We already heard the heartbeat at the emergency room, but I don’t tell her that. I want to hear it again, so I keep my mouth shut. I watch with rapt attention as she pulls down the sheet, and pulls up Winnie’s gown, just enough to expose her belly. “This might be cold,” she warns as she spreads gel all over Winnie’s belly. “Our warmer has been acting up,” she says, taking a small machine and moving the gel all around.
Glancing down at Winnie, I don’t think either of us are breathing, for fear we might miss it. Dr. Taylor moves the wand this way and that. But still, I hear nothing. Until I do. The fast whooshing sound flows from the tiny speaker, and I swallow back the emotion clogging my throat. I was scared when she couldn’t find the heartbeat, but there it is. Fast and strong.
“Nothing’s wrong? Right?” I ask for clarification.
“Nothing. Mom and baby are perfect.” Hearing those words lifts a ton of bricks from my shoulders, and the happiness now outweighs the fear. Fear of losing one or both of them.
Leaning down, I press a soft kiss to Winnie’s lips. “Thank you. I love you so fucking much.” My voice is thick with emotion, and my eyes glassy with tears.
“We’re going to step out, give you a few minutes. You can go ahead and get changed,” Dr. Taylor says. Neither of us acknowledges her. We only have eyes for each other.
Reaching up, Winnie runs her thumb under my eye. “This is unexpected, but I’m so happy, Harrison. I don’t know how we’re going to do this. Everything is so messed up, but this baby…” She swallows hard.
“This baby is a blessing,” I finish for her. “Peanut brought you back to me, and I will never take you for granted again. I don’t know what the future holds, but you have given me a gift. A piece of you.” I place my hand over her belly. “And a piece of me to love for a lifetime.” I kiss her again because I can’t not kiss her. “I’ll love you both with everything in me until the day I take my last breath.”
She nods, wiping her eyes. “I should probably get dressed.”
I help her off the table and into her clothes. Once she’s fully dressed, I pull her into my arms and bury my face in her neck. It feels damn good to hold her in my arms again.
“You ready?” Dr. Taylor cracks open the door and asks.
“Yes,” I say, pulling away.
“Everything looks great. We’ll see you back in four to six weeks.” She hands Winnie a stack of papers. “Here’s a prescription for pre-natal vitamins, and of course the pictures of your baby.” She smiles at us. “Congratulations. If you need us for anything in the next few weeks, please don’t hesitate to call.”
“Thank you, Dr. Taylor,” Winnie says with a blinding smile. She doesn’t tell her that we don’t need the prescription since the ER gave us one as well. I decide to keep quiet too. It doesn’t matter. My wife and baby are both healthy. That’s all that matters.
Once we’re in my truck, I turn to face her. “Do you care if we stop by my place to get some things? That will save Chase a trip.”
“Harrison, I’m fine,” she assures me.
“I know that, but I still want to be with you. Both of you.” I nod to her belly. “You’re my family.”
Her eyes well with tears. This has been an emotional day for both of us. “O-kay,” she agrees.
Reaching over the console, I take her hand in mine and don’t let go until we’re pulling into my apartment complex.
“I’ll just wait here.”
“Nope. You’re coming with me.” I climb out and walk to the passenger side, opening her door. “It won’t take me long.” She hesitates, but removes her seat belt, and takes my offered hand to help her out of the truck. I don’t release her hand. Instead, I hold tight until we’re in my apartment. “I’ll be just a minute.” Dropping a kiss on her cheek, I head to my room to pack some clothes.
Pulling my suitcase out of the closet, I gather everything I think I might need this week, and a few extras. In the bathroom, I grab my razor, shaving cream, body wash, all the necessities. Snagging my phone charger from the nightstand, I zip up the suitcase and wheel it to the living room.
“Hey,” I say when I see her standing in the small living room, staring off into space. “Everything okay?”
She blinks a few times and then turns to face me. “This place, it’s bare, Harrison.”
“I don’t need much.”
