around inside of him.
Becky’s gaze traveled around the kitchen then to the rest of the place. “There are rooms at the inn.”
“I’m not leaving.” Linc could see her adding up the facts in her head. Wasn’t hard to tell there was one bedroom and they had both slept in it. Thea’s robe probably sent another message, and Linc was fine letting Becky and Tim think he did more than sleep. Thea wasn’t ready to make a birth announcement, and Linc vowed to respect that, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t stake a claim.
“That’s not really your choice,” Tim pointed out as he closed the door behind Thea and cut off the cold breeze wafting through the house.
“He’s fine.” Thea glared at Linc. “For now.”
Becky gnawed on her lower lip. “Thea, maybe we should—”
A car door slammed outside, and Linc silently thanked Nick for his fine timing in this one instance. “That must be Nick.”
Tim glanced on the front window. “The whole company is here.”
“Thea pointed that out, yes,” Linc said.
Tim opened the door, and Nick walked in followed by a gust of winter wind. He swore as he stood there, stopped in the small foyer just inside the door and right beside Tim.
“Man, is this place hard to find.” Rubbing his hands up and down the arms of his coat, Nick looked around the now-quiet room. “Just for me, apparently. What is everyone doing here?”
Linc motioned to Thea. “She’s in hiding.”
“I was not hiding.”
Linc continued working around the room. “Becky and Tim, who are dating, by the way, came up to check on Thea while they have a romantic weekend.”
Nick shook his head as he unzipped his coat. “I’m sorry I asked.”
Linc tapped a hand against his chest. “And I’m here to bring Thea back home.”
“Does she want to leave?” Nick asked.
Thea cleared her throat. “He doesn’t appear to care about the answer to that question.”
“We have a lot of issues we need to work out, so…” Linc leveled a stare in Thea’s direction, letting her know he didn’t intend to spill the baby news but they both knew that particular bit had a huge impact on everything they did from now on. He also wanted to clear the room.
“Subtle.” Thea stepped away from the door. She made a beeline for him when he held out her mug.
“I just got here,” Nick pointed out, clearly understanding what Linc wanted next—alone time.
“You flew up and back to bring him clothes? There are stores around here.” Thea slipped past Becky and grabbed more mugs. She had them out and lined up on the counter.
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t kill him.” Nick followed and picked out a mug before anyone moved. “Also grabbed some personal items and work stuff. You know, if Linc ever wakes up and remembers he runs a company.”
“You mean you brought along whatever was used to frame Thea.”
Thea frowned. “Tim, that’s enough.”
“I’d listen to her this time, Tim.” Linc used his best boss tone. He knew if he didn’t, Nick would.
“Maybe we should step out and let Thea get dressed.” Tim motioned for Becky to join him at the door. “Both of our bosses are here now.”
Linc saw the wariness on Tim’s face. Looked like he finally understood that there were work boundaries and he might be crossing them. Only took the guy weeks to come to that obvious conclusion.
Becky shoved her body further into the kitchen corner where the counters met. “I think we should stay.”
“Actually, you should go enjoy some couple time.” Thea filled Nick’s mug but left the other two empty. “We can talk in a few hours and see where we are.”
Linc didn’t do a victory punch into the air, but he wanted to. “Good idea.”
“Becky, come on.” Tim opened the door and gestured for her to join him.
It was a slow walk across the small house. Becky somehow made the exit last forever. Linc stopped watching when he swore she took a step backwards. But, finally, Tim got her out and the door closed behind them.
Thea smiled at Nick. “I’m going to change.”
Nick waited until the bedroom door closed behind her before he turned on Linc. “Tell me again why I just wasted my morning.”
The real reason had to do with a baby and that was top secret, so… “Can’t.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“Linc, this is ridiculous.”
“It’s uncharacteristic. I’ll give you that.”
Nick set his mug down and moved deeper into the kitchen, standing in the only place without an unobstructed view from the bedroom doorway. “Are you investigating Thea or sleeping with her?”
Before Linc could respond, the bedroom door opened and Thea stepped out. She wore a long body-skimming green sweater over what looked like tight black sweatpants. With her hair in the ponytail and her faced scrubbed clean of makeup, she looked younger than twenty-six and sexy as hell. Even the thick socks did it for him.
It was all Linc could do to keep from ushering Nick out.
Thea walked across the room and joined them in the kitchen. She eyed up Linc. “The answer to that better be neither.”
Linc wasn’t a total ass and didn’t want to sleep on the couch, so he told the truth. “It is.”
Nick looked back and forth between Linc and Thea. For a few seconds he stared but didn’t say a word. Then, with a deep inhale, he started talking. “What does a man need to do to get some food around here?”
“Not act like the men can’t get their own food,” Thea said, the amusement clear in her voice.
Nick nodded. “Fair enough.”
Chapter Thirteen
Thea held it together until Nick made an egg. It was either the smell or the look of it. The yellow or the way it sizzled in the butter. Didn’t matter the cause because the end was the same—her stomach performed a backflip and she raced to the bathroom.
She slammed the bathroom door behind her t
he second before she retched. She’d managed to get down some tea and toast, and now it all came back to greet her. Her stomach muscles cramped and the small amount of energy she had whooshed right out of her.
She almost missed the sound of the door opening and closing. When she finally let her head drop and glanced through the hair that tugged loose of her barrette, she spied Linc at the sink. The water ran and his face turned green as he wetted a towel.
“You look awful.” For some reason pointing that out made her feel better.
He turned his head and stared at her. “Thanks.”
Before she could think of another joke, he turned off the water and brought the towel over to her. He had the toilet flushed and the lid down for her to sit on right as the room spun to a final stop.
Crouched down in front of her, he lifted his arm and pressed the compress to her forehead. “You okay?”
“Shaky as usual.” She held out her hands and turned them over to demonstrate. A fine tremor moved through her.
“So, no on eggs?”
She laughed. “No.”
“Need another towel?” He got up and would have walked away but she put a hand against his hip.
“We’re going to have to tell Nick.” Not that long from now, they’d have to tell everyone. Her stomach would pop and the secret would be out.
The idea of sharing the baby with the world started her heartbeat off in a panicked banging. There was something about the privacy of only the two of them knowing that made it feel special. But she didn’t want to hide the news longer than normal. She loved this baby and she wasn’t ashamed.
She’d grown up with great parents and lost them in a devastating rush. It would be an insult to them and all they’d shared with her not to cherish her new family. And that included Linc. Thea had no idea how to reason that out, but he was a part of her life. A significant one.
There were times when her mind would wander to that last day of work and the fury would bubble until it overflowed. Other days the hurt bent her double. Linc was responsible for all of that.
She wanted to hate him but she couldn’t. Truth was she’d loved him from the beginning and she couldn’t figure out a way to stop. When it came to the Linc of the last twenty-four hours, she wasn’t sure she wanted to stop. He was good and decent and already loved their baby.
Baby, It's Cold Outside: Men at Work, Book 1 Page 11