by Taryn Quinn
“Here you go, dear. Take a wheelie.”
I looked over to find proprietress Laverne pushing a wheeled basket-style cart at me. “Oh, thanks.” I dumped everything in the cart then shifted and realized the pregnancy tests were right in front of me.
Serendipity? Or just potential embarrassment when I had to grab one and toss it in the cart next to my king size roll of Rolos?
“Weren’t you just dancing a few minutes ago?” I kept my voice chirpy while I turned sideways and tried to bump the package off the shelf into my cart. Crap, I’d probably need a couple for accuracy.
Then again, the contents of my cart were probably all the accuracy I needed. I hadn’t considered consuming so much junk food since…ever. I was freaking starving. My stomach was in an empty itself then immediately fill up again cycle.
Somehow I’d become Dusty with a hairball except mine would grow for nine months and be much larger.
With Thor involved, I didn’t want to contemplate how much larger. Why didn’t I think ahead and have sex with a much smaller man to balance out my own giant genes? It was the Cove, for pity’s sake. No one with a vagina escaped unscathed.
And with Lucky as the papa, mine would be so scathed I was wincing even now.
“Yes, dancing is so much fun. I love weddings. All those possibilities in the air.” She smiled mistily and patted her snowy curls. “But our night cashier had a migraine so she’s upstairs resting. By the way, Luna reserved a room for you. I put you in a very special one.” She winked in a way that made me wonder where the television crew was.
“Oh, um, great. Special how?”
“The room has a bit of lore. Although upon second thought, I may have jumped the gun there. Or didn’t fire soon enough.” Her denim blue eyes twinkled as she reached for the pregnancy test I was bumping against as casually as possible. “This is a good brand. I recommend it. This one too.” She plucked the one beside it and added both to my cart.
I cleared my throat. I was speechless for the first time in my life.
“Nothing to be ashamed of. With a strapping young man like yours and with your coloring, you will have the most beautiful babies. You’ll send me pictures, won’t you?”
I blinked. “Um, ma’am, you’ll excuse me because I don’t have a mom, and I’m new to small towns, but do you do this with everyone?”
“My Leelee would say so. My daughter,” she explained. “My only child.” Her laugh was melodic as she nudged me toward the café tables set up on the other side of the cash register. “How do you feel about peppermint hot cocoa?”
“Very fond,” I admitted reluctantly, gripping the handle of my cart as if it would float away otherwise. “I can order—”
“Fred,” she called. “Two large mints. Candy canes included. Croissant sandwich for Leticia.” She glanced my way. “Ham, turkey, or roast beef? American, provolone, muenster, swiss?”
I nearly moaned in anticipation. How could I be hungry again? Or still? “Turkey and swiss, please. Thank you.”
She called out the rest of my order then indicated I should sit at one of the small tables and took a seat opposite me. “Deli meat isn’t the best for the baby, but we all need a last hurrah.”
“Ain’t that the truth. Besides, maybe I’m not—”
“If you’re not, bottle that glow. You’ll be a millionaire in a month.”
I rested my cart against the wall and slapped my hands to my cheeks. “I’m just flushed.”
“Glowing.”
“Hmm.”
“My Leelee has twins,” she said conversationally while I stared at her in abject horror.
“Two? At the same time? Why? How?”
“C-section at seven months.” Her tone was matter-of-fact. “She was on bedrest for much of her pregnancy due to complications.”
“Is—is she okay now? And the babies?”
Babies. That required literal months of rest to grow in a bed.
I would lose my ever-loving mind.
I was afraid to touch my stomach. It now felt like a volatile missile, no longer under my dominion.
“Leelee’s just fine and those little girls are so smart and fun. Well, Charlie is fun once you peel her off the ceiling. Too much like her father, that one.”
“Oh.”
“He’s a rockstar.”
“Like…” I thought for a minute. Who would she consider a rockstar? “Burl Ives?”
