Page 31 of Bewitched

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Blake walked into the kitchen and saw Paige with her head in her hands and the phone sitting next to her. “Everything all right?”

“That was my mama. She and Daddy noticed your SUV parked in the driveway this morning on their way to church, and then they noticed it again on their way home from brunch. Given my mother’s pathological need to know everything that’s happening in her daughters’ lives, she insists we join her and Daddy for dinner tonight.”

“That sounds like fun. What time do we need to be there?”

“Having dinner at my parents’ house is not going to be fun. Do you remember the Spanish Inquisition?”

“Yeah, vaguely from some long-forgotten history class.”

“Look it up, because that’s what tonight is going to be. Mama wormed your identity out of me and said, and I quote, “We’re dying to meet your baby daddy.” When did that ever become part of a normal conversation? They sent all of us to Catholic school. Mama told me to keep my knees shut until I was twenty-five. Now she’s all hippie-dippie free love. ‘Bring your baby daddy by for supper.’” Slapping her hands on the table, she yelled, “It’s not normal!”

Slowly he approached because he figured if he treated her like an IED, he couldn’t go wrong. “I understand.” That sounded good. “I’m here to support you. Just tell me what you want me to do.” He watched her head swivel around and worried that some part of what he’d just said was wrong. “Tell me what your daddy drinks and what kind of flowers your mama likes so I can get them before we go over.”

“Yesterday morning I thought the most exciting thing about my weekend was going to be watching the new Bourne movie. Things are spinning out of control.”

“Take a breath and let’s figure this out together.”

Standing abruptly, she drained her coffee cup and marched over to the fridge. “I need to make breakfast.”

“You want to relax and let me make it?”

“Can you cook?”

“Not exactly, but I’m sure you can direct me.” He pulled her in, then leaned down and kissed her. Maybe if he kept doing that, she would know that she wasn’t in this alone.

“Grab a cup of coffee and then sit on the other side of the island while I make us something to eat,” she said.

“Okay.” He did as he was told and watched her pull things out of the fridge. “I haven’t met the parents of anyone I dated since high school.”

Laying bacon in the pan, she gave him a smile. “You want to date me?”

“We’re having a baby, so I want a lot more than dating. We have every reason to give this our best shot. After all, we’re in one another’s life one way or another.”

Turning the heat up on the pan, she studied him. “Yes, I suppose that’s a valid point.”

Leaning back, he drank his coffee. There was no mistaking her lack of enthusiasm for his suggestion. Maybe he didn’t say it with a lot of hearts and flowers, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t taking this thing seriously. The girl who had captivated him from the moment he’d seen her was now carrying his child. As far as he could see, there weren’t a lot of downsides to the situation. Sure, the whole fatherhood thing wasn’t anything he’d planned, but a lot of events in life happened that way. “Tell me about your folks.”

She sliced fruit, then glanced up. “Where to start? Daddy is a highly respected criminal defense attorney, and Mama teaches high school English. They have been together since college and are the best of friends. Daddy is the calmest man in the whole state of Texas. I’m not sure if he was always that way or it’s something he developed as a means of survival. Mama is a tornado of activity, directions, love, and concern. Given enough time, she will strangle anything with love and good intentions. I love them both with my whole heart, but if I spend any amount of extended time with them, I go nuts.”

“Is that why you chose a job in the diplomatic corps?”

She scooped the fruit into a bowl and laughed. “Of course. I had to go to the other side of the world to find out who I was and what I liked. If I’d stayed here in Texas, I never would’ve found that out.”

“Makes sense.” Tapping the counter with his knuckles, he then looked up. “What did you discover?”

“I found out that I was braver than I thought and more curious than I ever gave myself credit for. I loved most of my experiences abroad, and I’m disheartened that they’ve ended so soon. I’d hoped to do it for at least five more years.” Shaking her head, she pushed the bowl across the counter. “I think if I stayed in Jordan after the kidnapping, I would’ve been better off. It’s like getting back on the horse after you’ve been thrown. The longer you wait, the harder it is.”

“Then you found out you were pregnant and couldn’t go back,” he said quietly. Watching the myriad of emotions cross her face made him realize how much her life had changed because of their one night together. His had as well, but in not the same way. He didn’t have to change his career because of the baby. Hell, he could just send her checks and be done with it. Not one thing in his life would have to change. Except everything had, and he wasn’t a man who wanted to be absent in his child’s life. “So, what would you like to do next?”

“The million-dollar question. I have a lot of money saved, so I don’t have to do anything until well after the baby is born, which is good news for me, because I have no idea. Not one little inkling of what my next step is going be.”

“Well, we can figure it out together.”

“That’s sweet, but eventually you’re heading back to your life and I’ll be here. I’m a big girl and I’ll figure it out.”

He watched her turn, grab a carton of eggs out of the fridge, and then flip the bacon over. Every time he said something about them doing this together, she brushed him off. Why was the idea so abhorrent to her? Was he so bad a bet that she wanted no part of him, or was it something else entirely?

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