Page 75 of Allison

“Hey Allison,” Curtis says, entering the living room where she is curled up on the couch with a book. “It’s just me.” Allison tenses, peering past Curtis’s muscled shoulders, looking for any sign of Russell. “You can relax. He isn’t here,” Curtis informs her with a frown, looking a bit perplexed on what to say next. They haven’t really spent any time together without Emma. They are practically strangers.

Curtis takes a seat in the large recliner across from her. “How are you feeling?” Allison smiles at the worry she hears in his voice. She might not know him well, but Curtis is a kind, caring man. She is happy Emma has him in her life. In the time she’s lived here with them, he has more than shown his love and devotion to Emma.

“I’m doing okay,” Allison says with a shrug of her shoulders. “I’m not going to be running a marathon anytime soon, but at least I know what’s wrong with me; why I’m feeling this way.” Curtis nods, though he looks even more curious. Allison knows he is dying to ask what is wrong, but he’s too polite to do so. Emma has also skirted around her the last few days, not prying as to what is wrong with her.

“May I ask you something?” Curtis inquires. His voice soft and low as if he’s afraid he will spook her. “You don’t have to answer,” he hurries to continue before she can respond. “I just thought we could talk while we wait for Emma to get home.”

“Of course,” Allison agrees, tucking her bookmark into the book before closing it. More than certain she knows what he is going to ask her.

“Do you like living in San Diego?” Allison’s brow shoots up to her hairline. That isnotwhat she was expecting him to ask her about. “I just wondered. You’re out there all alone. No family close by.”

“For the most part I do like it,” Allison answers. “It is lonely sometimes when I’m not busy with a story. I have a few friends who I hang out with at times, but no one who I’m really close to. That’s why Emma and I spend an hour a day on the phone.” She chuckles. Curtis smiles back at her with a nod.

“What about your job? You’re a freelance journalist, right? You could work from anywhere?” Allison frowns. Her curiosity is ramping up, wondering where this line of questioning is going. She suspects he is hinting that she could move here, but why? For Emma so they can be closer together? Or does it have to do with Russell?

“Yeah, I suppose I could work from anywhere,” Allison admits. “I settled there because I finished my journalism degree at UC San Diego. I fell in love with the city and decided to stay.”

“Have you thought about moving back here? I know Emma would love to have you closer.”

“I have, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” Allison murmurs. There’s so much more she could say, but not to Curtis. She needs to save that for her conversation with Emma. Curtis nods, looking thoughtful.

“Want to help me get dinner ready?” Curtis stands abruptly, changing the subject. Allison blinks at him with bewilderment for a second.

“Yeah, I’d be glad to help.” Allison stands up to follow him into the kitchen, but a wave of dizziness hits her. She sways on her feet before sitting back down on the couch, hard. Her hands fly out to the sides, gripping the couch to ground her. She closes her eyes, willing the room to stop spinning.

“Whoa!” Curtis shouts, hurrying to her side and kneeling in front of her. “Are you okay?” Allison nods. The dizziness has eased now that she’s sat back down. That has happened several times in the last couple of days. She’d texted Charlotte who had assured her it can be normal during pregnancy, saying her body is adjusting to a different blood volume. Charlotte advised she should take her time when going from laying to sitting and sitting to standing, but Allison keeps forgetting. This is going to take some getting used to.

“I’m fine,” Allison assures him, “just got a little dizzy for a moment.” Curtis doesn’t look convinced. Consequently, he hovers close by when she attempts to stand again. Once it’s clear she isn’t going to pass out, they head into the kitchen. “What are we having for dinner?”

“I thought I’d grill some steaks,” Curtis informs her, moving toward the refrigerator. “Do you mind putting together a salad? I’m going to steam some broccoli and put sweet potatoes in the oven. Emma loves baked sweet potatoes.”

Allison giggles. “Oh, I know. I do, too.” Allison smiles as memories of their childhood comes flooding back to her. “Our grandmother used to make them for us when we were kids. She’d have us help her wash them and place them on a baking sheet. She’d place them in the oven and we’d drive her crazy asking how much longer until they were done.” Curtis laughs with her.

“I can just see the two of you, dancing around, begging for them to be done.” Curtis is grinning at her. “Emma showed me pictures of the two of you when you were kids.”

“Oh God! I’m sure we looked like a couple of dorks, because we totally were!” Allison is laughing hard at her memories. Curtis pulls a large bag of baking potatoes, along with several large sweet potatoes from the wooden box that sits just inside the pantry. The box is a deep, rich walnut color and is labeled, ‘potatoes’ in fancy carved lettering.

Allison helps Curtis get the potatoes washed and wrapped in aluminum foil. “This is a lot of potatoes for the three of us. I don’t think we need to fix so many,” Allison comments when Curtis adds more Irish potatoes to the counter.

“Um, we have some friends coming for dinner,” Curtis answers, vaguely. Allison groans inwardly. She hopes Russell isn’t among the friends, but knows that he likely will be. Looks like she’ll be eating dinner in her room.

“I’m going out to start the grill heating,” Curtis informs her. Allison looks up as he heads out the back door. She notices the meat on the counter where Curtis has been seasoning the steaks. He has more than enough steaks for just the three of them reinforcing his statement about having friends over. From the looks of it, the whole team must be coming over.

Allison is sitting on a stool at the island cutting up vegetables, when there’s a loud,ding dong!The doorbell ringing, startles Allison, causing her to shake all over, her heart beating a bit faster. Taking her time, Allison slides off the stool and heads for the door. She peeks out the side window and sees several of Curtis’s friends standing on the front porch including Russell. Allison groans, rolling her eyes. She’d known this day was coming. The day she’d have to see him again, but she’d hoped to put it off another couple of days.

Allison has spent the last few days thinking of nothing, but Russell, her relationship with him, her pregnancy, and how to move forward. Last night, she’d made her decision, though she isn’t sure she is ready to put it into motion yet. It seems destiny has other plans. It is time to shit or get off the pot as they say. Sucking in a deep breath, she opens the door. “Hi, guys,” Allison murmurs, opening the door wide so the large men can squeeze through the opening.

47

WORM

When Wallace’s front door opens, Worm’s heart skips a beat. It’s been over a week since he last saw Allison. Even though she still looks fatigued, he would swear she’s glowing. From the first moment he had met her, he’d thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Now, in this moment, he thinks that even more so. She gives him and his friends a strained smile as she welcomes them into Wallace’s home.

Worm hadn’t expected her to open the door. He’d been rehearsing in his head everything he wanted to say when he saw her next, but it all goes out the window the moment his eyes land on her. She glances at him briefly, but the moment their eyes connect she looks away. “Is Wallace here?” Mercury asks once they are inside the house.

“Yeah, he’s in the backyard heating the grill,” Allison replies, her voice soft. Worm loves the sound of her voice. Even more he loves the sounds she’d made when they’d been in bed together, with his mouth on her or when he’d been deep inside her. He has re-lived every moment of their time together over and over again, in the month since she’d shut him out of her life. He has been churning over every possibility of how he can get her to sit down and have a conversation with him, give him a chance to explain himself.

Mercury, Virus, and Bull start through the house to head for the grill, but Worm hangs back hoping to have some time alone with Allison. Some of the other guys and their women will be coming over in a little while. He needs to take his chance before the house is crowded with the whole team. Allison’s eyes are darting around as if she wasn’t expecting all of them to show up like this.

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