“No, not quite.” Her laughter was rich and ripe and made me feel like a fool with pregnancy brain.
“Or Corey Taylor?”
“Closer. He’s in Oblivion. You might have heard of them.”
“What? No.” I could’ve sworn Rhett had mumbled something about working with them when he pulled me into a dance earlier before claiming he had “calls to make” and disappearing.
Which had been convenient for me, since seeing my brother reminded me how spectacularly I’d failed with Cohen. I hadn’t been the one to decide he shouldn’t come here, but it felt like I’d screwed up by not finding the words to get him to the Cove.
Thinking about the “oh, fuck” factor of those tests in my cart was preferable to drowning my sorrows over Co in Rolos-covered Doritos.
Hmm, that was an idea.
“No, you haven’t heard of Oblivion?”
“Oh, no, I have. Of course. Everyone has. Which one is he? Hopefully, not the mouthy blond guitarist. He’s always starting shit.”
Laverne’s smile was beatific. “That’s the one.”
“Does this floor have a trap door? Maybe it could suck me down into the netherworld? If not, I know someone who could add on that feature for you.”
She positively giggled as her husband brought out a tray with two steaming mugs of hot cocoa piled with mounds of whipped cream and crushed candy canes and my croissant sandwich, neatly arranged on a bed of lettuce. I fully intended to eat that too.
A child needed a full serving of vegetables hourly, right?
Fred set down the cups with a flourish then presented my sandwich to me while I wondered if leaving him my Visa card would be tip enough.
“I have never seen anything so beautiful,” I told him sincerely. “Bless you.”
“You’re quite welcome. I hope you enjoy it.”
“Oh, I will. I’m going to enjoy it so hard this whole damn wedding party will know about it. Oh, shit. Dammit.” I stopped unfurling my napkin and cast a glance at the doorway of the general store. “I forgot my—Lucky.”
“He’s rather large to lose, dear.”
“Tell me about it. I’m the one possibly bearing his firstborn.” I wrinkled my nose. “I left my damn purse in there. I don’t have my phone.” I shot a glance at the guilty pleasures in my cart, pregnancy tests excluded. Those were testing for proof of previous other pleasures. “I don’t have any money.” I gazed forlornly at my sandwich. Parting was such sweet sorrow. “I’ll go get my purse and my—Lucky and be right back.”
Laverne pursed her lips against a smile as she lifted her gaze behind me. When it went up and up, my spine tingled.
Late again, Burns.
“Your Lucky wants you to keep this on you at all times.” He dangled my purse over my head and I snatched it with a sigh.
“I just forgot, okay? I didn’t go far, obviously. Hey, look at this sandwich.” I hoped I wasn’t drooling.
He didn’t look. Instead, he stroked his big hand over the top of my head and down my hair, and everything just…smoothed out inside me. Calmed right the fuck down as if I was a jumpy horse and he was my master.
I mean, fun game for later with those handcuffs, but not my usual scene.
“Thank you for finding her for me,” he said evenly. “She’s precious.”
Even as my neck went hot, I frowned at Laverne. “I thought you said the night clerk had a migraine.”
“She does. But I can never resist the request of a handsome, worried daddy-to-be.” She smiled and stood, then she motioned for Lucky to take her dollhouse-sized ch
air.
I just waited for the legs to give out under his bulk, but nope, things around here were built to last.
Looking at the faint creases of concern fanning out around his green eyes, that seemed to be true about him too.
“Have a nice night, you two.” Laverne gave a little wave as she strolled away.
“Wait, your cocoa.” I called.
“It was never for me.” She sent a smile over her shoulder before she disappeared into the back.
Rather than apologizing for my unintentional screw-up—my life in a nutshell—I made the ultimate sacrifice and gave him half my sandwich. “Saved that for you.”
His laughter teased out a smile of my own before I dug in and didn’t speak for like, three-and-a-half minutes. He sipped his cocoa silently and just watched me until I sighed. “I’m sorry I freaked you out. You probably thought I did a runaway preggo.”
