Page 52 of Somebody To Love

She stumbled as the words left her mouth, tripping over her own feet. She hadn’t meant for it to come out like that. As if this was their home instead of her place where BJ occasionally stayed. But he didn’t even pause at her casual remark. No. He simply nodded his head and grabbed his jacket out of the front closet. In fact, as she glanced around her apartment, she noticed a lot of little BJ additions; his hiking boots lay by the couch where he’d kicked them off after they’d gone up to Saint Mary’s Glacier the other day. One of his flannels hung on the back of a kitchen chair, discarded in a very hasty attempt of hers to have her wicked way with him last night. She knew two of the dresser drawers in the bedroom contained his clothing and the bathroom counter was now crowded thanks to the addition of male grooming products.

Their friendship over the years meant he always had a few items of his over at her place, but nothing like this. This felt…different.

“Ready?”

She glanced up at him, standing at her front door, keys in hand, waiting to usher her to her day and prepared to bring her home, where they’d spend another wonderful night together like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Danger, danger Penelope Williams!

“Hey,” his smile dimmed. “You okay?”

She ignored the voice in her head that sounded like the robot in that old space show from the sixties her dad loved to watch. Pasting a smile on her face, she hurried out the front door he held open, ducking under his arm as she went.

“Yup, just under-caffeinated. Let’s go.”

The sound of BJ shutting and locking the door reached her ears, but she didn’t turn or wait for him. Rude, maybe, but she was currently dealing with an internal crisis. One she didn’t want to share. Plus, she needed air.

The crisp, late September breeze hit her face as she stepped out of the apartment complex. Only a few more days until October. The leaves were already changing on the aspens. Beautiful golds, yellows, and reds mixed with the last of the lingering greens, still holding on tight to the final remnants of summer. Being Colorado, the morning air held a chilly bite. Not enough to warrant hats and gloves, but enough for her to pull her coat tighter around her. Soon she’d have to break out her down parka, but for a few more weeks the lighter jacket would do.

“Penny?”

She turned at the worried sound of her name. BJ walked cautiously up to her. Concern etched into every handsome line on his face. “You sure you’re okay?”

Crap! She hadn’t meant to upset him. It wasn’t his fault she was starting to realize things, starting to…feel things. The problem was, she didn’t know what she was feeling. This strange pulsing in her stomach was like nothing she’d ever experienced before. An odd, but not entirely unpleasant sensation, one she couldn’t describe even if she wanted to.

“You’re not feeling...” His eyes darted down to her stomach before rising back to her face. “Sick? Are you?”

A chuckle escaped her. “No. Nothing like that. It’s only been a little over a week, BJ. We won’t know about…that for another two at least. And even then, the doctor said it might take a few months.”

A few months of having BJ in her bed. Months of spending days and nights with him. They’d always spent time together, but as friends. Since they’d started sleeping with each other, their time together had changed. Sure, they still did all the stuff they used to do, but now everything held…more. She couldn’t describe it, but everything felt weightier, deeper.

“Oh, right.” He rubbed a hand over his bearded jaw, an awkward moment of silence passing between them.

A sharp pain stabbed her chest. Dang it! They’d never had awkward moments before. Their friendship had always had such an easy flow to it.

“We better get going. I don’t want to be late to an appointment with Apple.” Truthfully, she hated being late to anything, but last time she was late to a Blithe appointment Apple gave her a ten-minute lecture on promptness and how young people these days had no manners. She felt like a kid getting scolded by the principal.

BJ shuddered, opening the truck door for her, and helping her into the cab. “No, you do not.”

After shutting her door, he hustled around the vehicle and hopped inside, starting the truck, and pulling out onto the street. They made it to Kismet’s one and only coffee shop in less than five minutes. Being the only coffee place in town, Tin Cups usually had a line most mornings. Today was no different. They waited in line together. BJ holding her hand in his as she’d grown used to him doing lately. After a moment or two, she noticed a plethora of attention locked onto them. Everyone in the shop seemed to be staring at them, more specifically at their joined hands.

They hadn’t announced their plans to the town, heck she hadn’t even told her family yet. The only people that knew were BJ, her, and his siblings. Normally, more than one person knowing something in Kismet meant everyone knew, but the Jacksons didn’t play into the town gossip mill. What felt like normal—although new—behavior to her seemed to shock the townsfolk.

“Hey BJ, Penny,” Maxine, the woman who co-owned the coffee shop with her cousin Lilly, gave them a curious look as they came to the front of the line. “What can I get you guys?”

“Large black coffee and a medium vanilla latte.”

Maxine raised a brow. BJ knew her coffee order. Big deal. Of course he did. They’d been friends forever. Friends knew stuff like that. There was no reason for that knowing glint in the barista’s eyes.

After BJ paid—for both their coffees, causing the murmuring behind them to increase—they moved down the counter to wait for their drinks. BJ leaned back against the wall, tugging her into the circle of his arms and tilting his head down to brush a kiss across her lips.

“What are you doing?” she whispered.

“Giving the vultures something to devour.”

Ah, he had seen everyone’s rapt fascination with them, too. “The rumor mill is going to be running full force now.”

“Yeah, but we knew that was going to happen eventually.”

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