Page 33 of Stepping Into Tomorrow

“Of course, you’ve had a busy day. I remember how tiring the first trimester was. You leave those dishes here. Ricky will take care of them.” Renita patted the table.

“It’s not a problem—”

“I insist.”

Isabella lowered the plates obediently.

“Have you been sick?” Nash asked.

She cast a quick look his way before she shook her head. “No, not really. It’s still early yet.”

She sighed, placing her hands on Eli’s shoulders. “Well, we’re gonna go. Thank you again.”

She said her goodbyes and led her son outside into the humid summer night. The sun was almost over the mountains. The sky was orange and pink. Her heart fluttered and her stomach churned. Sweat beaded on her forehead. She swallowed, trying to hold it together long enough to get away from the house and back to Nova’s.

You can do this. Breathe. In through my nose and out of my mouth. Just one foot in front of the other. One step at a time.

16

NASH

Nash waited behind the giant oak tree that separated his sister’s property from their parents’. He raised his hand to block the morning sunlight as his gaze roamed over the pale exterior of Nova’s house, up to the windows where the guest bedrooms were.

Jesus, I’m a fucking creeper. But he needed to talk to Bella without Nova butting in to his business. Why hadn’t Bella told his family he was the father? She couldn’t have been protecting me . . . could she?

The front door opened. He jerked back behind the tree as his sister appeared. A moment later, her truck rumbled to life. Nash waited for her to drive down the driveway and disappear over the hill towards her greenhouses.

Nash headed for the front door, his knees unsteady and his heart racing. Should he knock? If it was just Nova home, he probably wouldn’t. I should knock.

He held up his knuckles and rapped against the door. Shuffling on his feet, he swiped a hand through his beard and took a deep breath, trying to calm the hurricane of emotions swirling in his body.

The door cracked open and Eli looked up at him with big blue eyes. “Nash. Did you come to take me fishing today? My mom hasn’t said yes yet.”

Nash chuckled. “Not today, bud. I’m here to talk to your mom. Is she available?”

Eli’s brows drew together. “Mom isn’t feeling good today.”

Worry clenched his gut. “Mind if I check on her?”

Eli shrugged and stepped aside. Nash walked in, searching his sister’s open-plan home. With no sign of Bella, he headed for the stairs and took them two at a time until he reached the top. He went straight for the first bedroom. Immediately, he was hit with the sweet scent of rose. The bed was unmade and rumpled, but empty.

Retching sounds came from the bathroom. He spun and jogged to the door. Heart racing, he grabbed the handle but forced himself to stop even though everything inside him was screaming at him to bust the door down. Calm down, idiot, before you scare her.

Nash knocked.

“I’ll be out in a minute, sweetie.” Her voice came from inside before the sink ran. She obviously thought he was Eli.

Instead of correcting her, he waited. Is she okay? Is this because of the baby?

The door opened. Bella stood there in a pair of tiny shorts that showed off her thick dimpled thighs. The buds of her nipples poked against the loose pink T-shirt she wore. Memories of having them in his mouth, her legs wrapped around him, assaulted him.

Bella wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, her eyes landing on his chest before her head tipped up. With flushed cheeks and wide eyes, she asked, “What are you doing here?”

“Were you throwing up?”

She crossed her arms over her chest. “That’s what people do when they have morning sickness. Lucky me, it seems to have started.”

“You should be in bed.”

---