“I didn’t want to think that.”
“I wouldn’t do that to you, Thor. I might walk away, but if you’ve been paying attention, I always come back.” I swallowed hard and chanced looking into his eyes again. “I can’t seem to stay away.”
He nudged my heaping mug of cocoa toward me. “Drink it before it gets cold.”
I wrapped my hands around the warm cup and took a deep breath. “Yeah. Then I’ll—we’ll—take those tests.” I tipped my head toward my cart. “I got a couple. For accuracy.”
“Yeah.” His exhale made the tower of whipped cream on his cocoa shiver. But it was melting now, and when he drank, a little coated his upper lip.
I couldn’t resist swiping my finger along the whipped cream and popping it into my mouth. The green of his irises seemed to deepen as he tracked the movement.
“After, we can check out that room Luna got us. The special one.” I narrowed my eyes. “Wonder if it has a mirror on the ceiling?”
He chuckled hard enough to spew a tiny bubble of whipped cream at me. Shamelessly, I swiped it off my cheek before sucking that off my finger too.
“If so, don’t get too used to those actions, pal. Soon, all mirrors will be covered with brown wrapping paper.”
“You wish, Ruby. If you’re—if it’s real…” He sucked in air. “I want to see every bit of you every minute of every day.”
I didn’t know why I was suddenly so congested. Must be the canned air in this place. “Going to be hard for you to work if you’re ogling my growing tits every second.”
“Luckily, one of my main projects at the moment happens to be conveniently located near your bedroom.” His eyes were strangely bright.
Damn seasonal allergies, affecting both of us. Odd we hadn’t seemed to have any before this very moment.
“Drink your cocoa before it gets cold,” I said, echoing him from earlier.
We finished our drinks and paid for my purchases and then we went up to our suite. My hands were shaking for some reason, so I kept rubbing them on my hips so he wouldn’t see and freak out that I was freaking out.
Not that I was. I was super calm.
Right.
“We, ah, don’t have any pajamas.”
“We’ll get by somehow.”
He sat on the edge of the lake-sized bed, and the twinkling colorful lights on the Christmas tree in the corner of the room flickered over his face.
Gathering my courage, I moved closer and leaned over him, resting my hands on his massive thighs in his fancy tux. “If I had to pick a baby daddy, I’d probably pick you.”
One side of his mouth rose and the heaviness in his eyes lightened as he cupped my cheek. “If I had to pick a baby mama, I’d definitely pick you.”
I dropped my forehead to his then gave him a chaste kiss before slipping away. “So, I’ll just get this done.”
Flashing him the brightest smile I could manage, I grabbed the paper bag with the tests. Nestled inside with them was chocolate-peppermint “intimate” lotion.
“How did you sneak this in here?” I held up the tube.
He wiggled his fingers. “Magic.”
It made me grin even when I would’ve said I was far too scared. But the weird thing was I wasn’t anymore as I closed myself in the small bathroom with the pedestal sink and cheerful lighted snowman sitting on the back of the commode.
I faced myself in the mirror. I looked tired, worse for wear, maybe a little bedraggled. But I didn’t look frightened.
And I wasn’t alone. However this went, I wasn’t alone today.
I wouldn’t be tomorrow either. I had to believe that.
Taking the tests was pretty straightforward. I’d also consumed enough liquid to make it easy. I set the two sticks on the sink and opened the door, leaning against the jamb.
Thor was sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands, but he lifted it immediately as I came into the room. He jumped to his feet, prepared to do any kind of battle I needed.
Even with a duo of preggo sticks.
There was no way I could tell myself that any part of this man was anywhere else right now but here in this room with me. He’d been by my side every day since I’d had the fucking wisdom to come to him for help with my house.
Sometimes I was a damn near genius.
“Waiting.” I tucked my hands under my arms and didn’t object as he drew me close and rested his chin on top of my head. One of us was shaking.
