Page 7 of Knocked Up

Fuck.

I blow out a heavy breath. “Yeah, I hear ya. It’s not a thing. I was just protecting the baby.”

“Which one?” He laughs at his own joke before turning down the side hall toward the main meeting room.

I deserve the ribbing. Grace is young. I’m not sure what the hell we’d have in common, anyway. We barely talked last night. I want to believe we could make it work, but it doesn’t matter. She’s gone… and for good reason.

Turning back toward the front steps, I bump into a short woman that smells like flowers. It reminds me of Grace. I wonder how long this will go on? How long it’ll take me to forget the nuances I memorized in the moment. How long it’ll take me to forget abouther. Hell, I should’ve already forgotten. We only just met. A normal person would’ve moved on by now.

“Forgive me, I—” The woman’s voice falters as her gaze lifts, colliding with mine in an electric shock. Her breath catches, and her eyes narrow like a storm gathering force. Then, with a sharp edge that slices through the silence, she says, “Cyrus?”

My heart stops. “Shit! Grace?”

She stares down at the ground, then up again. “What are you doing here?”

I don’t want her to feel bad about that kid pressing charges, so I push past her question. “What areyoudoing here?”

She twists her hair to the side. “I’m meeting with a guy named Brooks. I guess he’s the city planner. I’m petitioning to have a playground put in near the square. Isn’t it weird that we don’t have one? I mean, where do people take their kids to play?”

I’ve never had kids, so I’ve never thought about it, but I can see it being useful. Though, given the conversation Brooks and I just had, I gather he’s going to give her a hard time about it.

“I think it’s a great idea. You know you could build with crowd funding too, right?”

Her eyes narrow and she tilts her head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Donations. I’m sure there’s enough people in town that want a playground. People love contributing to projects like that. You’d only need his approval for the space. You’ll have a better chance convincing him without the pressure of money. Trust me,” I grin, “I’ve known the guy for a while now.”

I want to keep the conversation going, but I’m not sure what else to say. “I could donate paint. I’ve got tons of it. I do some odd painting jobs on the side.”

“You paint?” she says as her tone perks. “I am in desperate need of a painter. I mean, I was going to paint, but I need to fix up my cabin before the baby comes.”

I stare toward her, watching her soft hair move as she speaks. “You shouldn’t be painting. You’re pregnant.Verypregnant. You can’t be climbing on ladders and breathing in fumes.”

She shrugs. “I can open a window and climbing a step stool is no big deal. That is… unless you’re offering to help.”

“I am.” I grin, desperation spreading wildly. I’m not sure how the hell we found each other again, but I’m not letting go this time.

She holds out her hand as though she wants to shake on it. “Deal. I’ll make dinner. Better yet, I’ll bring something home from the diner. Can you do tonight, around six?”

Sinking my hand into hers, I push away thoughts of bending her over, sinking into her core, sucking her breasts, licking her slit, holding her tight, and never letting go.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Sounds good.” I exhale, trying not to show too much excitement. “I’ll see you then.”

A sweet smile lifts onto her face, and for the first time in years, I’m actually excited about something… even though I’m pretty sure falling this hard, this fast for Grace, will go down as one of my life’s biggest mistakes.

Chapter Five

Grace

Holding the phone between my shoulder and my ear, I pop open the styrofoam containers from the diner and tuck the food onto two ceramic plates. I could’ve made something myself, but I don’t have a ton of discretionary income these days and the diner offers me food for free. Besides, their pasta Tuesdays are pretty iconic up here. I’m not sure what they put in the sauce, but it’s easily the best sauce I’ve ever had anywhere, which is saying a lot because back when life came easy, my father took my sisters and I everywhere. We’ve had pasta sauce in every European country, but none of it compares to the local diner here in Rugged Mountain. If I had to guess, I’d say it’s the amount of sugar in our sauce that makes it taste better, but the fresh grown oregano helps too.

“He offered to help, and I need help. That’s all this is. Just help. I told you… I’m not even interested in a relationship.”

“No, but you’re interested in fucking him. What if he’s got some kind of weird pregnant lady fetish,” Zoe says with a laugh. “Seriously, he’s probably stalking you now. You know that right?”

“Well, he’s pretty bad at it then. Aren’t stalkers supposed to hide in the bushes and stuff? This guy bumped into me. And you’re right, I am horny. So… we’ll have a good time, then paintsome things, and I’ll send him on his way. I can’t do this after the baby’s born. I have to get it out of my system now.”

---