Page 24 of Bewitched

CHAPTER TEN

Saturday, April 8

Dallas

Blake sat in his rental car and looked at the small house Paige lived in. It was a well-kept ranch house that looked like it had been built in the sixties. The yard was neat, and flowers bordered a walkway that led to a bright red door. The battle of whether he should call or not had been raging in his head for the last month. Once Laird had given him her details, he had no excuse not to make contact. Except the twenty or so excuses that he’d been feeding himself daily. Truth be told, he didn’t want to face rejection. She had his telephone number and never once used it, so the possibility of her not being interested was strong.

Then why was he sitting here in front of her house like a creeper? Because he couldn’t let it go. One face-to-face conversation and he would have his answer. It was ten on a Saturday morning and there was a blue Prius parked in the driveway, so he was about to know one way or another.

Unfolding himself from the car, he ran his hand through his hair and squared his shoulders. He was a lieutenant commander in the US Navy. He could handle one small woman. Striding quickly, he was at her front door and pressing the doorbell before thirty seconds passed. Inhaling the warm scent of grass and flowers, he told himself it was all going to work out.

The door opened and Paige stood before him in pink pajamas with braids in her hair. Her mouth opened and no sound came out.

“Hi, Paige. I was in town, so I thought I’d stop by and catch up.”

Nothing. No response.

Until her hand flew to her mouth and she screamed and slammed the front door.

“Not exactly what I was expecting,” he muttered to himself. He knocked on the door gently and called out, “Paige, is everything all right?” Several moments passed and then the door opened. “Hi,” he said.

“How did you find me? What are you doing here? Did Ryan call you and tell you to come, or maybe it was my daddy? How did you find out?”

Putting his hand on her shoulder, he gave her a small smile. “Breathe, honey.”

“Oh, my goodness, why are you here?”

“If you let me in, I’m sure I can answer all your questions.” Waiting a beat, he watched her step back and open the door wider. He walked into the house and waited. “It’s good to see you.” Stepping forward, he opened his arms and enveloped her in a hug. “I’ve thought about…” When her body was pressed against his, he felt something that stopped his heart. What the hell? Releasing her, he bent over, lifted her pajama top, and saw a small baby bump. Or what he assumed was a baby bump. It sure as shit wasn’t from cake.

For a second, he was outside his body. Lifting his hand, he placed it on her warm skin and noticed it felt as tight as a drum. “We made this?”

“Seems so.” Shrugging, she smiled faintly. “I thought you somehow found out and that’s why you’re here.”

“I just wanted to see you and you never called me, so I figured an in-person visit was the only answer.”

She stepped away and dropped her top. “What do you mean, call you? How would I do that if I didn’t have your number?” Sliding her hands over her stomach, she looked at the ground. “You left in the middle of the night without saying anything.”

A red-hot streak of anger slid down his spine as he scrubbed his face. “I wrote you a note and gave you my phone number. I got a call for wheels up, so I had to leave immediately.”

“There was no note. Maybe you’re confusing me with someone else. Someone you wanted to keep in touch with.” Spinning around, she walked out of the room.

Counting to ten, he tried to get his brain to function. In the last ninety seconds, he’d found out he was going to be a father and the woman who’d been on his mind almost constantly was accusing him of lying.

After he felt like he was reasonably under control, he followed Paige and discovered her in the kitchen. “I am not confused. I wrote a note and left it next to the bed.”

Leveling him with a less than friendly glare, she snorted. “There was no note. If you really wanted to stay in touch, you would’ve made sure you had my number.”

“Maybe the wind blew it under the bed or something. As I remember, your windows were open, so it’s possible.”

“Maybe, but I doubt it.” Flipping her hand in dismissal, she frowned. “How can you remember that? It was months ago.” Narrowing her eyes, she frowned. “Sixteen weeks, to be exact.”

Moving around the island, he lifted her chin so she would look at him. “I remember every detail of that night.” Slowly, he bent over and pressed his mouth to hers. The moment their lips touched, he knew he’d been right all along. They had something…sparks, electricity, chemistry…and a BABY! Holy shit.

Releasing her mouth, he grinned. “Seems we have some catching up to do.”

She straightened her top and shrugged. “I guess so. How about if I go change, and then I’ll make us something to eat.”

“Perfect,” he responded.

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