“You’ve been living here for months.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve been sleeping here, but I haven’t been living. I stopped that the minute I packed a bag and left you crying on the couch.” The memory haunts me still to this day.
I’ve never been more wrong.
A tear slides down her cheek. “I’ve missed you,” she whispers.
Releasing the suitcase, I wrap her in my arms. “I’m right here, Winnie. I’m not going anywhere.” I hold her, letting her work through the tears, all while fighting back a few of my own. When she pulls away and looks up at me, I wipe her cheeks. “Ready to go home?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
A few hours later, we’re sitting on the couch. Winnie is on one end, while I sit on the other with her feet in my lap. She’s watching a movie on the Hallmark Channel, and I’m pretending to do the same. Instead, I’m watching her, only glancing at the TV when she catches me staring. That’s how Gabby finds us.
“Well, isn’t this cozy,” she comments.
Winnie looks at me, and I expect her to pull away; instead, she surprises me. “We think so. What’s in the bag?” She cranes her neck to look at her sister.
“KFC,” she says, turning to walk to the kitchen.
“Ready to eat?” I ask, keeping the moment light.
“I don’t know if I want to move.” She laughs. “I never realized how comfortable this couch was.”
“Then don’t.” I slide out from under her, resting her feet back on the couch. “Chocolate milk?”
“Yeah, but I can—”
I stop her by bending to place a kiss to her lips. “Let me take care of you.”
Another surprise, she nods, accepting my plea. I find Gabby in the kitchen, setting everything up. “Winnie’s going to eat in the living room. I’ll get her a plate made up.”
“I can do it,” she counters.
“So can I.” I cross my arms over my chest and stand tall. I know she’s pissed, but I’m not letting her push me out, not when I’m finally exactly where I want to be.
Where I belong.
“Fine,” she grumbles.
I can see in her eyes she wants to no longer be mad at me, but it’s still too soon for her. I get it. I know she’ll come around eventually. I busy myself making Winnie a plate. I make sure to grab two packets of honey for her biscuit; I know how much she loves it. I pour her a big glass of chocolate milk, grab a few napkins, and head back toward the living room.
“Hey, babe, you ready?” I ask her.
She sits up on the couch and grabs a pillow, placing it on her lap. I hand my girl her plate before moving the coffee table closer, so she doesn’t have to stretch to reach her glass.
“You keep this up, I’m going to be spoiled and as big as this house by the time this baby arrives,” she jokes.
“Good. I want you spoiled, both of you, and I can’t wait until you start to show.” I confess my earlier thoughts.
She laughs. “Right.”
“I mean it,” I tell her. “To know that a part of me is growing inside you, that’s…” I shake my head, unable to find the words.
“Some sappy shit,” Gabby says, plopping down in the chair with her own plate.
“You’re just jealous,” I tease her. Her reply is to stick her tongue out at me.
“So, what did the doctor say?” she asks before taking a huge bite of fried chicken.
“Everything’s perfect,” Winnie says happily. “We’re six weeks. Oh, and we have pictures.” She goes to set her plate down.
“I’ll get them,” I tell her. I want to kiss the
hell out of her for saying we’re six weeks, not I’m six weeks. It’s the little things that can make a difference, and that statement tells me all that I need to know. Winnie and I are going to be okay. I make my way to the kitchen where we left them on the counter. I’m surprised Gabby didn’t see them. Then again, she was pretending to be pissed that we were so cozy. I take a minute to stare at the grainy ultrasound pictures. It’s hard to believe that’s our baby.
When I get back to the living room, Gabby holds her hands out, and they’re covered in grease. “Don’t touch,” I tell her.
“What the hell?”
“Your hands are covered in chicken grease.”
“Sheesh, Harrison. If you’re this protective of a grainy image that you can’t even make out a baby, how are you going to be when the kid actually gets here?”
Winnie laughs. “Welcome to my world.”
“Get used to it.” I lift her legs and set her feet back in my lap. I see no point in denying it. I’ve always been protective of her, and now that she’s pregnant that protectiveness is heightened.
