Page 4 of Line of Fire
She was tired. It was a long few days making Lorna’s cake and helping her get ready for her big day. Emotionally, she was all rung out, watching her two friends express their love for eachother and finding out that her best friend was going to have a baby. Piper deserved so much happiness, and now she would have that with Tag and the baby that was on the way. But a part of her felt sadness and even loss today with the realization that she was all alone in her pregnancy and her feelings towards Aaron. Until he showed up at Piper and Tag’s cabin, she wasn’t sure that she would ever see him again, and that thought broke her heart. Now, he was here, taking over her life, and all she could do was sit back and let him. Well, that and enjoy the view of his very fine backside as he loaded up the truck.
Sunny’s parents told her that she and the baby were always welcome back if things didn’t work out with Aaron. She wanted to tell them that she wasn’t trying to “work anything out” with him, but that would have involved admitting that they weren’t together. Her parents were all about following her path, but they were also traditionalists who liked the idea that Sunny wouldn’t be alone in raising her daughter. So, she thanked her mom and kissed her cheek, saying goodbye. Her little sister, Willa, told her that she was happy that they weren’t sharing a room anymore because she snored. Aaron laughed at her sister’s comment until she shot him an angry glance. Sunny reminded them both that she was growing a human inside of her body and that there was very little room left for nonsense like air. Heck, she knew for a fact that Aaron snored from their one night together. She blushed thinking about it, and her heart raced. Aaron looked at her almost as if he could read her mind and winked. If he only knew that she was thinking about the way he stripped her out of her clothes and made love to her on the staircase at his loft, he would probably be blushing too. They finally made it back into town at about sunrise, and it took every ounce of her strength to climb out of Aaron’s pickup truck and try to make it up the steps to his loft. About halfway there, he lifted her into his arms, and she curled into his chest.
“Thank you, Aaron. I’m so tired,” she said around a yawn.
“Baby, you’ve had a long day. Actually, it’s been a long two days.” She nodded against his chest, already feeling herself drifting off. “I’m going to tuck you into bed, and then I’ll bring your stuff in from my truck.” She wanted to thank him, or at least acknowledge that she heard him, but she wasn’t sure that any of that came through. Aaron sat her on the side of his bed and helped her out of her coat and boots. He then slid her dress over her head, leaving her in just her bra and panties. She knew that her body was completely changed from the pregnancy, but she didn’t have the energy to care about her enormous belly or the stretch marks that covered it like a road map. The last thing she remembered was Aaron laying her in his bed and covering her with a heavy down comforter, and Sunny felt like she was home.
Aaron unloaded his pickup and put the two small suitcases that contained Sunny’s whole life in his bedroom. There was no fucking way that she was going to sleep in his spare room. He would spend the rest of Christmas taking care of Sunny the way he should have been for the past eight months, but he was a stubborn ass. How he left town without giving her the chance to tell him about the baby only drove that point home. She was right—he completely ignored her for months after their night together. He didn’t allow her to tell him anything, and he missed the first eight months of his daughter’s existence. He was determined to make it up to both Sunny and his little girl. First, he was going to turn his third bedroom into a nursery for their daughter. Sunny was completely unprepared for their little one to arrive—she didn’t even have a crib. It baffled him that she wasso unprepared for the baby when she was due in just a few short weeks. He would have his work cut out for him, but there was no turning back from this. Sunny and his daughter were his top priority now, and that thought should have scared the shit out of him, but it didn’t. Taking care of them both gave him a peace that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Being with Sunny and having her in his arms again felt right—like coming home.
Before he and Sunny jumped into bed together last April, they were friends. Honestly, what he had with Sunny always felt like more than friendship, but he was too much of a chicken to admit it. Now that she was having his baby, he didn’t mind admitting that Sunny took up a place in his heart, and he was ready to explore what that meant—for their daughter’s sake, if not for his own. First, he would have to convince her that he was worth taking a chance on. He needed to tell her why he left and about the demons that haunted his past. If she still wanted to stick around and let him try to be a father to their daughter, he would get down on his knees to thank her. He knew that he would probably make a crappy dad, but he wanted to try. For Sunny and his baby, he would face the ghosts that haunted him every night and try to be the man who deserved a place in their lives.
