Page 26 of Trash the Dress

He sits on the other chair. “I ate at the bar earlier.”

I unwrap the burger and take a bite. A moan escapes my lips, it’s so good. “Oh my gosh. Best burger ever,” I tell him as I pull a french fry from the bag.

He fidgets in the chair like he’s trying to get comfortable and swallows hard. “I’m glad you like it.”

“Aren’t you supposed to still be at your bar? To close or something?” I ask when I’m almost finished eating.

“Dad is closing for me tonight. I’m right where I need to be,” he says in a tone that gives me chills.

I swallow the last bite of food and chase it with the chocolate shake he brought. He can’t say things like that to me or I stand no chance of successfully drawing a line between us. I know my pregnancy emotions are partly to blame. But not totally. The allure of this man is something else.

“Do you have a doctor’s appointment yet? Like an official one with a baby doctor?” he asks abruptly.

“You mean an OB/GYN?” I ask, trying to hide my amusement.

“Yeah. That one. Do you have one yet?”

“I called after we talked earlier today and got set up with Dr. Ray here. Once you said you were in this with me, I thought it might be better to have the baby in Greendale Valley. I know I only live about an hour away, but this just seemed the better choice. Dr. Boyd who treated me in the ER recommended this doctor too,” I tell him.

“I hear Dr. Ray is good. She recently delivered my friend’s baby. That’s why I was at the hospital when I ran into you. She and her husband were there.”

I sit a little taller at the mention of this woman he seems to be close to. “Is this the friend who lent us her studio that night for my…pictures?” I can’t help but ask. He arches a brow at my question.

“Yep. One and the same. Hawk and Brittney Abbott. She’s a singer and songwriter and his family owns a record label,” he says.

“Oh, wow.” I could never compete with someone like that. I feel the need to change the subject back to our baby and away from some other fabulous woman he’s close to.

“Are you asking because you want to come?” I ask, circling back to his question about my first appointment.

He holds my stare for a heartbeat and then says, “Yes, I think I’d like to if you’ll let me.”

“Of course. I’ll send you the information. We can meet there. I’m only staying here for a couple more days. I need to get back to the city and do some work. I’ve been working from here on what I can, but I need to be in person for some meetings coming up,” I tell him.

His brows furrow. “You can stay with me some. If you want, I mean.”

I feel my eyes widen involuntarily. “Um, I’m not so sure that’s the best idea.”

“I’m not so sure it’s the best idea for you to spend money to stay here or somewhere else when you could stay in my guest room for free. We need to get to know each other better, don’t you think? And what better way than for you to stay with me some?” he asks.

I’m speechless. This man has left me with my mouth open…literally. “That’s kind of…big.”

“Having a baby is pretty big too, sunshine,” he quips.

“It is, but this is all moving fast,” I say quickly.

“You’re right, but this baby will be here in no time. Your pregnancy won’t last forever. I think it’s best for us to be as prepared as we can in the meantime,” he says.

I stand, wondering something I should have wondered before now. “Where do you think the baby will be staying?”

He gapes at me while I start to spiral down this hole of panic. It’s dawning on me, if we aren’t a couple, we’ll be splitting time and houses with the baby.

“I know the baby will be wherever you are, Scarlett. Take a breath and calm down for me,” he says in a voice meant to soothe me.

It’s not until he says those words that I realize I’d been pacing, and he pulled me to him, my back to his front. His arm is across my chest and shoulders while his other is across my hips.

“I’m not trying to tell you what to do or where to live, but I want to be near the both of you. I know we aren’t a couple, but we’re together in creating and raising this baby. And I figure we can set you and the baby a room up at my place. I think you’ll like it there,” he says a little too close to my ear, and chills prickle my skin.

My chest moves rapidly under the pressure of his arm. And suddenly my panic turns into something else. Something I don’t need to examine closely. Need…want…desire. But I suppose it only makes sense I’m attracted to the man I created a baby with. Didn’t I read there’s something scientific to that?

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