Page 40 of Mine to Keep

“I doubt she will, but if she does, you can tell her yourself that there’s nothing between us,” Roland said.

“I’ll stop by tomorrow around ten. Will that work for you?”

“Yes. Thank you, and I’ll see you then.

He looked over the email and chose a woman if Stacey didn’t work out. He sent a message back to the doctor, and she said she’d wait for him to get back to her if he needed another counselor.

Roland checked on Laila again before going into his bedroom. He wanted to carry her back to their bed but decided to wait and see how the counseling went.

Chapter Nineteen

Laila pulled herself out of bed the next day. She had to get herself to eat more because she could feel herself getting weaker every day, and she needed to be strong for this baby. She showered and dressed and made her way down the stairs.

“Good morning, Betsy.”

The older woman turned. “Good morning. Can you eat something?”

Although she didn’t feel like it, she knew she had to. “Yes. May I have two scrambled eggs and toast?”

Betsy smiled. “Absolutely. Let me get you a glass of orange juice first. Have a seat at the counter.”

The two talked about the weather and baking.

“I would love for you to help me bake sometime,” Betsy said.

Laila almost said she had several weeks left until the baby was born, and it would give her something to look forward to. “I’d like that very much.”

“Good. Here’s your plate. I put cheese and chives in the eggs.”

“They look wonderful. Thank you.”

Laila made herself eat all of it. She learned that if she went slow and had her mind on other things, she could get the food down, and it wouldn’t feel like it would come up.

“Go on outside and sit in the sun. Vitamin D will do you good,” Betsy said.

“I think I will. Thank you for breakfast.”

Laila was out in the garden for thirty minutes when she heard footsteps and turned to see Roland head her way. It amazed her that all she had to do was look at him, and it made her body hum. There were so many times she had wanted to walk into his arms or climb into their bed, but the thought of himrejecting her kept her away.

“Hey. Can you come with me?” Roland said and held out his hand.

The thought of being able to touch him made her body quiver. She stood and took his hand.

“Betsy said you ate a good breakfast,” he said.

She nodded. “Yes. I know I must do better for the baby.”

“And yourself, right?”

She felt startled. She never thought of herself. She didn’t want to.

Before she could answer, they walked into his office. He closed the door, let go of her hand, and walked to sit on the edge of his desk.

She wrapped her arms around her waist. “W-what did you want to talk about?”

“I wanted you to meet someone.”

“Oh?”

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