“You have no one to blame but yourself. You’re the one who’s letting him stay here,” Gabby tells her sister.
“He’s waiting on me hand and foot. Can you really blame me?” Winnie laughs. “Besides,” she looks at me, “Peanut needs Daddy close.”
“I love you.” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. Not that I’d want to.
“Gah, not while I’m trying to eat.” Gabby breaks the moment, making us all laugh.
“Speaking of, Harrison, are you not going to eat?” Winnie asks.
“Yeah, I’m just waiting on Chase.”
“Chase?” Gabby asks.
It’s not lost on me that she almost sounds hopeful. Sounds like my sister-in-law has been missing my best friend since the divorce. They do say that there’s a thin line between love and hate.
“Yeah, we have some work to do, so he’s stopping by.” I expect her to offer to stay with Winnie so I can go meet him at the gym, but she doesn’t. Instead, her eyes peer over at the front entrance as if she can’t wait for him to walk through the door.
Luck is on her side as there’s a loud knock on the door. “You need anything?” I ask Winnie as I stand from my seat on the couch.
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
“We’ll be in the kitchen,” I say, passing by her to answer the door.
“Hey, man,” I greet Chase.
“Hey, is that Gabby’s car in the driveway?”
“Yep.”
“Gabby!” he calls out, already en route to the living room. “You have to stop stalking me. It’s getting embarrassing.”
Gabby’s face turns red. “Waste of sperm,” she mutters, shaking her head.
“You,” I point to Chase, “kitchen.” I push on his shoulder to get him moving. “Ease up on her, man,” I say once we’re out of earshot.
“What? It’s Gabby. It’s what we do.”
“Maybe that’s what you used to do. It’s been months since you’ve seen her.”
“I know. I’ve missed it.” He grins.
There’s no point in trying to reason with him. Instead, we make our plates and sit at the island. He fills me in on what’s going on at the gym, and the new location. I was worried that stepping back like I have would get to me, but it’s nice to have the break. If I had the choice, I’d choose more time with Winnie any day of the week. For the first time in ages, I feel like we’ve got this worked out, and everything is going to be okay.
Chapter 10
Winnie
“Is there a reason you keep glancing over your shoulder toward the kitchen?” I ask, unable to hide the smile on my face. She’s only looked his way ten times in the last ten minutes.
“I’m not,” Gabby argues fruitlessly. It’s written all over her face.
“Liar.”
My sister rolls her eyes. “He’s just so frustrating. I wish he wasn’t so good-looking. I can deal with cocky and arrogant, but the good-looking part? That’s maddening. Jerks shouldn’t be allowed to be hot too.”
I set my empty plate on the table, surprised I ate it all so quickly. I guess I was hungrier than anticipated. “He’s not really a jerk,” I say, taking a drink of my yummy chocolate milk.
Again, my sister rolls her eyes. “Of course he is. He snapped my bra the last time I saw him! In the middle of the supermarket!” she bellows loudly, evoking two chuckles from the kitchen.
“I didn’t realize you could snap a training bra like that!” Chase hollers from the other room.
“See? Jerk!” she yells boisterously. “I stopped wearing a training bra in sixth grade,” Gabby says a little quieter, looking directly at me. Of course, because her eyes are on me, she doesn’t see Harrison’s best friend enter the room.
Chase crouches down behind where Gabby sits. “You’re gonna have to whip them out so I can see, sugarplum. It’s for research purposes.”
Gabby glares icicles over her shoulder. “Your mama should have swallowed and saved us all the pain and suffering.”
I burst out laughing, quickly followed by Chase. He just throws a wink and a grin at my sister and strolls back into the kitchen. Gathering up my dirty dishes, I follow in his wake, not wanting to interrupt but curious as to what they’re discussing.
“You’re right,” Harrison says when his friend takes the seat across the table. “Everything is right on track.”
I try to steal a peek at the papers he’s reading, but after catching a glimpse of him wearing those dark readers, my focus is pulled elsewhere. He’s wearing worn light-colored jeans that mold perfectly to his thighs, an old college T-shirt, and his feet are bare. How is it that a man can take off his shoes and socks and still be completely mouthwateringly sexy?
