Page 8 of Always Yours

He’s holding the fruit out to me, and I shake my head. “I’m done. I’m stuffed. Thank you, Austin. The wrap really hit the spot.”

“You want me to put this in the fridge so you can eat it later?”

I nod and put one hand over my belly as I lean my head back on the couch. “That would be great.”

When he finishes putting everything away, he comes to sit next to me. I try not to tense up, but there’s no fighting it. Things have never been awkward between us, but I can’t help but feel that our relationship has been strained since I got pregnant, and it hasn’t helped that I turned him down when he’s tried to convince me to marry him.

I pull my shirt down farther over my belly and try not to fidget. “Okay, so are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”

He moves to the middle cushion to sit right next to me. All I can do is watch as he leans forward, undoes the laces on his boots, slides his shoes off, and then props his feet up on the coffee table next to mine. “I’m staying.”

I laugh because I think he’s joking, but when all he does is stare at me with that challenging look that he’s mastered the last six months, the smile drops from my face. “You’re not staying here.”

He doesn’t react. He just keeps staring at me with that knowing look on his face.

“Austin, you’re not staying here.”

He just laughs. “I am. I packed a bag. It’s in my SUV, but I’ll get it out in a minute. Do you want to watch some TV?”

He picks up the remote, and I pull it from his hands. “Austin, you’re not staying here.”

He nods. “Yes, I am.”

I sputter. “But why?”

He drops his feet to the floor and turns toward me as he puts a hand on my knee. “Because I’m going to take care of you.”

I cut him off. “I can take care of myself.”

I don’t know if it’s the stress of the day or what, but emotions hit me hard. I’m wiping at the tears on my face as fast as they fall. I’m sobbing, and Austin probably can’t even make out what I’m saying, but I can’t stop rambling. “Why does no one think I can take care of myself? I’m doing the best that I can. I know I need to do better, and I’m trying. I’m trying so hard, Austin, but it’s not good enough. I’m not good enough… hell, I can’t even keep my baby healthy… myself healthy—”

He pulls me into his lap and circles his arms around me. I don’t fight him, and I lay my head on his shoulder and let my body melt into his. He kisses the top of my head. “Fuck, please stop crying, Ally. I can handle anything but when you cry, you know that.”

But if anything, I cry harder. He’s rubbing my back with big strokes of his hands. “I’m sorry,” I sob.

He squeezes me tighter. “No. Don’t say that. You never have to apologize to me. Come on, Ally. We’re going to take this one day at a time. You’re my best friend in the whole world. You know me better than anyone, and you know that if I didn’t want to do something, I wouldn’t do it. I want to do this. I want to take care of you. I want to take care of our baby.”

“Girl,” I mutter. “I found out today I’m having a girl.”

He gasps. “A daughter? That’s amazing, baby. You’re going to be the best mom. And I’m going to probably end up in jail the first time some boy asks her out, but we’ll figure it out…. Are you happy, Ally?”

I shrug my shoulders and turn my head to bury my face in his neck. My hands grip at his waist, and I burrow into him. “Yeah, I’m happy, but I’m scared, Austin. I’m so scared.”

I can feel him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m here for you, Ally. Always. You just have to let me in and let me be here for you.” He leans back on the couch but doesn’t let go of me. “Rest, baby. I know you’re tired. Let me hold you.”

I can’t resist him because for the first time in a long time, it’s nice to just let my troubles melt away and to have someone else bear the brunt of it all. I let my eyes close, and the last thing I remember thinking before I fall asleep is that I could get used to this.

Chapter6

Austin

Ilean back in my chair, and to my brothers, I probably look calm, cool, and collected. I’ve tried to stay alert through the whole meeting, even when Beau went on and on about spreadsheets, but the longer I sit here, the more antsy I get. I haven’t heard from Ally all morning, and as soon as this meeting is over, I’m going to hightail it out of here and check on her.

Last night, sleeping on the couch with her in my arms gave me just a glimpse of what our future could look like, and there’s no way I’m giving up on it now.

Lost in thought, I jerk when Ford calls my name. I look up, and all four of my brothers are staring at me expectantly. I lean forward and put my arms on the table in front of me. My leg is bouncing under the table, but otherwise, I try to appear calm. “Right, my turn. Sorry. Yeah, the distillery is going well. I’ve had my assistant stepping in to help some more, but the orders are all going well, and we’re on top of everything. I had to have a chute repaired yesterday so I ordered another one. We’ll install the new one and use the repaired one as a backup. Other than that, everything's good.”

Ford nods his head. “Okay, sounds good.”

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