Page 79 of Unexpected Forever
All of the iciness in his tone is gone and my Nate is back. “I’m fine. They didn’t even get up close to the house.”
I decide not to tell him about the guy hanging from the tree. His head might explode.
He blows out a breath, and the relief in his voice is tangible.
“Good, that’s good.” He clears his throat. “So, did you receive a package today by any chance?”
If my grin gets any bigger, I’m going to look like I have a coat hanger in my mouth.
“Yes, the crib came. How did you know that’s the one I wanted?”
“I have my ways. I can’t tell you all my super-secret powers.”
I play with the drawstring of my shorts. “It’s beautiful. I’m surprised you didn’t have it sent put together already.”
“I’m glad you like it. And I wanted to put it together myself.”
I close my eyes against the warmth blooming in my chest. One by one, he snips those razor-thin threads keeping him in the friend zone.
“Hang on a second,” he says.
His name pops up for a FaceTime call. I answer, laughing. “What are you doing?”
“I want to see your face.”
His handsome, grinning face fills my screen and I want to kiss the glass.
From the angle of the phone, I find the answer to my shirt question.
His broad tanned shoulders stand out against the stark white of the pillow he leans against. The light around him is dim, giving him a shadowy, almost dangerous look.
God, he’s spectacular.
While he sits there looking like a freaking underwear model, the tiny picture in the corner of my screen shows me looking like I put my finger in a socket. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to tame the worst of the flyaways.
“Stop fidgeting. You’re beautiful, Charley. I mean it.”
My cheeks heat and I drop my hand. “Thank you.”
“How are you feeling? Still eating that nasty burrito concoction?”
“Listen, eggs and bacon already go together. What’s a little peanut butter and relish added to the mix?”
“That’s so disgusting.”
“That’s so delicious.”
“I’m just happy you have your appetite back. My girl needs to be healthy carrying our precious cargo.”
Emotions swirl in my chest like they always do when he mentions anything about us and our baby. It seems so intimate for two people who are just becoming friends.
But the lines are blurring for me and I’m not sure what the hell we are anymore.
“Hey,” he says, “did you know Nugget is the size of a pomegranate right about now?”
I laugh, loving the weekly report he gives me. “A pomegranate from an avocado?”
“Yep, growing like a weed already.”
