Page 36 of Big Deal Sweetheart

“Well, let’s see if anything on here looks appealing shall we.”

With a flourish, he lifted the lid off. Holding his breath, he waited to see if she bolted for the bathroom.

“Oh, I love raspberry jam. Gimmee,” she laughed.

Keifer shouldn’t have been surprised at the gusto that Nova used to attack the toast and jam with. She slathered two half pieces with jam, no butter, and ate them. She then eyed the toast and him. “Are you going to eat those?” she asked when he had sat there and watched her.

His cook had made a half loaf of Tunisian bread, his favorite, enough bacon to feed several men. The bread was homemade several times a week and was similar in look to sour dough but didn’t have a hint of sour taste. He’d found the loaves in a supermarket in Fargo, one year, of all places. He’d brought several loaves home and demanded his cook learn the art of making it. Luckily his cook was a genius and enjoyed a good challenge.

“What kind of bread is this?” Nova asked after she’d eaten her third slice.

He smiled around a mouthful of bacon. Once he was finished, he explained, laughing at her wide-eyed outrage.

“You demanded he make it, or you were going to hire the bread maker from Fargo just to make you bread? You realize that’s borderline tyranny?” Nova pointed her bread at him, jam dripping onto her bare leg.

Keifer bent and licked the sticky sweetness off with his tongue, humming. “All is fair in love and bread.”

She opened her mouth and closed. “Fair enough.”

Another knock sounded, silencing them both. He didn’t get up to answer the door this time, knowing he needed to talk with Nova first. Taking the tray and settling it off to the side, he turned back to sit next to her. “Nova, I know you and I had a rocky beginning. Let’s be honest. I fucked up, and you ran. For the last few weeks, I’ve been a miserable beast that almost everyone around me has threatened on more than one occasion. When I saw you yesterday, I knew I wasn’t going to let you go again no matter what I had to do. The first time I had you, I felt things I’d never felt before, and the reason I went to the shower was because I wasn’t sure how to...come to grips with the fact I was feeling those things for the first time. You see, my marriage to Delilah’s mother wasn’t the perfect picture we portrayed. She wasn’t in love with me or me her. But with you, there was this instant connection that hit me that had me questioning everything about myself. Not questioning you, but me. And then you ran, and I thought that was life telling me it was only right because I didn’t deserve anyone as good as you. I had so much already. I had money, and I had Delilah, so I should be happy, right. Only I wasn’t, dammit.”

He got up from the bed and paced away. “I don’t care about all of this.” He put his arms out, spinning in a circle. “Money can’t give me what I truly want.”

“What do you want, Keifer?” she asked.

“I want a chance with you. I want more babies with you.” He settled back next to her. “If we’ve already made one, I want him or her to know he or she wasn’t a mistake, that they were wanted from the very beginning. Whether it was three weeks ago, or last night. I want it all with you.” He’d known he’d fall hard for the woman who would hold his heart. He just didn’t know she’d be a little bit of a woman who he’d meet by chance.

“Keifer, I think you might have your chance already. I don’t know how it happened. I mean, we used protection that first time.” She wiped her thumbs under her eyes as tears fell.

He remembered getting out of the bed and tossing the condom in the trash, but like her, he hadn’t thought to check the thing to see if it had broken or not. “I was so worried when you were sick, I...I called my physician who lives a couple floors below ours. He’s outside right now, ready to see you, if you consent?”

“Keifer, I can get a test at the drug store and pee on a stick to find out if I’m pregnant or not,” she exclaimed.

He shook his head and palmed her face in his hands. “Yeah, but he has it all right outside the door and can tell us without you having to run out.”

“You think he keeps a pregnancy kit on hand?” She rolled her eyes.

“As a matter of fact, I know he does. You don’t know Charles. He’s the man who would be the poster boy for preparedness. What do you say? Want to go pee pee on a stick?” He jumped up to avoid her slap, laughing.

“I’m not peeing on a stick in front of you or your friend. Oh my god, I don’t have any panties on,” she cried, scrambling onto her knees.

“He’s not going to be looking at your vagina. Nobody but me will be inspecting that gorgeous pussy, sweetheart.” Keifer brought his mouth down to hers, kissing those full lips he was coming to find himself addicted to.

“Fine, but newsflash, Mr. Big Deal. If I’m pregnant, there will be a doctor all up in that area.”

He pressed his forehead to hers, knowing there were going to be a lot of things he’d have to come to terms with. He would find a woman OBGYN who specialized in childbirth for Nova and his baby. Fucking hell, he really hoped she was pregnant.

“I like that nickname, sweetheart. I’m going to go get Charles, that’s his name by the way. Do you need anything before I go?” Keifer asked.

She sat up a little straighter and reached for the comforter. He went out and came back with Charles. His friend had a knowing smirk on his face until he entered the bedroom, then he was all doctor-like.

“Hello, Nova. May I call you that?”

A short time later, Charles left, and they were sitting side-by-side with a positive test in each of their hands. When he said his friend was always prepared, he hadn’t been kidding. “How do you feel?” he asked her, worried that she hadn’t said a word since the tests had revealed two pink lines.

“I thought...I had an inkling that I was. What with the tossing my cookies all the time for the last week or so, but this—this is proof positive.” She held the test up.

“Right. But how do you feel emotionally?” He was elated. His woop of excitement had to let her know that truth.

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