Page 35 of Protecting Her Secrets

I’ve learned all about taking care of farm animals. I enjoy feeding them, interacting with them. However, I don’t enjoy shoveling their shit. The first time I tried ended with me throwing up. The morning sickness I had during the first trimester has been gone for weeks, but all it took was some cow poop to bring it all back.

Once I’m clean and every hair on my body has been shaved, I towel off. I want to be ready in case today’s the day one of us cracks and we finally have sex. I admire the man’s self-control, but I’ve been aching to get reacquainted with the steel rod he has been grinding against me as we kiss for hours. That, and I’m tired of sleeping alone.

After dressing in Walker’s shirt and nothing else, I set off to find my sexy man, which is an easy task when I hear the TV after stepping out of his bedroom. His eyes shoot over to me, and his gaze instantly turns molten, making me smile.

“Whatcha doin’?” he asks.

“Just got out of the shower.” I sit down next to him and rest my hand on my belly. I don’t know why I do it—there’s nothing to feel yet—but it’s instinctual.

“Do you feel the baby moving yet?”

I can tell he has a million questions about the baby, but he’s always a little hesitant to ask. I hope it’s not because of a vibe he’s getting from me. In a dream world, this would be our baby. I know that’s premature, considering we just reconnected, but it feels as if we were never apart.

We’ve both changed physically, and there are parts of us that aren’t the same, something that comes with age and wisdom, but our hearts and souls are the same. It’s an interesting dynamic because exploring what changed makes it exciting while being able to recognize him at his core makes it comfortable.

“Not yet. I’m at the part of pregnancy where I have all the symptoms, like being tired and hormonal, but I don’t have anyof the perks. I can’t feel the baby, and I don’t look pregnant, just bloated.”

“What are you talking about? You look hot.” He places a hand on my lower belly, something he has been doing multiple times a day and only makes me want him more.

We haven’t spoken about what role he’ll play in the baby’s life if we find a way to make things work between us, but I want him to feel comfortable asking me how I’m feeling and be at my appointments. I know it’s greedy for me to want him to be the baby’s dad, but I want that, too.

Chapter Thirteen

Walker

It blowsmy mind that Skylar,mySkylar, is growing a human. The small bump amazes me, and I’m in awe of the whole thing. I’d all but accepted I’d never be a dad since I couldn’t even find a wife, but with Skylar showing up and giving things a second shot, I wondered if this was just how it was meant to happen.

It took me roughly two seconds to accept that the woman I was falling back in love with was pregnant with another man’s baby. As far as I’m concerned, he’s just a sperm donor who jumpstarted the family I always wanted to have with her.

Just thinking about it has my stomach in my throat, both from excitement and anxiety. The one emotion not there is fear. I’m not afraid of raising a child I’m not biologically connected to, and I’m sure as shit not scared of fucking Klutch and his club of misfits trying to take that child away.

I’m having all these crazy thoughts, and I don’t even know if Skylar’s on the same page. We’ve been keeping things light for two days now, but we don’t have the luxury of burying our heads in the sand anymore.

“What do you want, Sky?” I ask my most burning question. No matter the answer, I’ll take care of her. If she wants me to keep her safe from Klutch but isn’t certain about a future with me, I’ll be crushed, but I’ll do it. If she wants to continue to take things slow, I can be patient. Probably.

She bites into her plump lower lip, and I have to stop myself from telling her I want to make her mine again in all ways. I want her car inmydriveway, her clothes inmycloset,mycock buried deep inside her.

Fuck, I can’t get a boner right now—I’m wearing sweatpants. I refocus on the conversation, needing a distraction but also not wanting to miss her response.

“What I’ve always wanted,” she says.

It’s a non-answer, so I push. “Which is?”

“I want to be safe. I want my child to be born into love and happiness.” She places her palm on my chest. “And if we’re talking the sky’s the limit, my biggest dream come true? Then I want all of that with you, Walker.”

Goddamn.

I cradle her face in my hands, kissing the living shit out of her. Do we have a million things to talk about and work out? Fuck yes, we do. But right now, I just want to enjoy the moment we decide to reunite for real. Encouraging her to lie back, I settle between her legs, careful to keep my weight off her but wanting to feel her under me.

“Does that mean you want to be with me?” she asks when I move down to her long, slender throat to leave biting kisses.

“So fucking much.”

She snakes her hands under my shirt and wraps her short legs around me, lining my rock-hard cock up with her warm center. Our make-out sessions have been hot, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not enough. I need more, especially now that I know we’re really doing this thing.

“Yes, Walker,” she whines as I reach under the shirt she has on and cup her breast. I thumb over her taut nipple, thinking the whole bigger tit thing makes sense now that I know she’s pregnant.

Pregnant.I don’t think it has completely sunk in, not even a little, because I have zero doubts about raising this child with her, which can’t be normal. I should be panicking and freaking out. But nothing about this situation is normal, and with her grinding on my dick, I don’t have the capacity to care about shit other than getting inside her.

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