Page 53 of Utah

But there was a small part of me that thought perhaps she wasn’t being completely truthful.

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The urgency to pee woke me up. Or was it because of the furnace sleeping next to me? Either way, I was awake now and in desperate need of the bathroom. Groggily, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. After a small stretch, I headed toward the toilet, smiling at the memory of Utah showing up at my door. Not only did he come back unharmed, he wanted to take our relationship to another level. I’d be lying if I said I never thought about us living together, but I truly didn’t believe it to be an option. But here we were. Now all I had to do was talk to Evie about moving out. I believed she could afford this place by herself, but I needed to make sure I wasn’t leaving her in the lurch, so to speak.

“Are you still bleeding?” Utah asked as I reentered the room. He sat up in bed and reached for his pills, removing two and popping them in his mouth.

“Less than last night.” I pointed toward his prescription bottle. “Are you still in a lot of pain? Because I’ve noticed you’re taking double doses.”

“Some days” was the answer he gave, but because I didn’t want to possibly start an argument, I didn’t push the issue. Ihad no idea what it was like to be stabbed, so I couldn’t say how long the recovery should take.

“What are your plans today?” I asked, standing at the foot of the bed, wearing a thin white camisole and matching pajama shorts. Utah, however, was dressed in only his blue boxer briefs, the rest of his glorious body on full display. I envisioned the day when we’d be able to have sex again, and hopefully that day was soon. These damn hormones only served to ramp up the reminder of how good it’d physically been between us.

“I gotta swing by the clubhouse, but other than that, taking it easy. How about you?”

“I have to talk to my sister later about our future living arrangements and then at some point stop by Rocky’s.”

“Was I dreaming, or are you really going to quit?”

I playfully smacked his leg. “You weren’t dreaming.”

“I can’t believe you didn’t put up more of an argument. But I’m not complaining.”

I wanted to be completely honest with him about why I agreed to quit my job, but I didn’t think any good would come of it. We were in a good place right now, and I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize that. What harm could come from him believing my future physical demands were the sole reason for me leaving Rocky’s? There would be harm, however, if Utah found out Will kissed me. He already didn’t like him. I didn’t want to exacerbate his feelings toward the guy.

“It’s gonna get harder on me working there, always being on my feet. And even though the baby is fine, I don’t want to put any undue stress on my body.”

Utah moved to stand in front of me. “You’re sure everything is fine with the kiddo?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. And I agree. You need to take it easy until you have the baby.”

I retreated a step. “That’s over seven months away. I’m not on bed rest or anything.”

“I know. Just wanna be cautious.”

“You’re gonna be unbearable, aren’t you?”

Initially, his heightened concern irritated me a bit, but the longer I thought about it, the more I accepted he was right. I wanted to do everything in my power to ensure the healthiest pregnancy I could manage.

“You two mean the world to me. I’m getting a head start on this father thing, protecting my guy.”

“Or girl,” I corrected.

“Please no.”

“You know, because you’re so adamant about having a girl, that’s exactly what she’ll be.”

“I want a girl. I want a girl. I want a girl.” He pulled me into his embrace and kissed the top of my head. “I figure if I say I really want a girl, fate will try and mess with me by giving us a boy.”

“I’m not sure that’s how it works. But good luck.”

I moved to separate from him, but before I got too far, he grabbed my hand.

“How about I swing by the clubhouse, then come back here and pick you up? We can go by Rocky’s, then get something to eat after.”

“You never like going out to eat.”

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