Home With You

by Hunter J. Keane

  “Okay, now you are freaking me out, Em.” Luke sat up and put his hand on my lower back. “Just tell me.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m pregnant, Luke.”

  Luke went so still and quiet that if he hadn’t been touching me, I would’ve thought he had left the room. I kept my eyes closed, hoping that would hold back the tears threatening to fall. In just those three words, I’d completely changed Luke’s world and likely, my own. I had no idea how he would react.

  “Em,” he said quietly. “Look at me.”

  I took another deep breath and opened my eyes. The tears immediately fell down my cheeks as I looked at Luke. “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Sorry?” He used his thumb to wipe away the tears. “Why are you sorry?”

  “Luke, this isn’t happy news. We’ve only been dating for a couple of weeks. Neither of us was expecting this.” I couldn’t look him in the eye, so I settled for staring at his chest. I could see it rising and falling rapidly. “This isn’t part of your plan.”

  “My plan?” Luke laughed. “Oh, Em. Is that what you’re worried about?”

  “You’ve put a lot of thought into how our life together is supposed to go and having a baby this soon was not part of that plan,” I said, the pit in my stomach growing.

  Luke sighed. “I think you missed the whole point of me telling you about that plan. It’s not about following a strict schedule of when things are supposed to happen.” He put his hand under my chin and tilted my head back until I met his intense gaze. “It’s about you and I being together, forever.”

  “A baby will change everything, Luke. I’m not ready for things to change.” I felt more tears coming.

  “Em, I’ll support you no matter what. Ultimately, whether we have this baby or not is your decision. I just want you to know that I will still love you either way and if you do decide to keep the baby, I’m going to love that baby just as much as I love you.” Luke stroked my cheek with the tips of his fingers. “Talk to me. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

  “I’m thinking that I really liked your plan,” I said. “I wanted all those things, too, Luke. I just didn’t want this right now.”

  “I know.” He put his arm around me and pulled me into his chest. “Do you want to know a secret?”

  I laughed faintly. “Sure.”

  “I learned something really important a few weeks ago. The universe sometimes knows exactly what we need, even when it might be scary or unexpected.” Luke kissed the top of my head. “I know you’re scared, Em. I am, too. But I think if we can get past the scary part, this baby could be the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”

  “Do you want me to have the baby?” I asked, lifting my head to look at him.

  “It’s your decision,” he said.

  “No, it’s not. It’s our decision.” I looked him right in the eye. “What do you want, Luke?”

  He shrugged. “I want to have a family with you, Em. It doesn’t matter to me that things are happening a little out of order. I want us to have the baby.”

  I leaned my forehead against his and heaved a sigh of relief that I didn’t know I’d been holding back. “I want that, too, Luke. I want to have our baby.”

  His face broke into a huge grin and he showered me with kisses. He didn’t stop even when we tumbled back on the bed and he landed on his bad shoulder.

  “Careful, Cooper,” I said, rolling him onto his back. “We need you to take care of yourself.”

  “We?” He grinned again and put a hand on my stomach. “Are we really doing this, Em? Is there really a baby inside you?”

  “So they tell me.” I kissed his cheek. “I blame you.”

  He laughed. “I blame me, too. But none of this would’ve happened if you hadn’t aimed that smile of yours at me.”

  “This smile?” I asked, smiling.

  “That’s the one.” He put a hand over his heart. “If my shoulder wasn’t on fire right now, I’d been pinning you to this bed and making you pay for smiling at me like that.”

  “You always say the sweetest things,” I said, batting my eyes at him.

  Luke groaned. “You’re killing me, Scott.”

  “Close your eyes,” I said, patting his chest. “Get some sleep and rest that shoulder. You can make me pay later, Cooper. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I love it when you threaten me like that,” he said, closing his eyes. “Will you stay in bed with me? I kind of just want to hold you for a while.”