He stripped down to his briefs and slid into his bed, pulling Sunny against his body. She was almost naked in just her bra and panties, and that drove him crazy. Seeing her bare belly swollen with his baby made his inner caveman want to roar to life. Sunny was completely exhausted from the emotional roller coaster she was on. Now, with her lying nearly naked in his arms, he wanted to claim her, make her his, and tell her that she was never going to have to be alone again. Aaron was also smart enough to realize that Sunshine Francis was nowhere near ready to hear those words from him. She saw him as someone who was passing through town, not ready to stick around or make herany promises. The way that she looked at him earlier, when he told her that he was going to stay in town, told him everything he needed to know. Sunny didn’t trust him, and that felt like a punch in the gut. He wrapped his arms around her protectively, holding her belly in his hands. His daughter was squirming and nudging him, making him want to laugh. He was amazed by every little movement, every kick, and push. He wondered how Sunny could sleep through all of it. Hell—he was amazed that she could do anything with all of that going on inside of her body. She was truly the most amazing woman that he had ever met. Sunny snuggled into his body, rubbing her ass against his already hard cock. He could tell the moment that she realized that she wasn’t in bed alone. It was almost comical watching her try to roll over to face him. Finally, he gave up watching and helped her, grabbing her hips to help her turn over. He wanted to pull her into his body, but the look in her eyes told him that she wasn’t ready for that connection.
“Just what do you think you’re doing in my bed, Aaron?” She was going for pissed, but her sleepy, raspy voice only turned him on more. He rested his hand on her hip, flexing his fingers into her flesh, and she thrust slightly into his erection. He couldn’t help his frustrated groan; it had been so long since he was with a woman. Well, almost nine months to be exact. Sunny was the last woman that he was with since he couldn’t imagine any woman but her in his bed.
“You promised me that I could have my own room,” Sunny reminded. Aaron was finding it hard to form words, just nodding his head in agreement to whatever she was saying. “Then, why are you in the same bed as me?” Sunny shoved at his chest but gave up when he instinctively pulled her into it. He smoothed his hands down her back, loving the feel of her body snuggling into his own. He wanted more, but he wasn’t about to push his luck. Aaron decided that honesty was his best option.
“I needed to be near you, Sunny. I wanted to hold you and our daughter, keep you both safe.” He lightly kissed her forehead, and she seemed to relax a little more into his hold.
“Aaron, you can’t just breeze through town and make everything okay after being away for the past four months. I won’t let you hurt me again, and I can’t let you hurt our daughter.” He couldn’t help but feel like she slapped him with her words. It hurt him that Sunny thought that he would willingly hurt either of them—but he did.
“I understand why you think that I would hurt you both, and I can’t convince you that it will never happen again. But I’m not going anywhere, Sunny. I’m staying here with you and our daughter. The only way that I can prove that to you is by sticking around and showing you that I mean what I say—I’m not going to hurt you, Sunny.” He could feel her hot tears falling onto his chest, and he pulled her a little closer. “Please don’t cry, honey.” He kissed her cheek, and she sobbed against him. He didn’t know how to deal with Sunny when she cried; it tore him apart. She was always so happy, his little ray of sunshine. Hell, he could even deal with angry Sunny.
He hauled her up against his body and sealed his mouth over hers. She must have been as surprised by his actions as he was, gasping into his mouth. He used her surprise to thrust his tongue into her hot, willing mouth. She seemed to want him as much as he needed her. Their bodies tangled and twisted together, causing Aaron to lose his mind with lust and wanting for the woman that he denied for so long. He broke the kiss, leaving them both breathless.
“I’m so sorry that I left, Sunny. I’m sorry that I acted like an ass, and I’m sorry that I never gave you the chance to tell me about her.” Aaron reached down between their bodies and gently rubbed Sunny’s belly.
“Thank you,” she whispered. Sunny covered his hands with her own, pressing his into her belly. “But we need more than apologies, Aaron. We both deserve someone who wants to be in our lives, someone who wants to be with us. You ignored my existence for months and then left so easily. Nothing has changed. You chose to leave, and I had no choice but to pick up the pieces and move on.” He wanted to tell her that he left for her own good, that he wasn’t right for her, but he couldn’t.
