Page 21 of Always Yours

Irun my hand through her hair, fighting the urge to lean in and kiss her again. She’s scared, that much is obvious, and I don’t want to add to it. I wish she would let me take care of her, but with her independence, I know she won’t just give up all control. Not yet.

I want to tell her I love her. I want to tell her that we’re meant to be together, but she’s not going to believe me. I blow out a breath and lift my hip to sit on the edge of the bed. “I wish you would see reason. This is the best thing to do—”

“Austin, I’m pregnant. Six months pregnant.”

“Almost seven,” I tell her with a shrug. “What’s your point?”

She crosses her arms over chest. “You’re Whiskey Run’s most eligible bachelor. I’m going to be some sort of buzz kill for all the women that are hoping to ride the Blaze train.”

My eyes bug out of my head. “Blaze train? Really? I don’t think I’ve heard that one before.”

She shrugs. “Trust me, it’s a thing. More so when all you and your brothers were single, but now that you’re the last one, all eyes are on you. And you moving in a pregnant woman is not going to do anything for your bachelor status.”

I just stare at her. She’s going to have a thousand excuses, but none of them matter to me.

“You don’t get it. If I move in with you, the women in town are going to think…”

Her voice drops off, and I tilt my head. “They’re going to think what? That we’re together? They should. I’ve told anyone and everyone that would listen that we are together. Heck, Ally. You’re talking crazy. Most of the town thinks that baby is mine anyway. They think we’re together.”

She shakes her head. “But we’re not… together, I mean.”

I ram my hand through my hair and huff out a breath. “We will be.”

She grabs onto my shirt and pulls me back down. “Austin, listen. I’ll stay until it’s safe for me to go home and be on my own. But as soon as I get the all-clear from the doctor, I’m going back home.”

I’m shaking my head. “Ally, you’re moving in, you’re quitting your job, and you’re marrying me.”

Her voice gets loud in the small room. “I’m not quitting my job, and you and I are not getting married. Austin, stop talking all this nonsense. You don’t marry your best friend because she got knocked up and some asshole left her to deal with it all. All you need to do is be here for me, that’s all. Just be my friend. You don’t have to change the whole course of your life because I screwed up. I’m not marrying you just because I got pregnant.”

I try not to react. I try not to let her words affect me. I know I’m being pushy, but I had hoped there would be a part of her that wants to be married to me. I didn’t think she would completely be opposed to the idea. I want to tell her that I’m not offering to marry her just because of the baby, but I know she’s not going to listen or even want to hear it.

I put my hand on her shoulder. “Don’t say that. Don’t think that. You didn’t screw up…” I stop because I recognize that look on her face. Ally is one of the most stubborn women I know, and right now, she’s not listening to anything. In her eyes, she messed up. She may not realize it now, but to me, her getting pregnant was the best thing to happen. It forced me into action.

I lean toward her. “This is what we’re doing.”

I see the look she gives me, and I know she’s not going to appreciate me just telling her what to do, so I change tactics. “If you’ll agree to it, this is what I’d like to happen...”

Her face softens, and I rush on before she closes off again. “You come and stay with me for the next two weeks. Let me take care of you. You won’t have to lift a finger.”

She looks so worried as if she’s got the burden of the world on her shoulders. “For two weeks?”

Of course I want to convince her that she’s going to be with me forever, but she’s exhausted. She’s worried and scared, and right now is not the best time to try and convince her that she’s never leaving me. “Two weeks and you rest.” When she doesn’t agree fast enough, I try to convince her. “Ally, you’re my best friend. I can’t just stand by and let you do all this on your own. I want to be there for you and for the baby. Please let me do this.”

She searches my face, and she must see the sincerity reflecting in my eyes. “Okay, but if you want me out, you tell me. I can go home at any time.”

I shake my head. “I won’t want you out.”

She shrugs. “You might. And I don’t want to interfere in your life more than I already have. You don’t have to take care of me or wait on me or anything. And I know I could just stay home, but I’m scared, and I’d appreciate it if I could stay with you for just two weeks. Then I’ll be better, and I’ll be okay on my own.”

I’m not going to argue with her. She doesn’t need to know that I’ve already arranged for someone to come in and cook all her favorite meals or that I’ve arranged to work from home, or that someone has been working on a guest room at my house for the last few months. I stand up and grab the bag that I brought in from Huddy’s truck last night. “Okay, so I have an outfit for you to put on. Can I help you get dressed?”

She rubs her hand across her belly. “I think I can handle it.”

I grab the clothes out of the bag and set them on the end of the bed. “Come on, I want to help.”

She doesn’t fight me. She takes my hand, and I help her to the side of the bed. I put my arms around her and untie the ribbon from around her neck. She puts her hand to the material over her chest to hold the gown in place. She’s practically panting when she asks, “What are you doing?”

“I’m helping you get dressed.”

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