Possibly both.
Hell, probably both.
His voice was thick when he spoke again. “Uh, you think we should check now?”
“I guess.”
“Do you want me to?”
I drew in a breath sharp enough to make my ribs ache. “We can do it together.” Biting my lip, I looked up at him and held out my hand.
He clasped it with his own and lifted it to his mouth, brushing a quick kiss over my knuckles. “Whatever happens, it’s you and me. You and me, Ruby. Got it?”
The lump in my throat made it impossible to speak, but I nodded. I nodded like my life depended on it. In a very real way, it did.
This was everything.
We crowded into the doorway together, laughing a little as we made ourselves fit. He nudged me through first, but I hung back so he could pick up the tests. First one, then the other.
Wordlessly, he showed them to me. One had two lines. The other said pregnant.
His large fingers shook as he grabbed some toilet paper and wrapped them in it. But rather than tossing out the bundle, he set it on the edge of the sink. Then he drew me into his arms.
The best place in the world for me to be while I sniffled and shook like a…well, like a damn girl. But he was shaking too, and his eyes were wide and damp when they met mine.
“Congratulations, mama,” he whispered, framing my cheeks with his hands before he kissed me, soft and sweet.
I could do this. I could.
I wouldn’t fuck this up. Not when it was so important.
“Congratulations, daddy,” I whispered back, burying my face in his chest.
He rubbed my back, his hand circling like a metronome. Back and forth, back and forth. The gentle motion comforted me and excited me and made me itch to get out of these damn wedding clothes into something more comfortable.
Being naked sounded good, with the added weight of Thor’s long, naked body on top of me.
Then my gaze drifted over his beefy shoulder to the sink. “You’re going to throw those out, right?”
“What?”
“The tests.”
“Of course not. They’re our baby’s first hello.”
I snorted. “I peed on them. Not quite sure you’re getting that.”
“I’ll sterilize them later and put them away in a box for the baby.” He scratched his jaw. “Make that a box about the baby. He probably won’t want his mom’s pee sticks.”
“He?”
“Luna,” he reminded me as I took a few deep breaths at the fact now I was someone’s mom.
Me, the girl who’d never had one myself. I could be that for a baby
.
I glanced down at my flat belly and tentatively pressed my palm there. Lucky cupped his hand over mine as our eyes met. God, the timing was all wrong and it shouldn’t have been perfect but it just was.
Somehow everything was perfect.
Twenty-Four
“You know you don’t have to keep driving me places, right?”
“I know.” I chucked my phone on the dash as I turned onto her road. I knew it as well as my own at this point. Better, even. Since the wedding, we’d been back to the sleepovers and making plans for a baby.
Christ, it was still was insane to think that, let alone say it out loud.
“I can—”
“Ruby, I’m about to be in your driveway. Quit trying to do everything alone. I’ll see you in a minute.” I reached for the phone and hung up on her. I loved her to distraction, but her independent streak threatened to send me to the bottle some days.
We’d managed to get the whereabouts of Cohen from Rhett before he escaped Happy Acres. The Burns family was a protective lot, but he’d seemed to finally get that there was something more than grief going on.
And I wasn’t letting her go deal with that alone.
Road trip to her dad’s place to the rescue. God help me.
I glanced at the dog bed behind me. Butch knew we were close to her second favorite human. She scrabbled up and over the seat to my shoulder. Her tail was wagging madly, her little body vibrating with glee. She sniffed the top of the truck and batted at the half dozen lights I’d crisscrossed on the roof inside.
Our first Christmas wasn’t going to happen without some cheer, dammit. Even if I had to go face the reality of just how much pain Ruby had been dragging around with her for the last few years.
When I arrived, she was standing at the edge of the beach. Her red hair was in her typical ponytail, but this time, she’d shoved it through a gray hat with a makeshift hole for such things. She wore my favorite jeans and those stupid boots she loved. Instead of a jacket, she had on an oversized sweatshirt.