Page 26 of The Ranger
My back hurts.
My feet hurt.
My...everything fucking hurts.But sitting at home overthinking would be worse.I’m a single mother with little savings, a loan for my car, two credit cards, and I live in a rental property.Not exactly thriving.
Every time I climb into the stupid Panther, as Cole calls it, I hate him a little more.He’ll be able to continue growing his amazing career while I’ll be limited in what I can do for the next two decades.
One of them, anyway.
At least I didn’t get knocked up by a loser.
Cole is a decorated soldier.Our baby has good genes—at least from his side of the family.He’s gorgeous, with cropped dark hair, dark olive skin from some bloodline I’m yet to work out, bright blue eyes, a powerful jawline, and ripped alpha body.
Even his calves are sexy.
Don’t start me on his round tight ass.
God.
But it’s his muscular pecs and solid arms that make my pussy throb when I lie awake at night.
That is, until last weekend.
Ugh, my vagina is such a treacherous bitch.Between her and his amazing cock, I can’t believe we waited this long to do it again.
I meant it when I said I wasn’t sorry, but it can’t happen again.
Cole is going to be in my life forever, but not because I’m the woman of his dreams.If I were, he would’ve pursued a romantic relationship with me when he discovered I was pregnant.That didn’t happen.
The day I told him, there was a lot of cursing, running his fingers through his hair as he paced, and then sayingokay, okay, this is okay.I’ll do what’s needed here.We will work this out.
I just listened and put my Doc Marten clad feet up on the table.Which I can’t wear anymore because my body is swollen like a damn balloon.
There was a small part of me that hoped, or wondered, if Cole would tell me he wanted to be with me.That he’d explain that he wanted to call and ask me out on a date.Tell me that it wasn’t just a wild one-night stand.That he’d only held back because of our mutual friends.
Didn’t happen.
Cole isn’t a man who would look twice at me normally.I might be (normally) petite but with curves and my short five-foot-four stature, but I’m far from the willowy blue-eyed blondes I’m sure he dates.
I have black hair, gray eyes and a goth-ish thing going on.
Correction: right now I’m rocking maternity wear.Sexy.Not.
But there is a chemistry between us neither can ignore.Last weekend proved that.I suppose it’s out of our system, and now the baby will arrive, and we will carry on with our lives.
Me, elbow deep in diapers while he dates other more sexy women.
Ugh.
In the past four months neither of us have discussed how we will parent together.He just butts his nose into everything, and I doubt things will be different when our alien arrives.
“How do you feel about him?”Cassy asked me once, not long after Cole found out.
“Indifferent.”I shrugged.
She reached across the table while we sat having lunch at her big, beautiful home she shared with Josh, and squeezed my hand.“It’s okay to like him.”
“What?Because he doesn’t feel the same way?So I shouldn’t be ashamed.”I tugged my hand back.“Who says I do, anyway?”
