Page 33 of One Unexpected Gift

CHAPTER EIGHT

There was no reason for Skylar to be nervous. She’d been on hundreds of dates. And it wasn’t like Nick hadn’t seen her naked before.

Okay, maybe he hadn’t, but he’d touched her in places only a handful of others had. She checked herself out in the bedroom mirror one more time. Her pre-pregnancy jeans still didn’t button but she found a pair of jeggings that stretched over her wider hips.

Turning, she lifted her light-weight sweater and checked out her backside. Her butt had always been one of her top assets and pregnancy hadn’t erased it. Dinner and a movie didn’t necessarily mean hot, steamy sex, but she wore her favorite lavender bra and matching thong just in case.

She’d always been open with sex and never misread it as love. Maybe it was being a mom that had shifted her mindset. Sex was still sex, but there was more anticipation now. More at stake. Granted, it could be because it had been over a year since any man had touched her.

Or it could be Nick. Either way, she was determined to make the best of the time she had in Maine. She may not leave with a baby daddy, but she’d have a good time. Once she returned to Virginia, there wouldn’t be time for fun. Leaving Gabby with a stranger, even if it was a daycare on base, was scary enough.

The thought of being deployed freaked the hell out of her. If she was only deployed for a few weeks, she could ask Derek or even one of her sisters to watch Gabby. But a deployment could mean six months. And there was no guarantee she’d return alive.

There was no guarantee she’d return alive tonight either. She could get hit by a car, leaving Gabby an orphan.

Skylar dropped to her bed. She shouldn’t be going out with Nick tonight. She needed to make a will, make sure Gabby’s future was planned out.

“Aw, first date jitters. So cute.” Charlie bounced on the bed next to her. When Sky didn’t lift her head, Charlie squeezed her shoulder. “Hey. What’s wrong?”

“What if I die tonight?” She sniffed.

“I mean, I’m sure Nick gives orgasms that are off the charts, but they’re not going to kill you, even if you’re practically in nun status now.”

“Not that. What happens to Gabby if I die? I need to talk to the three of you. It wouldn’t be fair to—”

“Hey, hey, hey. Where is this coming from?”

Sky lifted her tear-filled eyes and sniffed. “What if in a year, in two years, I’m deployed? And what if I don’t make it back? I haven’t planned out Gabby’s future. Derek and Karen would help when they can, but I don’t have any blood relatives, and you three are starting your own lives, your own families soon.”

“First, God forbid anything happens to you, Gabriella will be loved and spoiled and taken care of by all of us. We won’t let anything happen to her. The worst she’ll experience is Gina, Brooke, and I fighting over who gets to spend the most time with her. And we’d be one-upping each other every birthday and Christmas. Kinda like the three of you do now with Olivia.”

“Thank you.”

“Second, you’re nervous. You’ve been talking nonsense about needing to find a father for Gabby, which I don’t believe you do. You’re a strong, independent woman with so much love in your heart. She’ll have more love in her life than most two-parent households. Nick may not be the one, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go out and have a good time. And on the record, I don’t see why Nick couldn’t be the one. He’s a good guy.”

“You’ve said that. Like a hundred times. Even if Nick was the one, he lives in Maine and doesn’t have a reputation for being the most responsible adult.”

“Not true. Just because he has a reputation for having a good time and doing extreme sports doesn’t mean he isn’t responsible. He’d be dead by now if he wasn’t.”

“Maybe. Still, he’s not the right fit for us. Can you really see him strapped down with a baby while the wife goes off and works?”

“I never would have pictured Owen as the lovey-dovey sort but look how he adopted Olivia. Even before I met him, he sacrificed so much to be there for her when their mom wasn’t. At first glance, most would never believe a man of his size, with as much testosterone flowing through his veins, was capable of such love.”

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