Page 19 of Closing the Distance

“You got some advice?”

He pats me on the back. “A ton. First and foremost, the first trimester can be a nightmare as far as sensitivity to smells and food goes. She could be crazy nauseous or not have any morning sickness at all, but you should figure out quick what her triggers are and do everything in your power to banish them from your life immediately.”

“Got it. What else?”

He rubs his jaw. “Have ginger ale and saltines on hand for her. Give her foot rubs and massage her lower back if she’ll let you. Those were Syd’s two places, especially at the end, that always gave her the most pain, but after a little rubdown, she’d melt into the bed and sleep great. Oh!” He grips my shoulder. “If you manage to get her to live with you during the pregnancy, invest in some ear plugs. Syd slept like an angel until about halfway through the second trimester, and then she snored like some deranged, feral monster in one of the mythical books she loved to read. It was terrifying—almost as terrifying as the fact that she could sleep through it most of the time. Just a fair warning.”

I laugh. “I appreciate that.”

“Anytime. Seriously. We dads gotta stick together. Call me anytime, and I’ll help out best I can.”

We dads. My chest expands as his words hit me square in the heart. I’m going to be a dad.

“Thanks, man.” It’s not lost on me that this is the most I’ve heard him talk about Sydney since she died from cancer when Kaylee was just a baby. “You know, there is something I was hoping you and the guys could help me with.”

Romel calls out to Gabe and Dom who are ahead of us as we walk into the locker room.

“What’s up?” Dom asks.

I put my hands on my hips and quickly tell them what happened with Lexi yesterday—after she dropped the pregnancy bomb on me.

Romel closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Damn. I really thought you were smoother than that.”

I drop my chin to my chest before taking a deep breath and looking back at them. “I know. I’m well aware that was not my finest moment, and I’m paying for it. So how do I fix it?”

The guys look at each other and then back at me. Romel puts a hand on my shoulder. “You said she’s a teacher?”

“Yeah.”

A smile grows on his face. “I’ve got an idea.”

ELEVEN

I’m in the middle of my lesson on imagery when there’s a knock on my classroom door. I glance up in time to see my principal, Mrs. O’Dell, walk in with a huge smile on her face, her eyes wide, and her cheeks a little flushed.

I tilt my head. “Everything okay, Mrs. O’Dell?”

And that’s when I see the man walk in behind her, and my heart races in my chest even as I feel my own cheeks heat. What the hell is Ty doing here?

And then three more guys follow him in, and my students erupt in squeals and cheers.

“Oh shit, it’s the Fierce Four!”

“Don’t curse,” I tell my student, Marcus, but my voice sounds hollow and lacks the authority it normally carries.

Who the hell are the Fierce Four? It sounds like a character group from a comic book or something.

Mrs. O’Dell turns to my class and raises her hands in a signal for them to settle down. They do, albeit reluctantly. As it is, several of them, boys and girls alike, are squirming in their seats with giant grins plastered on their faces.

“We have surprise guests, and they specifically asked for Ms. Kemper’s class.”

I’m suddenly regretting telling him my last name and where I worked during our disaster of a meal two days ago. I mean, I know he would’ve found out eventually, but I was not planning to see him so soon, and definitely not in my own classroom. I’m not mentally or emotionally prepared for this.

And then he pulls his hands from behind his back and presents me with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. “For you,” he says, his voice soft and contrite. I can see the apology in his eyes.

“Awww,” a bunch of my students coo, making me blush harder, and Ty grins wide at my reaction, his handsome face morphing with that same flirtatious smile that got me into his bed in the first place and started all of this.

“Thank you,” I say.

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