Page 14 of Van

“My sister gained a hundred pounds with her first baby. She was so upset until she saw that little baby in her arms. Then she realized it was all worth it.”

“A hundred? I don’t know what I’d do if I gained that much,” I admit to him.

“You’d be beautiful still.” Now my cheeks heat. Van thinks I’m beautiful like this?

“Thanks, Van.”

“For what?”

“Everything. Everything you’re doing for me. I appreciate it more than you could possibly know,” I tell him. He smiles, and it’s the most breathtaking thing I’ve seen in a long time. I shouldn’t look at him like that, but I can’t help it. He’s gorgeous.

“You don’t need to thank me for tellin’ the truth, darlin’. You ready to go?” I nod my head as he motions to the door. I walk over and walk out in front of him when I hear him groan. I turn my head and look over my shoulder at him and see him staring at my ass, biting his lip. Then his eyes jerk to mine, and he grins wolfishly at me.

“Can’t help it. It’s a nice ass,” he says, causing me to laugh a little.

“Where the hell are you two goin’?” Mask asks as we enter the main room together.

“Headin’ over to my mom’s to visit. Thought Chy might wanna talk to my sisters about the baby and all that,” Van tells him. He eyes him for a long minute before finally nodding his head. I don’t know what that’s all about, but Van walks up and rests his hand on the small of my back, leading me toward the door, and I feel a shock like I’ve never felt before run through me from his touch. I wonder if he felt it, too? If he did he didn’t act like he noticed it.

We walk out to the truck, and Van opens the door for me, helping me in before closing the door. I watch him walk around the truck and climb in before starting it up.

“You good?” he asks. I nod my head as he pulls out onto the street. I watch as the cars and people pass and find myself wondering how normal their lives are. Wondering if they’re happy in their lives or if they are dealing with just as much as I am.

I ignore the nagging in the back of my head telling me I’m a failure and focus on the road as Van pulls into a driveway. The house in front of us is a large one, bigger than anything I’ve ever lived in.

“This is it?” I ask as he kills the engine and reaches for the door handle.

“This is it.” He hops out before coming to my side to open the door and help me out of the truck. I climb out and Van rests his hand on the small of my back like he did before. I know he’s just being polite, but that feeling shoots through me once more, and I don’t know how to react to it. I try to control the shiver that runs through my body. If he notices, he doesn’t say anything as he leads me toward the house.

Before we make it up the porch, the door flies open, and someone, I assume is his mom, steps out.

“You’re here!” She squeals before grabbing him and pulling him into a hug. I watch the two of them and smile at what I see. It’s not much different than me and my parents were when we lived closer together.

“How you doin’, Mom?” he asks as she pulls back and glances over at me.

“I’m good. Who is this?”

“I’m Chyanne. A friend of Van’s,” I tell her, holding out my hand. She grabs it and pulls me into a hug instead. I hug her back as Van chuckles behind us.

“I should have warned you that Mom was a hugger,” he says as she pulls away from me.

“Is there something I need to know?” she asks, looking at my stomach. I shake my head when Van chimes in.

“It’s not mine, Mom. Don’t get excited,” he tells her. She sighs and looks between the two of us before smiling and ushering us inside. We enter the house, and I’m introduced to his dad and sisters as little kids run around the room.

“They’re always like this,” April, his sister, tells me.

“I love it. I can’t wait to have this,” I tell her.

“Enjoy the time you have when they’re little,” she advises. I nod my head as Van leaves the room, and I feel a little awkward. He comes back quickly with a bottle of water and passes it to me before grabbing my arm and tugging me over to the couch. We sit down, and he sits a little closer than I thought he would.

“She’s been havin’ leg cramps,” he tells Julia, his other sister.

“Really? Aren’t those terrible? I had them bad. Thank god for Van, or I wouldn’t have made it,” she confesses.

“He’s been really helpful,” I tell them. She smiles and looks between us before sitting in the chair across from us.

“Has he? He’s always been a good helper when it comes to us being pregnant,” she tells me.

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