  “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” I assured him, settling my head on his chest. “I’d stay right here with you forever.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Luke fell asleep a while later and I stayed there listening to the steady beat of his heart. There was no question in my mind that he was the best thing that had ever happened to me. Even though I was still scared to death about having a baby, the idea of having one with him somehow felt right.

  Eventually, I rolled out of bed. I still had a lot of laundry to finish and I was hungry. I was sure that Luke would be starving when he finally woke up, so I got busy in the kitchen. I put a record on Luke’s record player and hummed along while I cooked. The music helped keep my brain distracted so I wouldn’t spiral down a vortex of fears about becoming a mother, starting a family with Luke, and being stalked by Collin.

  “Is this a dream?” Luke said.

  I whirled, surprised to find him grinning at me from the doorway. “Geez. How long have you been standing there?”

  “Long enough to fall in love with you all over again,” he said seriously.

  “I should warn you, I’m only making pasta. Your kitchen is poorly stocked.” I turned back to the stove and stirred the simmering sauce. “Your fridge is still packed with beer, though.”

  “Guess I’ll be drinking alone for the next few months,” Luke said, sounding very happy about that fact. “Can we talk for a second?”

  I turned the heat down on the stove and turned around. “Sure. What’s up?”

  “Officer Sholz called my phone. He said he stopped by Collin’s apartment.” Luke frowned and pointed to the table. “Let’s sit down.”

  “Now you’re the one freaking me out,” I said anxiously.

  Luke came over and put his hand on my arm. “Don’t be freaked out. Collin wasn’t home, but his roommate let the police come inside. They searched his bedroom and found some things that were...worrisome.”

  “Worrisome?” I didn’t like the look in Luke’s eye. “Involving me?”

  “Yes.” Luke frowned. “There were a lot of pictures of you, Em. Collin has been following you around pretty much since you started working at the resort. He had pictures of the two of us together long before he ever saw us kissing in the parking lot.” His eyes darkened even more. “They also think that he may have done something to my skis and caused my accident.”

  “He came after you?” I gasped and my heart thudded.

  Luke nodded. “I think so. My ski snapped too easily. I knew something was off when it happened and this would make sense.”

  “I can’t believe this.” I had assumed that Collin had just been trying to mess with me as revenge. It had never occurred to me that he might be involved in something much more sinister. “You have to be careful, Luke. He might try to hurt you again.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Luke said. “It’s not me he wants, Em.”

  “Did Officer Sholz tell you anything else? Like how they are going to find him?” I was trying hard not to let my anxiety show.

  “They are keeping an officer at the house and sending others to some places around town.” Luke gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be okay, Em. We just have to give them time to do their jobs.”

  I nodded. “Fine, but you are never skiing again.”

  “I think that’s a bit of an overreaction,” Luke said, sliding his hand over my hip. “That’s like me saying that since you got knocked up, you’re never allowed to have sex again.”r />
  “Or like me saying that since you knocked me up, you are never allowed to have sex again,” I said, poking him in the side. “And I may not be joking.”

  “I think you’re looking at our situation the wrong way,” Luke said as his hand moved under my shirt. “We’ve got eight months of unprotected pregnancy sex ahead of us.”

  I groaned. “I’m going to be so big.”

  “So sexy,” Luke corrected me, kissing his way down my throat. “I plan to enjoy every curve of your body, Em.”

  “You already do,” I said. “But you need to pause, loverboy. My sauce is going to burn.”

  “Kinky,” he said with a devilish smile.

  I laughed and pushed him away. “Do you want to eat or not?” I asked and then immediately stopped him before he could respond with something dirty. “Never mind. Just sit at the table and be quiet.”

  Luke laughed and slapped me on the butt. “You are so sexy, Em. How do you expect me to not want to jump you right here in this kitchen?”

  “Restraint, Lucas,” I said firmly. “Show some.”

  He laughed again and headed toward the door. “I need to check the mail.”

