Even though I sympathize, the annoyance written all over his face makes me giggle. His eyes narrow at me for a moment before his face softens when I can’t seem to stop. Damn it; no one has ever looked at me the way he’s looking at me right now.
And someone is at the door and interrupting the moment.
Bridger picks me up effortlessly and sets me back on the couch. “I’ll get it, Sweetheart. You just relax and keep buying whatever you need that’ll show off your bump.”
His hand smooths over my belly and I fucking swoon. This man. This sweet man.
It’s going to be a struggle not to kill whoever interrupted us.
When Bridger stands, he reaches down to adjust the hard ridge of his cock in his jeans. I have to bite my lip to stop the smug smile that wants to play on my lips. From the look he shoots me, I don’t do a particularly good job of covering it up.
Oh well.
When the doorbell rings again, he stalks toward the door while muttering, “Yeah, yeah. I’m coming.”
“Bridger,” the brightness in the woman’s voice has jealousy turning my skin a little green.
Then I hear Wyatt’s voice. “As promised, we brought you and Avery dinner. Not only do you both need to eat, but we wanted to check on you.”
“Come on in,” Bridger’s voice is gruff, but not unkind.
I realize that for a man who seems to keep to himself and not say much, he had a lot to say earlier in my defense. That has my heart pounding in my chest.
He wants to take things slow between us. He called me his woman earlier. Maybe it’s okay for me to hope that this all works out and there will be more between us than a shared child and co-parenting. I think we both deserve it. I know I’ll welcome it with open arms.
A blonde woman comes bursting into the living room, her eyes scanning it until they come to rest on me. Her hair is piled on top of her head, and she’s dressed in much the same way I am. Her eyes light up and her lips curl into a huge smile when she sees me.
She wastes no time and practically bounces across the room toward me. “Hi, I’m Tenley. Wyatt is my husband, who I heard you met yesterday.”
“Hi,” my voice is soft and a little tentative, “I’m Avery. It’s nice to meet you.
Wyatt walks into the room holding a baby carrier with his other arm wrapped around a young boy. Tenley looks over at her family, her expression filled with love.
“Avery,” Wyatt greets me with a smile and a chin lift.
“Hi, Wyatt. Nice to see you again,” and it is.
“It’s good to see you, Avery. You’re looking much more relaxed today.”
“I feel like it too,” I offer while my hand rubs over my bump.
“This is my almost 13-year-old son, Ian,” he introduces the young man as he places the baby seat next to Tenley.
“Hi, Ian,” I greet the boy with a smile. He mumbles a greeting back at me. It’s not sullen or rude, just tinged with all the pre-teen goodness.
“And this,” Tenley unbuckles the baby from the car seat and picks him up, “is Kessler.”
At the sight of the small baby, I freeze up. My eyes widen so much that I’m pretty sure it looks like they’re about to pop out of my head. My palms go clammy and panic hits me square in the chest.
“I’ve never held a baby before,” I whisper. My wild eyes find Bridger and I gasp, “Oh, my god, I’ve never held a baby before. I’m going to drop our baby. I have no idea what I’m doing.”
Bridger sits next to me and wraps his arms around me to pull me into his chest. This time, the warmth of his body doesn’t penetrate.
“It’s okay,” Bridger soothes me. “We’ll figure it out.”
Embarrassment sweeps over me. I bury my face in Bridger’s chest and his large hand smooths down over my hair and my spine. “I can’t believe I just freaked out about that,” I mumble against his chest.
“It’s okay, Sweetheart,” he murmurs and kisses the top of my head.