When my eyes finally meet his, there are small laugh lines crinkling around his big brown eyes, holding humor. The corner of his lip turns upward in that totally kissable way, and he doesn’t call me on my obvious gawking. Thank God. How embarrassing to be caught staring at your ex-husband while he’s working with his best friend, but in my defense, he’s totally yummy and completely doable.
It must be the pregnancy hormones.
“How’s it going?” I ask casually, averting my eyes.
Harrison’s hand snakes out and grabs me. He gives me a gentle tug, causing me to stumble onto his lap. Instantly, I’m assaulted with the scent of his body wash. It’s been so long since I’ve been this overcome by his smell that it brings tears to my eyes. It’s so familiar, yet so foreign at the same time.
Rapidly blinking them away, I keep quiet as Chase continues. “The contractor is two days ahead of schedule and thinks he’ll be done soon on the west property. It’ll be complete and ready to open before the south site.”
“That’s awesome. How about the plumbers?” Harrison asks, keeping his hand on my hip. I try to get up, but he just tightens his hold. When I glance his way, he holds me close and places a kiss on the side of my brow.
Since I’m apparently not going anywhere, I listen as they go through papers, discussing the upcoming opening of his new gym. When we were married, Harrison had purchased a large abandoned building two towns to the west with the intent of converting it into a new gym. Many of their residents drive to Fair Lakes to work out. They had a gym, but it was small and outdated, and once Harrison’s gym took off into the stratosphere, the small gym eventually closed down. Harrison saw the writing on the wall before it had actually closed the doors, however, noting the need in their community, which is why he’s expanding. He also purchased a location to the south, which was in a little worse shape. Its remodel appears to be taking a little longer.
“We’re on track.” Harrison exhales loudly, relaxing back into the chair.
“We are. I’m headed there Thursday and Friday to meet the rep from Ultimate Fitness. He’s going to help me with the layout of the rooms and get us a list of materials and equipment.”
“Thanks for taking c
are of that for me,” Harrison says, stacking the papers and placing them back in his folder.
“No problem. I only had to rearrange two clients,” Chase says, moving his folder aside.
Something in the way he says that draws my attention. I glance at Harrison, narrowing my eyes as I wait him out. Finally, he gives me the answer to my unspoken question. “I was supposed to go, but I’m not leaving you. So Chase is going in my place.”
“What? No, Harrison. You can’t skip appointments just to babysit me,” I argue. “Besides, I’ll be back to work, so there’s no reason for you to not go.”
He clears his throat, takes off his glasses, and gives me a pointed look. “You were just in a major car accident, Winnie. I’m not leaving town right now in case you need me.”
“First off, I’m more than capable of taking care of myself. And you’re like thirty minutes away,” I reason. “If I need you, I’ll call.”
“I’m not going out of town right now, Winnie. End of story,” he maintains, his eyes boring into me with intensity and authority.
“I’m pregnant, Harrison, not helpless.”
A loud gasp sounds across the table. My eyes fly to Chase’s as he gapes at us with question. I quickly look back at Harrison, his body tense beneath mine, and confirm my suspicions. “You hadn’t told him?” I whisper.
“We decided not to tell anyone yet,” he replies quietly. True, we did, but I never thought he wouldn’t tell Chase. They tell each other everything, as friends do.
“You’re knocked up?” he asks, his eyes wide with shock.
Before I can answer, Harrison confirms. “She is.” There’s so much excitement in his voice as he pulls me against him, hugging me into his body.
“How the hell did this happen?” Chase asks, dumbfounded at this little twist in the story. Our rather unusual story.
“Well, you see, Chase, when two people love each other, they make a baby. First, they both get completely naked,” Gabby says in a gentle voice as she enters the room, as if she were talking to a young child. “When a man gets excited to make a baby, his penis gets hard,” she adds, taking her finger and sticking it up in the air.
Fair Lakes Series Box Set Page 10