Page 57 of Catching Mr. Right

“Of course.” She rolls her gaze to the ceiling before bringing it back to me. “We’re almost half way.”

“You’re tiny.” I study her belly. “Are you sure it’s not gas? I hear that can be a similar sensation.”

“It’s not gas.” She giggles as she grabs my hand and places it to her abdomen.

Something little butterflies against my hand. “Wow. I think I felt him move. You’re really halfway?”

“We didn’t find out straight away. We were too busy setting up for camp to notice, and then I chalked it up to stress for a little while. By the time we found out we were almost through the first trimester. Probably helped that I wasn’t sick.”

“Why haven’t you told anyone?”

“We have.” She shakes her head. “Our family. We thought we’d keep the news private though, until I started to show. It’s just easier to keep it between us. I’m not ready to have people come up to me in the street and grab my stomach.”

“This is crazy.” I stare at her abdomen. “If I rub your belly do you think the baby will give me good luck? Maybe attract other babies? I am so glad I got to find out before everyone else.”

“Are you clucky? Although you and Cas seem to be hitting it off quite a lot lately. Am I correct in thinking you’ve been sleeping here? Summer says you haven’t been going back to her place. Are you and he—”

“No. We’re just really good at being friends. Friends who have sleepovers. He’s practically like a girlfriend. Except that he’s more of a boyfriend.” And I’ve never done the things I do with Cas with any of my friends. “But we’re not involved like that. This is more of a temporary thing. So I’m not clucky. I don’t want babies with him.” Would Cas ever want babies? With me? Why am I even thinking about him when it’s Sam who’ll be having my babies? Nope that isn’t right. Sam, who I’ll be having babies with, because I’ll be having sex, falling in love, marrying, and spending the rest of my life with him. Soon. The sooner the better, so Cas and I can drop this charade. “It’s just I do want a family of my own. One day. When I’m with the right guy. It’s really important to me since I didn’t really have that myself.”

“I get it,” Claire says. “You remind me a bit of Razer. He’s always had us Hadleys, but he didn’t really have any family of his own either. I know it bothers him more than he lets on.”

“Now he has you and this baby. As well as all the Hadleys.” I smile, caught up in the excitement. That’s all I want, too. It’s not so much, is it? To want to be loved enough to build a family around it. With Sam, we’re already part way there. His sister is like my sister. He’s moving to Reverence. He’s practically settling down already. How long will it take him after we fall in love to decide he wants to be a daddy? Do I want him to father my children?

“Yes, he does,” Claire agrees. “And now we have a heap of kids to feed, so we better hurry up and put this food on the table.”

Going back to slicing the bagels, I don’t notice Cas enter until I hear his voice. “Can’t survive without me, huh?”

A shiver rolls down my spine, stirring up that familiar unsettled feeling in my belly. Whether I like it or not I’m going to find out too soon.

“No, we definitely can’t,” Claire agrees. “Can you take over?”

I turn to find him running his gaze over me, and that doesn’t help at all. When he winks and prowls toward me, all that heat in my belly puddles between my thighs. “Absolutely. Mandy and I have this.”

“Okay. If you’re sure.” Claire unties the apron around her waist and rushes for the door. “I need to send a couple emails anyway. If I can get that out of the way before today’s activities that’ll be great.”

“Shoo. Out of my kitchen.” Cas takes the butter knife from my hand without a single remark about my safety and puts it down next to the bagels.

Claire stops at the doors that lead into the dining room. “Your kitchen? I was under the impression I was looking for a permanent chef. Unless you’re telling me that’s no longer the case?”

His jaw tightens and then he shakes his head. His gaze locked with mine is almost apologetic. “No, you’re still looking.”

“Too bad,” she says as she leaves the room.

“Oh well.” I tug my hand free from his and go back to the bagels. There’s no stability when it comes to Cas. No loyalty to anyone but his horse. Nothing safe to fall back on. I can’t believe I considered him and having babies in the same universe even for a minute. Ridiculous.

This is why I have to use my head and not my clit. And focus on catching my Mister Right.

“We better buckle down and convince Sam he’s ready for more than he thinks then.”

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