Page 55 of Wrapped Around My Heart
Yet here I am, on the verge of clamming up because one of the best men I’ve ever met actually loves me.
Dean doesn’t push it, and he doesn’t say anything more. He simply kisses me softly, easing my worries with a simple act. We stand there longer than we probably should, considering we’re outside my OB’s office. When we finally break apart, I’m breathless, but the panic has lessened, leaving only a giddy feeling.
He places one last kiss on my lips, then the tip of my nose before finally tangling our fingers together and tugging me toward the car.
“Are you coming to the game tonight?” he asks as if he’s completely unfazed while I was having life-altering realizations.
“Uh, yeah, there’s no way I’m missing a single home game during the finals if I can help it. The girls and I were planning a night up in the suite.”
He helps me into the car, leaving me with another kiss and a gentle touch on my stomach before getting in. Once he’s pulled out and is heading back to my place, it’s me who speaks up this time.
“I was thinking about telling the girls tonight.”
“Oh, hell yes!” He laughs, tapping his fingers on the wheel. “Would you be okay if I told the guys then too? Before the game?”
“Of course. Besides, if you don’t, pretty sure the news would get back to them by the end of the night and some of the guys might give you shit for not telling them.”
“Fair point.” He nods, his infectious smile spreading widely across his face. He glances in my direction as he pulls up to a red light. “Any chance I could convince you to spend the night at my place?”
“Mm, I could be very easily persuaded with some late-night burgers and fries.”
“Deal.” He reaches for my hand and tugs it up to press his lips to the back of my hand, then focuses on getting us to my place.
While he starts mindlessly talking about some things he’s learned from the latest baby book, my mind wanders to what things will look like after our little girl is born.
Does Dean plan on keeping his condo? Or will he stay with us? It doesn’t make much sense to have two places, and there’s no doubt that he’ll want to be around for everything he can be. Maybe he’s waiting for me to ask him to move in. And if that’s the case, am I ready for that?
The answer is obvious, even to me, and just like my earlier realization, it doesn’t send me into a complete downward spiral.
CHAPTER 20
Dean
“Areyou heading to the arena with Lilly?” I call out while tucking my dress shirt into my pants. While Ari normally loves getting to a game early, since we’re in the final few weeks of the championships, and her baby bump is more noticeable now, she’s been sticking to more subtle entrances.
I wonder if that will change after we tell our friends tonight.
“Yeah. Stella and Harper are meeting us here and we’re gonna walk over so we don’t have to deal with traffic,” she answers from the bathroom attached to my bedroom.
After this morning’s appointment, we went back to her place so she could pack an overnight bag and get her makeup. She also tried bringing every single pillow from her bed, telling me how she has to stack them between her legs and along her stomach now just to get comfortable. It had taken almost twenty minutes for me to convince her that she didn’t need them.
I may have fibbed and told her that I had a stash of pillows in my guest room that she could raid. She was hesitant, and I don’t blame her. But I didn’t want to ruin the surprise that was now lying on her half of the bed. The purple pregnancy pillow had been recommended in three of my latest reads, and after a little more researching and comparing, I finally committed.
She hasn’t seen it yet, since I only brought it over from the other room when she started getting ready. Now I find myself worrying that she won’t be able to get comfortable.
I shake off my concerns. If she can’t use it, I’ll scrounge every pillow I own and even go knocking on my teammates’ doors to steal their pillows if I need to.
Grabbing my belt off the dresser, I slip it through the loops on my pants and check the time.
“I’ll see you after the game then.” Stepping into the bathroom, I bite back a groan at the cloud of perfume that hits me. Everything smells like Arianna, and it causes my brain to short-circuit.
I’m pressed against her back in an instant, wrapping my arm around her waist and hauling her against my chest. With my other hand, I grip her hip, keeping her trapped in place between me and the counter. She giggles, dropping the makeup brush and leaning into me. Her head tilts to the side as it rests against my shoulder, and she smiles at me in the mirror.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll be late,” she murmurs, tracing a single finger over my forearm. I drop my head to the crook of her neck, kissing the exposed skin and making her shiver.
“Mm, it’d be worth it.”
“I don’t think your team would agree,” she whispers back, and I move to kiss up the side of her neck, nibbling gently and loving the way her whole body reacts to my touch.
