Page 30 of Capitally Unexpected

“So, I’m guessing she doesn’t know about the pregnancy.”

I bark out a laugh before I can stop myself. “Sorry. No, she doesn’t. And it’s not because I’m ashamed of you, or us, or our situation. But I can hear everything she would say about you, about us, and about our situation. And I don’t need that right now. I know I’ll have to tell her eventually, but not now.” I let out a quivering breath, pieces of hair framing my face fluttering upward with the force.

“I got it. Well, if you need me there when you do tell her, say the word. How about some ice cream for dessert?” He stands up, clearing our dishes. I marvel at yet another instance where Hunter read the situation perfectly—I desperately needed a subject change and ice cream is one of my favorite methods of self-soothing.

“That sounds great. Are you going to let me do the dishes tonight?” I ask. I’ve always heard if you cook, you don’t clean, which seems fair. But so far, Hunter has insisted on taking up both roles.

“Did you post more than one thing on the blog today?” he asks, depositing a bowl of chocolate peanut butter in front of me.

“Yes ...” I say, scooping a huge bite into my mouth, brain freeze be damned.

“Then you worked harder than I did. I’ve got this.”

I suspect he would have claimed I worked harder than he did if all I accomplished in a day is getting out of bed to grab a new book from the bookshelf. I’ll have to find something I can do for him soon, but I don’t have it in me to argue tonight. I’m exhausted.

“Oh, one of the grocery stores I went to today had thatbubble bath you like on sale, so I grabbed a bottle. I saw you were running low. Feel free to leave your bowl on the table when you’re done and go relax.”

“You mean the bubble bath I’ve only ever found at Ulta and nowhere else and rarely goes on sale?” I lift an eyebrow in his direction as I take the last bite of ice cream.

He turns around, a smirk on his face. “Yup, that bubble bath. Must have been an ordering mistake.”

I shake my head at him, knowing we both know he’s lying. “Well, thank you. That’s very thoughtful. A bubble bath does sound perfect.” Especially if I sneak my waterproof bullet vibrator into the bathroom in my robe pocket. Running water should cover the vibrations. Turns out acts of service are just as potent with these pregnancy hormones as towel-clad run-ins. We learn new things every day.

Chapter

Thirteen

Hunter

Fifteen weeks pregnant

Being nervous is a new experience for me. Okay, well that’s not entirely true, but being nervous for my parents to meet a woman? Definitely new.

I look at Michelle, straightening the throw pillows on the couch. Then she moves to the kitchen counter, sliding the charcuterie board I put together an inch to the right. I do my best to stifle a smile. This is the third time she’s made this circuit in the last five minutes. Last time, it was two inches to the left. Next, she’ll ask me if I think the pictures on the wall are crooked.

“Is this straight? I don’t think it’s straight.” Right on cue.

“Mich, it’s fine. My parents are not fancy people. They’re going to love you.”

She scoffs, heading back to the couch. “Yeah, right. Who loves the woman who manages to get knocked up by their son?”

I walk toward her, taking the throw pillow out of her hand and guiding her to sit down next to me. “It took both of us tomake this baby.” My eyes follow the path her hand makes to rest on her stomach. “And they’re going to love you because I?—”

“I swear to god if you tell me you love me right now, Hunter Brandt.”

A laugh escapes before I can stop it and she throws me a death glare.

“Sorry, sorry. I don’t think we’re that much of a cliché. What I was going to say is because they know you and the baby are important to me.”

Michelle’s face relaxes into a pleased smile. “It’s not like I don’t know that. You moved your whole life here, sold your motorcycle, bought me bubble bath last week. But it’s still nice to hear out loud.”

I make a mental note to tell her something I like or appreciate about her more often.

She looks around the room, her eyes analyzing for anything out of place. “Maybe I should light a candle? Does it smell funny in here? It smells funny?—”

“Hey,” I interrupt her spiral once more. The full weight of her gaze connects with mine. Those nerves from earlier? They’re back with a vengeance, but for a whole new reason.

“Along with being important to me, I like you as a person, you know.”Wow, Cyrano. That’s the best you can do?“What I’m trying to say is you’re important to me for more than carrying our baby. And because of that, I want to be sure I introduce you to my parents in the best way I can.”

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