Page 15 of Keep Me Close

She nodded earnestly. “Yes. I'm having a baby. You're the father. We hardly know each other.”

“I know. That one night was really incredible, but I get it. We'll take it one step at a time.” When she nodded and took a bite of her sandwich, I finally asked the questions that had been tumbling in my mind every time I thought about her. “What was that night about? Why did you say no last names, no phone numbers?”

She finished chewing and shrugged. “I've never had a one-night stand except for you. That was the day I'd had a talk with my doctor, the one who's monitoring my pregnancy. I was planning to schedule a hysterectomy because of the chronic problems with my endometriosis.”

“Seriously?”

She nodded. “I've already had two surgeries to remove ovarian cysts due to endometriosis. Both times, they had to clean up a bunch of other tissue. I have chronic pain and damaged fallopian tubes. I’d decided that was the best option because it didn't look like I would ever get pregnant. Why keep going through so much pain? It's not like I was all about getting married and settling down, but I wanted the idea. I wanted the option of having kids, and it was a hit to make that decision. I just wanted to forget all my feelings. I saw you and decided one night was perfect.”

“I appreciate your honesty,” I finally said as I tried to wrap my brain around all that information. “It’s kind of a miracle that you got pregnant,” I added after a few bites of my sandwich.

She laughed softly. “Yeah, the odds were slim.”

We ate quietly, and my mind spun. I was going to be a father, assuming everything went well for the next five months. Holy fucking shit.

We finished eating and drove back to the station. I pulled into the front, asking, “That your car?” I gestured to the single car in the front parking lot.

Hallie nodded. I parked beside her and glanced over. I moved without thinking, leaning across the console. I palmed her cheek, peering into her eyes. I recalled how they darkened as she came when I was buried deep inside her. Since I wasn't thinking, I wasn't sure what I expected, but she didn't draw away.

We stared at each other quietly for several beats. I dipped my head, brushing my lips over hers. I didn't intend for this kiss to even happen, but before I knew it, it went from a dusting kiss to me fitting my mouth over hers. I slid my hand into her hair, sweeping my tongue in to glide against hers. She tasted just like I remembered—a little sweet. She sighed and kissed me back with abandon.

I practically pulled her across the console before my elbow hit the horn, and the sound snapped through the moment. We broke apart, both of us gulping in air. When I looked back over at Hallie, her eyes were wide, and then she burst out laughing.

“What?” I asked, my lips curling into a smile.

“You are too much.”

“What do you mean?”

“I forget everything when you kiss me.”

Since she was being honest, I decided to offer the same. “Well, you do the same thing to me.”

She took a deep breath, pressing her palm to her chest.

“When can I see you again?” I asked.

“My doctor's appointment is in two weeks.”

“Can I see you before that?” I surprised myself with that question, but we had a lot of territory to cover. I also desperately wanted to see her before then.

“Okaaa-y,” she replied slowly.

“I'll drive to Anchorage, or you can come here. Whatever you prefer.”

Her eyes searched mine before she nodded slowly. “Okay. Next weekend.”

“I'll text you, and we can decide where to meet.”

---