Page 72 of Love Bank
I froze, my secret already floating out there for five sets of ears to hear, but waiting for my confirmation. I could feel the weight of everyone’s stare a judgement as to why I’d have a sample here at the clinic. I could see the town newspaper headline now: Town Warden Infertility Problems Lead to Unwanted Pregnancy. Lucy’s small hand drifted to my back, her touch exactly what I needed to remind myself of what was important.
Honestly, I didn’t give a damn what the town thought of me. All that mattered was what Lucy thought of me.
I stood up tall and felt a surge of energy I desperately needed.
“Call Clancy. I’d like to make sure we set the record straight here today.”
“A press conference? Are you sure, honey?” Yedda asked sweetly.
I nodded and flashed a smile at Lucy. “Never been so sure before in my whole life.”
* * *
“I’m not a saint by any means. I don’t recall having a relationship with Ms. Townsend, but I welcome the DNA results so we can sort this out and make things right for the baby’s sake. As for my sperm sample, I’m happy to report that I gave that sample not long after I moved here. You see, I believe in what Lucille Eureka is trying to do. She wants to provide this community with the very thing that keeps us alive: the children. All women who want to raise a child should have a chance to have that baby and Lucy is handling one aspect of making that dream come true. I’m proud to say I’m helping her in that endeavor and you should too. We could use more good men from Auburn Hill donating their sperm to a good cause.”
I pulled Lucy into my side, wrapping my arm around her waist and gazing into her sweet face. The steps of her clinic were an odd place to have a press conference—and that term was stretching it as there was only one person from the press in attendance amongst all the townsfolk who were here to satisfy their curiosity—but I firmly believed when you did a thing, you did it right. I didn’t want my private business to flip and twist through the gossip grapevine, becoming something else entirely on the other end. I wanted everyone to know the facts, straight from me.
“My manhood has been threatened since I moved to Auburn Hill. I’ve been pressured about my sperm sample, my girlfriend has been held at gunpoint, rumors have been circulating as to my supposed fertility issues, then in a stunning turn of events, a stranger shows up and says her baby is mine. The thing is, I don’t care about any of that right now. Because none of it is something I can change.” I kissed Lucy’s forehead and then addressed the small crowd of citizens in front of me. “All that matters is that I love Lucy and I desperately need her to forgive me.”
At the collective “ahh” from the crowd of bystanders, Lucy smiled at me, her sunshine spreading as her eyes warmed and her arms slid around my waist.
“I love you too, Bain. Still and always.”
My fingers threaded through her hair, cupping her face and tilting her head to receive my kiss. Lips barely brushed, just an invitation for more, seeking permission to deepen. Lucy leaned up on her tiptoes and closed the distance. She crushed her lips to mine, her tongue darting out to taste me. My head swam and the noise of whistles and hollers dimmed to a soft background noise. Her curves pressed against my chest and the love I felt for her surged to the surface, mixing with my desire for her lush body. Lucy bit my lower lip and I nearly gave a sample in my boxers right then and there.
Someone clapped me on the back. I broke off from Lucy and hoped whoever it was, was prepared to lose their hand. The mayor stood there, his face smiling, but his eyes coolly assessing.
“Oh. I’m calling in sick to work today, Mayor,” I bit out, not exactly pleased with the man even though he held the power to fire me.
He smirked and the way he glanced at Lucy made me want to rip his face off. “I can see you’ve got your hands full today. I hope you’ll be recovered enough to meet with me and the consultant tomorrow to deal with your little escapee problem.”
I ground my teeth and tried to keep my cool. “Yes, sir. See you tomorrow.”
The mayor walked off to shake hands and act like this little gathering had been his idea the whole time. Clyde scrambled to finish writing his notes in a little notebook he refused to give up even though most newspaper journalists had moved to recording press conferences and playing it back later when they were at their computer.
The crowd broke up, slowly going back to their cars and bicycles, heading back home to spread the word about what I’d said. Telephones would be ringing soon, the news of our relationship confirmed the hottest gossip of the week. Even Addi saw the wisdom in vacating the premises after she saw the look on my face. I’d be seeing her again, I was sure of it, but it best be with lab results in hand.
Lucy pushed away from me, lifting a finger, asking for a minute. She leaned her head through the doorway of the clinic.
“Hey, Keva, why don’t you go home for the day? The chief will need to check out the sample room for evidence, so we might as well shut down for today.” Lucy winked at me even as Keva got busy gathering her things from under the front desk.
Lucy dragged a finger down the buttons of my shirt. I felt her touch right down to the bottoms of my feet.
“Wanna stick around? When the chief is done, we’ll have the place to ourselves…”
Oh, hell yes. We’re back in business.
27
Lucille
We moved to the back room, the same one where I saw Bain for the first time that fateful day. The chief and his team were looking for fingerprints all over my clinic, but mostly concentrated in the sample room and the back door. While we waited them out, I figured it was time for me to come clean too. Bain put it all out there in front of the whole town and I needed to be just as transparent.
“Bain. I’m so—”
He cut me off by tugging on my hand and pulling me down onto his lap as he sat on that deep blue velvet couch. I went willingly, loving his strong muscles under me, around me, against me. I was so in love with this man, the guy who barked orders and whispered dirty things in my ear as he filled me, yet bared all his secrets in public to say he was sorry.
His arms banded around me, his nose nuzzling behind my ear. As delicious as the sensations that traveled up my spine were, I needed to get out what I had to say.
