Page 25 of Bewitched

“Help yourself to coffee. There should be plenty left. I’m only allowed one cup, so I always have some left over. The cups are in the cupboard above the coffee maker.”

“Thanks, honey.” He watched her walk out of the kitchen and realized her figure had blossomed. Was it weird to find a pregnant woman sexy? Probably not if you were the one who knocked her up. Leaning back, he took a deep breath as desire raged through his body. God damn, he wanted to take her clothes off and see what they had made. Perv, that’s what he was.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he glanced around the room and saw a stack of books on the small table next to the window. He sat down on a bench against one wall and glanced through the stack. There were two about pregnancy and three about children’s development.

Resting his hand on the stack, he began to process the fact he was going to be a daddy. His brain felt like it was tripping over itself trying to figure out what it all meant. The first thing it came up with was that he and Paige were going to be in one another’s lives forever.

Twenty minutes ago, he was hoping to spend a couple of hours with her. Now he had her for the rest of his life. Whatever happened next, they had a child to raise together. Leaning back, he figured at least their situation guaranteed him a couple of dates. Maybe even naked ones.

The sound of footsteps could be heard coming down the hall, and he looked up. Paige had on a pair of shorts and a pink T-shirt that outlined her bitty baby bump perfectly. Something primal roared to life in his gut and he felt like beating his chest in pride. He’d done that to her and for some reason, he felt enormously proud, which he would never say out loud. It was prehistoric and marked him as a caveman, a fact he was going to hide from her for as long as he could.

Plopping in a chair across from him, she stared at him. “You seem to be taking this really well. Why isn’t your brain exploding?”

“My brain hasn’t completely digested the news yet. When I drove up, I was hoping to go on a date. Now I’m guaranteed a least a few. Why don’t I take you out to breakfast?”

Fiddling with the tablecloth, she shrugged. “All right, I guess so…let’s go to Smoke. It’s not far from here, and I’m hungry for their brisket hash and drop biscuits. The gravy is to die for. They use spicy sausage and a Dr. Pepper reduction. It’s orgasmic.”

Throwing his head back, he laughed. “Guess it must be good.” Holding out his hand, he stood. “Come on, honey, let’s get you two fed.”

“Eating has become a full-time occupation lately. If I’m not actually eating, then I’m thinking about what I want to eat next or I’m taking a nap because I ate so much. I’ll probably be a whale by the time they roll me into to delivery.”

“I was twelve pounds when I was born, so if we’re having a boy, get ready.”

“We only have girls,” Paige responded as she walked to the back door and slipped on a pair of sandals.

Turning, he slid his hands on his hips. “Did you find out already?”

“No. I have an appointment on Wednesday. But there hasn’t been a boy in our family in three generations. Grammy has four sisters and they all had girls. Mama has five daughters, and my two older sisters each have three girls. This baby is a girl. I just know it.”

The idea of a daughter stole his breath. “A girl,” he said faintly.

Paige patted his chest. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to do a thing. I’m not expecting anything from you.”

His head snapped up and he frowned. “What the hell are you talking about? That’s our baby. You think I’m not going to be involved?”

“Blake, take a breath. I’m not going to ask you for anything. We had one night in a foreign country. That doesn’t mean you should participate. If you want to, then you’ll be welcome to have whatever role you want. But if you don’t, then I’m not going to hold it against you. I have a big family and I won’t be alone.”

He slid his hand up her arm and looked into her eyes. “I’m not going anywhere. And I will be in this baby’s life every day. So don’t fool yourself.”

“Okaaaay.”

Nodding his head, he walked toward the front door, opened it, and waited for her to walk out. “Okay is right.” Whatever crazy ideas were running around in her mind would soon disappear. They had a lot to discuss, and the first thing was why she hadn’t tried to find him when she found out. What if he hadn’t come to see her? Blowing out a breath, he tried to keep an open mind. Whatever the answer ended up being, he was going to have to accept it. After all, they couldn’t start this thing off being mad at one another.

***

Blake sat next to Paige and tried to keep a straight face. The woman was giving the poor waitress a headache. She had changed her order three times, and it seemed like she was about to do it again. Taking pity on the woman, he jumped in. “How about if you give us the first three orders? No need to make a decision. Whatever she doesn’t eat, I will.”

Paige was about to protest, but the waitress scurried away before she had a chance. “I wasn’t going to change my mind again.” Lifting her glass of water, she took a careful sip. “I’ve been so indecisive lately. I spent twenty-eight years knowing my mind, and now I can’t choose between sweet and salty. I tell you, it’s embarrassing.”

“It’s probably pregnancy hormones. I’ll bet after the baby gets here, you’ll bounce back to your former self.”

“And what exactly do you know about pregnancy hormones and bouncing back?”

Blake rubbed his ear and gave her a smile. “Just what I’ve heard from my friends.” He noticed the side eye she gave him and laughed. “I’ll read one of your books and then there won’t be a thing I don’t know.”

Patting his hand, she snorted. “So, what have you been up to since the last time I saw you? Did you stay in the Middle East or did you get to come home like you planned?”

He laid his hand on her stomach, and rubbed his finger back and forth. “Don’t you want to talk about what we made?”

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