Page 66 of The Trouble With Tomboys (Tommy Creek 1)

“Well. . .” He frowned, deep in his own thoughts for a moment. Then, “What was your mother’s name?”

B.J.’s lips parted in shock. “Dellie,” she said, surprised he’d want one of her family names for his child. Then she remembered they’d named his stillborn son Bennett, which had been Amy’s maiden name.

Relaxing against him, she rested her head on his shoulder. “You really want to name her after my mother?” She closed her eyes as he began to sift his fingers through her hair.

“Sure,” he said. “Why not?”

The gentle stroke of his thumb continued down the side of her throat, and she humm

ed her appreciation, adding a slurred, “Thank you.”

“And what if it’s a boy?” he asked next.

But B.J. didn’t answer. She’d already fallen asleep.

Chapter Seventeen

Since she didn’t have anyone or anything to fly anywhere, B.J. planned on going to her house the next day to pack up the rest of her things she hadn’t already moved to Grady’s place. But Jo Ellen called before she’d even left the house, asking if she wanted to go shopping for baby necessities.

Not particularly enthused about the idea of packing, B.J. agreed and drove to Grady’s sister’s house instead. From there, they trekked nearly an hour to the closest mall. By the time they stepped inside the baby outlet, she decided packing might not have been such a terrible idea after all.

“Holy hell,” she breathed, stopping in the entrance to gawk at the rows and rows of infant paraphernalia. “Do I really need all this crap?”

Jo Ellen merely hooked their arms together and urged her into the store. “Let’s start at this end.”

To B.J.’s horror, they went through the entire place, stopping in every freaking aisle. Jo Ellen tried to teach her the art of comparative and bargain shopping, but it didn’t take. She had to admit, though, the newborn bootie sneakers Jo Ellen discovered were adorable. Unlike Grady’s sister, however, she was able to contain her oohing and awing, even if she did snag two pairs and shove them into her shopping cart. The only item to provoke an actual response from her was a bib exclaiming I love my Daddy. Jo Ellen merely sent her a knowing smile and tossed it into the cart as well.

By seven o’clock that evening, she was dead tired. Her muscles ached in places she didn’t know she had muscles, and her ankles were swollen as far as the skin would stretch. Feeling giddy, though, she realized the expectant Mommy bug had finally bitten. She started thinking about the baby to come.

Would it be a boy or a girl? Would it look more like her or Grady? Grady, she hoped.

Though Jo Ellen had successfully instilled her with excitement for a future of parenthood, she was still ready to drop into the nearest bed when she pulled into Grady’s drive at a quarter to eight. She frowned when she realized damn near every light in the house was glowing.

Her new husband opened the front door before she had her truck parked. “Where have you been?” he growled as soon as she jumped out of the driver’s seat. “I came home early to help you move, but—”

“Just a sec,” she said, shoving two shopping bags at him and bulldozing past. “I gotta pee like a racehorse.”

He fumbled to catch everything and could only sputter as she sprinted inside.

When she exited, he was waiting by the door.

“You went shopping?”

“Yeah,” she gave the breathless reply, still winded from her dash to the john. “Jo Ellen called this morning and talked me into going. I didn’t want to be rude, so I said okay. Plus, she convinced me I needed to start getting ready for this kid now.”

“Jo Ellen?” he nearly yelled the name.

B.J. frowned. “Yes, Jo Ellen,” she repeated. “You know. . .your sister?”

His jaw dropped as he stared at her. Then he exploded. “Jesus Christ, B.J.! I’ve been going out of my mind with worry, and you were with my sister?”

She straightened. “You were worried? Why?”

He made a disbelieving sound. “Why do you think? I had no idea where you were. You weren’t here. You weren’t at your place. I called the hangar, and they hadn’t seen you all day. For all I knew, you could’ve passed out again while you were driving and been lying dead in some ditch.”

Taking a moment to swipe a harassed hand through his hair, he muttered, “Damn it, B.J.” His voice broke in the middle of saying her name. “I even called the hospitals to make sure you weren’t there.”

She sucked in a breath. God, he was really upset. Feeling instantly horrible, she started to apologize.

---