Page 3 of Where We Call Home

“Actually, yes,” she teased. “The awkward country boy thing kinda suits you.”

Awkward country boy.Awesome.

Desperate for a distraction, I pointed to the box. “Let me help. My mom wouldkillme if she knew I left you struggling.”

Theo hesitated, clearly torn. She looked at the box, then at her car, then back at me before finally sighing.

“Fine,” she said. “I’m sweating, and I hate sweating.”

I bent down, easily maneuvering the box into the passenger seat. Mission accomplished.

And now?

Now, I stood there like an absolute fool, wanting to say something—anything—but coming up completely blank.

“Well… I’ll see you around?” Theo offered, taking a small step back.

I nodded, forcing a smile as I watched her slide into her car. Then because my brainhatedme, I gave her a pathetic little wave as she drove off.

The second she was out of sight, I groaned and dragged a hand down my face.

What thehellwas wrong with me?

One look into those hazel eyes and I’d turned into a bumbling idiot. I’d had an opening. I could’ve asked for her number. Asked if she was free to catch up. Something.

Instead, my brain had short-circuited, leaving me standing there like some love-struck moron.

Shaking my head, I pivoted on my heels and walked back toward my truck.

Maybe I wasn’t as ready to get back out there as I thought.

Because tonight?

Tonight, I’d completely crumbled.

One

September: 21 weeks pregnant

Baby is the size of a carrot

My mom always told me never to hook up with hot foreign men who spoke pretty languages and had legs for days.

“They’re always hotter overseas,”she’d say.“Don’t fall for the charm.”

Right now? Ireallywished I had listened.

I sat on my bed, crammed into what my mom generously called the guest room. Realistically? It was more of aguest closet.Soon enough, my belly would be bigger than this entire damn space.

“For the love of God!” I groaned, struggling to reach my feet and attempting to tie my boots. This, along with the inability to get my pants on without a fight, was a new development of pregnancy. I’d been showing for a while, but now the real struggles were setting in.

I wasn’t even in my third trimester yet, but my body clearly had other plans. Since the moment I saw those two pink lines, I’d been deep-diving into Reddit threads, gathering every piece of information possible to prepare myself. Because if there was one thing I hated, it was the unknown. If I couldn’t control it, I could at least anticipate it.

But nothing had prepared me forthis.

With an exhausted breath, I flopped onto my back and stared at the ceiling. And then because apparently pregnancy hadcompletelyrewritten my emotional wiring, I started crying.

Shoving down emotions had always been easy. Hell, when my father passed away, I didn’t shed a single tear. I kept myself in check through everyI’m so sorryand every unwanted hug because that’s what “big girls do.”

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