Page 9 of Curvy Girl and the Bad Boy Cowboy

"Why now? Be honest with me."

I stare down at my coffee, searching for the right words.

"Because I've been running from the things that scare me," I finally admit. "And nothing scares me more than failing at this—failing you, failing our baby. But I realized that not trying at all... that's the biggest failure I could make."

Chapter 4 - Naomi

I stare at him—the shadows under his eyes, the tension in his jaw. He looks like he hasn't slept much, which makes two of us.

"That's a good answer," I admit, wrapping my hands around my coffee. "But I need more than good words, Ethan. I've heard plenty of those before."

He flinches slightly, and I hate that I'm being harsh, but these are the stakes now. This isn't just about my heart anymore.

"I know," he says quietly. "I know I need to prove it to you."

The afternoon sunlight streams through the bakery windows, catching the golden flecks in his hazel eyes—the same eyes our child might have. The thought makes my chest tighten.

"Can I ask you something?" I say.

He nods.

"If I wasn't pregnant, would you be sitting here right now, asking for another chance?"

Ethan doesn't answer immediately, which I appreciate. At least he's thinking about it rather than just saying what he thinks I want to hear.

"I don't know," he finally admits. "I'd like to think eventually I would have realized what I lost, but..." He shrugs, a gesture so characteristically Ethan it makes my heart ache. "I can't honestly say for sure."

"Thank you for not lying."

"I'm done with that," he says. "The lying to you, the lying to myself."

Melissa, my afternoon shift worker, appears beside our table with a plate of lemon bars—my latest craving.

"Thought you might want these," she says with a knowing smile. "You've only eaten about twelve of them today."

I feel myself blush. "Thanks, Mel."

She disappears back behind the counter, leaving us alone again. I push the plate toward Ethan.

"Try one. They're really good."

He takes a lemon bar, biting into it with appreciation. "You made these?"

I nod. "New recipe. The pregnancy has me craving citrus like crazy."

His expression shifts at the mention of the pregnancy, becoming more serious, more present.

"What else has changed?" he asks. "With the pregnancy, I mean."

The question surprises me. It's thoughtful, something I wouldn't have expected from him.

"Well, I'm tired all the time," I begin, finding it oddly easy to talk about this with him. "The morning sickness was awful for a while, but it's better now. I can't stand the smell of coffee even though I work in a place that serves it all day."

"That sounds brutal."

"It's not all bad," I admit. "There's something... I don't know, miraculous about it too. Knowing there's this little person growing inside me."

Ethan's eyes drift to my belly, which is just beginning to show a slight curve beneath my bakery apron.

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