  “Be careful! Don’t fall on the ice.” I knew I sounded paranoid and overprotective, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to see Luke in a hospital bed ever again.

  “Yes, Mom!” His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

  I drained the noodles and added the sauce before carrying the dish to the table. I’d already made a healthy salad to balance out the carbs and I was impressed with what I’d been able to throw together with limited ingredients.

  “Hey, Em.” I looked up and noticed saw Luke’s confused face staring at me. He held something in his hand that should not have been in a mailbox. “Are these yours?”

  It was impossible to know for sure since they were just a standard pair of black lacy underwear, but I knew they were mine. “Where did you find those?” I asked.

  “In my mailbox.” He frowned. “Please tell me you put them there was some kind of weird mailman prank.”

  “I didn’t put my underwear in your mailbox, Luke.” I bit hard on the inside of my cheek. “That pervert actually took my underwear?”

  “Looks like it.” Luke took them to the trashcan and threw them away. “Try not to worry, Em. The police will find him.”

  “You shouldn’t throw them away,” I said.

  He grimaced. “You want to keep them?”

  “No. We should give them to the police.” I found a plastic bag in the kitchen and put them inside. “I don’t want to take any chances that Collin won’t be punished.”

  “That’s probably smart,” Luke said. “I wasn’t thrilled when those cops saw that picture of you. I’m even less thrilled about handing them your underwear.”

  “At least I was fully clothed in the photo,” I said.

  “It was still an intimate photo, Em.” Luke sat down at the table and adjusted the strap of his sling. “You were completely vulnerable.”

  “I know. I’m trying not to think about it.” I focused instead on loading my plate with food only to stare at it blankly, my hunger long gone.

  Luke was worried about me, but he was doing his best not to tell it show. “Let’s go do something fun after dinner,” he said.

  “Leave the house?” I asked.

  “We’re not hermits, Em.” He laughed. “It’s the Winter Carnival today. We should go check it out.”

  “Do we like the Winter Carnival?” I said doubtfully.

  He nodded. “We absolutely do. Besides, we need to check it out this year as a trial run for when we take the baby next year.”

  “Holy shit,” I breathed. “We’re going to have a baby this time next year.”

  “Yeah, that’s how pregnancy works,” Luke said with a wry grin. “Now, eat up. You’ve got a little Cooper inside you and Coopers love their food.”

  Once I took a bite, my hunger came back and it wasn’t long before I’d cleared my plate. Luke was suitably impressed and insisted on handling the clean-up even though he only had one good arm.

  “Put your feet up and let me take care of you,” he said. “It will be a nice change of pace for us.”

  “Luke, you’re always taking care of me,” I protested.

  “Not as much as I should have been,” he muttered.

  “This Collin craziness isn’t your fault, love,” I said. “It’s my fault for being so irresistible that men lose all control around me.”

  Luke shot me an exasperated look as he wiped down the counter. “You have no idea how true that is.”

  “Should I be adding more layers for this snow carnival thing?” I asked.

  “Winter Carnival, and yes. I need you to keep our baby nice and toasty.” Luke grinned the same way he always grinned when he mentioned the baby.

  “You need to practice stifling that grin,” I said as I headed toward the stairs. “We can’t tell anyone for about two more months.”

  “I’m never going to make it that long,” Luke said easily.

  I knew he was right. Luke was over-the-moon happy and he had a terrible poker face. Anyone that knew him at all would instantly suspect something.

  Luke had stopped taking his pain medication, so he drove to the carnival. He was in good spirits, singing along with the holiday music on the radio. I loved seeing him so happy.

  “Once we get through the busy season, you and I should take a trip somewhere warm. If we time it right, you won’t be too pregnant to enjoy yourself.” Luke grinned at me. “We need to take at least one vacation together before we become parents.”

  “What about the resort?” I asked.

  “Greg can run things for a bit.” Luke didn’t look worried. “I’ll have him take over when I go on paternity leave anyway, so it will be a good test run for him.”

