Page 53 of Ultimate Freedom

His last comment made her smile.Look after my family, Demi. Please. I’m stuck in this situation now, but I’ll be there as soon as possible.

Take care of yourself. Your kid needs a daddy.

Chapter Thirty-two

The next day, rather than going to the restaurant, Whit arranged breakfast to be brought to his room. He invited Demi and Bella to join him around the table by the window. Not being sure what had gone down the night before, he had faith that Demi would have dealt with it.

Her last message had given him hope that the situation hadn’t been as dire as it had sounded. When he heard back that they would come, he breathed easier.

But when the two women showed up, he could see for himself that it had been a hard night. Demi’s eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep and Bella’s were red-rimmed and filled with sadness.

After the introductions that were stilted and awkward on Bella’s side, he tried to lighten the mood.

“I hope you like pancakes and bacon and eggs, Bella. I could order something else if you’d rather.”

“I don’t have any appetite. I’m just eating for them.” She shifted her tummy.

Demi interrupted before he could ask the same question she had. “They refer to the baby as a them because they don’t know if it’s a boy or a girl.”

“Right. Would them prefer something else? No problem. I can just ring down to the hotel cafeteria.”

Watching the comic relief in Demi’s expression made him relax and when the knock came at the door, he rushed to let the waitress in. Earlier, he’d cleaned off the table, and she placed the loaded tray there. Not only did the coffee smell delicious, but the hot, sensual wafts from the food also made his stomach gurgle. Lordy, he hadn’t realized just how hungry he’d become.

Between Demi and himself, they had the food on plates and passed around in no time. “Eat up, Bella. You look like you haven’t had a good meal for a while.”

“You’re right. I haven’t had any appetite. But being here with Demi, I feel so much better. And meeting you too. Demi’s talked about you a lot. I can see why you’ve dazzled her.”

Demi grinned at his confusion. “It’s your big baby blues. You don’t know how stunning they can be. I guess I gushed a bit about them to Bella and she’s finding out I was right.”

Usually Whit hated to be the center of attention, and yet the gentle way Demi poked at him just made him smile. “Have your fun, cheeky brat. I like to believe it’s my hypnotic personality that floors people.”

This time both Demi and Bella laughed, and the tension suddenly eased. The atmosphere became cozy and over the next while the adults enjoyed a happy breakfast together.

By the time they’d emptied most of the dishes, they were deciding about their trip home to Hyder.

“I’m not willing to take you ladies back there until I know the road has been cleared. With the temperature dropping, it’s more than likely to be frozen which means less slides, but I still want to be certain they’ve cleared the way. You girls just enjoy being in town and let me check around. I’ll get back to you.”

“Right. We might do a bit of shopping. I think Bella likely needs some winter clothes, and she won’t fit in any of mine.”

Bella chuckled, turning toward Whit. “Even when I wasn’t pregnant, we could never share our wardrobes. She’s so puny we had to shop in the girl’s section for years.

“Yeah, well this puny puppy can kick your ass, honey.”

Whit watched the two sparring and laughed. “I can believe you’re sisters.”

Bella grinned mischievously. “There was this kid at the foster home we lived at who used to say things like that all thetime. We got so we’d mimic him. He was even shorter than Demi but had the self-image of a giant.” Bella chuckled. “I do believe he’s in jail now.”

Demi explained, “Living in foster care can bring out the worst in people.” Then she added, “I think getting out to the stores will be fun. What do you say mama bear?”

Bella giggled before being serious. “I wouldn’t mind buying some heavier pants and socks. I wore three sweaters under my jacket, but I don’t have boots or mittens. “

Demi spoke up. “I hate for you to spend a fortune. We can borrow those things for you in Hyder or Stewart.”

Whit overheard the hesitation in her voice and spoke up. “There’s the bargain store around the corner that might be a good option,” Whit suggested. “That’s if you don’t mind wearing hand-me-downs.”

Demi looked at Bella and they both began to laugh. Then Bella answered, “Hell, Whit, we were brought up on hand-me-downs. Of course, we’ll go there. I just need something for now. Not sure how long I’ll be around.”

Whit moved closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders. Then he looked her straight in the eyes so she couldn’t get mixed signals. “You stay as long as you want or need to. You’re Demi’s sister and she talks about you all the time. You’ll always be welcome.”

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