“Sunny, everything has changed. I want to be here for you and our daughter. Please give me the chance to show you that we can be good together, that I can be good for you both.” Sunny looked into his eyes, tears still streaming down her cheeks. He could tell that she had put her walls back into place, and there would be no climbing them, at least not tonight.
“I need time, Aaron, and we don’t have that. She will be here in a few weeks, and I don’t have the energy to try to figure out how I feel about you being back in our lives. I won’t keep you from your daughter, but I won’t let you back into my heart so easily.” He sighed, knowing that he was fighting a losing battle. They were both exhausted, and Sunny needed to rest to keep her strength up.
“I get it, baby. You need more than words—you need action. So, I’ll prove to you that I’m sticking around instead of just telling you. I’m going to need you to at least give me a chance, though. Can you do that?” Sunny hesitated and finally nodded her head against his chest. “Thank you, honey. I won’t let either of you down.” Sunny tried to roll away from him to the edge of the bed, but he pulled her back into his body. “Where are you going?” He asked her. Sunny looked over her shoulder as if he were crazy.
“I’m going to my room, Aaron.” She tried to sit up and stilled when he kissed her shoulder.
“I might have told a little white lie, earlier.” Aaron hated that he couldn’t seem to get this right. He wished she wanted to be in his bed, but he wouldn’t force her to sleep with him. “I don’t have a spare bed.” Sunny huffed out a breath.
“You told me that I could have my own room if the baby and I moved into your house.” Angry Sunny was back, and he loved her spirit.
“Well, you can have your own room, but it just doesn’t have a bed in it. It’s all yours, baby.” She squirmed against his body, trying to get to a sitting position. His cock wasn’t getting the memo that Sunny was off the menu, and it sprang to life.
“Let me go, Aaron! I’ll go and sleep on your sofa, but I won’t share your bed.” Aaron released Sunny, knowing that holding her would only piss her off more. He threw off the covers and stood before she even sat up on the edge of the bed.
“No, honey. I’ll go and sleep on the sofa. You stay in my bed; you need your rest.” She started to protest, but he pressed his hand to her mouth. “I won’t let the woman who is pregnant with my baby sleep on my sofa while I get a king-size bed to myself.” He grabbed a pair of sweatpants and pulled them on, noticing the way her eyes flared as she watched him dress. He pulled a T-shirt over his chest, and her eyes followed its progress down his body. Yep, Sunny was interested in him, but she would need to get over her trust issues first.
He looked her up and down, his eyes resting on her belly. God, she was so fucking sexy. Finding her pregnant with his baby was a shock, but seeing her almost naked in his bed made him half-crazy with lust. Sunny lay back down and pulled the covers back over her bare body as if reading his mind.
“Tomorrow we are going to go shopping and get everything that the baby will need. Are you up for that?” Aaron waited Sunny out, watching as her mind worked through the pros and cons.
“Sure, but she doesn’t need much, Aaron. She’s a baby, how much stuff could someone so small need?” Aaron barked out his laugh; poor Sunny was in denial. But he would worry about that later. First, they both needed some sleep, then he would take her to a few baby boutiques in the next town over and get everything they would need for their daughter. It was time for them both to pull their heads out of their asses and figure everything out because their daughter would be here in a few weeks, whether they were ready for her or not.
CHAPTER FOUR
Sunny woke and stretched, noting that every muscle in her body hurt. She felt like she had run a marathon, but came to accept that the tiny human growing inside of her was the main cause of her discomfort. Sunny was ready for her daughter to be here, but she was also starting to come to terms with the reality that she was nowhere near ready for the baby. Aaron saw the meager items that she purchased, and she was pretty sure that a teddy bear and a handful of pink outfits weren’t going to cut it. He was right, and that pissed her off.
Sunny could only deal with one problem at a time, and right now, she needed to check on her bakery to make sure that everything was running smoothly. She hired a young woman named Justice who had just moved to town and seemed to be down on her luck. She was nice enough and had a clean record, but Sunny got the feeling that Justice was hiding something or from someone. Still, Sunny always rooted for an underdog, and Justice was the sort of person she would bet on. She had been working for Sunny for a few months since her belly started getting in the way of her baking. Justice was an excellent baker and claimed she learned everything from her grandma, whichsealed the deal for Sunny since she inherited the bakery from her grandmother.