  “Paternity leave?” I gaped at him. “You’re going to take time off when the baby comes?”

  He nodded. “Of course I am. I told you I plan to be there for you and the baby, Em. I meant that.”

  “Hopefully, you’re good at changing diapers,” I joked.

  “I’ve got fourteen nieces and nephews, darling. I’m a diaper-changing ninja.” He parked his truck at the edge of the high school parking lot where an entire Winter Carnival was raging. “I can also swaddle, burp, feed, rock, and bathe a baby like a pro. You hit the jackpot when you got knocked up by Lucas Cooper.”

  “Truer words were never spoken,” I said, kissing his cheek.

  “Wait here. I’ll get the door.” He had only just shut his door when I started crying. As he opened my door, he stared at me in horror. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

  I pushed myself out of the seat and threw my arms around Luke. “I’m just so happy our baby is going to have you as a father.”

  “Aw. Em, that’s very sweet but I don’t want you to cry.” He laughed lightly. “If it helps, I’m going to screw up a bunch of stuff and you’ll probably regret having this baby with me.”

  “Never,” I said firmly. “Okay, I’m done crying. I’ll try not to do that again for at least a couple of hours.”

  Luke put his arm around me as we walked toward the carnival. “Let’s just blame your hormones.”

  “That works for me.” I leaned into him, basking in his warmth. I’d put on extra layers, but it was a particularly cold evening in Starlight.

  “My family is going to be here,” Luke said. “I’ll do my best to dodge them, but it’s going to be impossible to avoid all of them.”

  “I don’t want to avoid your family,” I said.

  He scoffed. “That’s because they won’t be lecturing you on ski safety.”

  “But they might ask me about my cycle or my dead fiancé,” I reminded him glibly. “Oh god. Is your mother going to freak out when we finally tell her about the baby? Will she expect us to get married right away?”

  “My mother? No.” Luke laughed. “She just wants the grandkid, she doesn’t really care about the fo
rmalities. Four of her other grandkids were born out of wedlock and David was born just five months after my parents’ wedding.”

  “Scandalous!” I gasped. “I guess you take after your father.”

  “Yikes. I guess you’re right.” Luke waved to a couple standing at the entrance. “The Cooper super-sperm strikes again.”

  I grinned. “At least you were a good lay. I’d be pissed if you knocked me up during some bad sex.”

  “Watch it,” Luke muttered. “Those are my nieces headed this way.”

  “Uncle Luke! Emery!” The girls that ran over to us were David’s oldest kids, 11-year-old twins. I remembered them from the family gathering, but I couldn’t tell them apart.

  “Girls, where’s my hug?” Luke hugged both girls and looked adorable doing it. Both girls clearly adored their uncle. “Is your dad around here somewhere?”

  “Yeah, he’s with Mom over by the beer tent,” one of the twins said.

  Luke glanced at me. “Big surprise. Alright, girls, I’m going to find him and say hi.” He slipped some money from his pocket and handed it to them. “Go have fun and just say no to drugs.”

  “Thanks, Uncle Luke!” they chorused, hugging him again.

  I gaped at him in mock disgust. “You’ve bribed them for their affection!”

  “How else was I going to win the Favorite Uncle award?” he said. “I’ve been bribing all of the kids for years.”

  “Of course you have.” I pulled him close for a kiss. “I love you, Lucas Cooper.”

  “I love you, too, darling.” Luke held onto me a moment longer and then said, “I need to go chat with David about a Christmas gift for one of the kids.”

  “I’m going to go say hi to Katie,” I said.

  Luke hesitated. “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No, Lucas. I’m quite capable of walked ten yards away to talk to my friend without having something terrible happen to me.” I rolled my eyes at him.

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m an overprotective boyfriend. But you do have a stalker, Em.” Luke took a quick look around. “It doesn’t feel right to let you go off alone.”