“Whoa. Chill. I’m fine,” I say with a laugh. “I just wanted to thank you for taking care of everything while I’ve been out. I couldn’t have done it without you.”
She blushes and shrugs, using both hands to tuck her shortblack hair behind her ears. “Just doing my job, Boss Lady. Let’s lock up so you can get your baby girl home.”
I spilled the beans to everyone in the studio once I got back from lunch. My high from finding out is just now fading. I’m going to be a mom to a baby girl, and I can’t wait to meet her.
When I pull up to my house, my feet are killing me. The doctor warned me about swelling, and it’s like her word of caution wrote a prescription for my body to retain water. My belly isn’t huge yet, but I’m already seeing cankles forming. Add in the round ligament pain, and I’m a hobbling mess. The walk to my door takes almost all the energy I have left.
Delectable scents waft through the air, dancing right to my nose with the beat of the soft R&B music playing from the kitchen speaker. Trevor’s back is to me, and he’s whistling along to the song while he finishes up the dishes. With the tea towel casually draped over his shoulder, his movements are relaxed and familiar, as if he’s at home in my kitchen. It’s my future cemented into canon. I can see us doing this every single day, and the thought both thrills me and sets me on edge.What if he changes his mind?What if, after all is said and done, the baby’s born, and he’s no longer excited about all of this?What if I don’t measure up to his expectations?What if?—
“Gem? You okay?” Trevor’s worried tone snaps me back to my entryway.
I hang my purse on the hook by the door and slip out of my shoes. When I shuffle into the kitchen, a pink It’s a Girl! Mylar balloon wrapped around a vase of pink tulips greets me on the countertop. A small pink teddy bear lounges against the side of it, holding an envelope. I glance with guilt at the struggling orchid just beyond the display.When was the last time I watered that thing?“Yeah, just tired.” I sigh. “What’s all this? And how did you know tulips are my favorite flower?”
“Ashlie is a wealth of knowledge.” He dries his hands with the towel and tosses it on the counter behind him. “I thought we should celebrate this milestone after how stressful the last few weeks have been.” My fears from moments ago are nudged away as he closes the distance between us. Smiling, he sweeps the twists off my shoulder.What was I even worried about? After seeing how he completely spoiled his nieces at Christmas, how could I ever question his excitement for his own baby girl? Trevor will be the most attentive father, and I have a sneaking suspicion that the pink teddy bear is just the beginning.
“Celebrate how?”
“With all your favorite things: dinner, a foot rub,Deserted Desire…” He smooths his palms over my shoulders with a smirk. “And me.”
I snort, settling against his chest. “Oh, okay,Trevy.I see you.”
His grimace makes me giggle. “I can’t believe she fucking called me that. I set her straight after the meeting.”
“You want me to start calling you that too, my big Italian fountain of a man?”
“Hell, no,” he murmurs, dusting my lips with a kiss. It’s soft and sweet, despite the passionate hold his hand presses on my lower back. When he pulls away, his eyes sweep over my face slowly. “You’re so goddamn beautiful, sweetheart; I can’t stand it sometimes.” Heat surges everywhere in my body. My ears burn, my cheeks flush, and if I thought I could do it without being obvious, I’d cross my legs to relieve the pulsing between my thighs. He’s doing a damn good job of changing my mind about those pet names.Maybe I spoke too soon about the“no dick”thing. “Go put your feet up. I’ll bring everything over.” He kisses me again, spins me around, and nudges me toward the couch.
After dinner, we’re two episodes into aDeserted Desiremarathon when my mind wanders to my baby girl.Ourbaby girl. I pause the TV.
“Hey!” He turns incredulous eyes on me with a laugh. “Dalton and Kimberly were just about to make an alliance…”
“What do you think she’ll be like?”
“Kimberly’s going to be a complete menace.” He answers so quickly, I don’t realize he’s messing with me until he winks.
“You like this show more than I do at this point.”
He pinches his fingers together. “Maybe a little.” Then he reaches over and puts a hand on my foot. “I think she’ll be smart like you.”
“We’re both smart, Tre.”
“Yeah, but I hope she has your mind. Your passion. I hope she notices all the small things and finds inspiration in the mundane.”
Is that really how he sees me? What he’s describing feels too elegant to be used for me. “Thank you,” I whisper, grabbing my camera charm.
“It’s all true. I’ve never met anyone like you, Gem, and Idoubt I ever will.” He squeezes my foot, then extends my leg so it rests in his lap. “Except for our daughter.”
“I hope she’s kind like you. And happy.”
“She will be.” His thumbs knead my sole. “She’ll have us to make sure of it.”
Shit.This foot rub might be better than the glazed pork chops he just fed me, which is saying a lot. I’m steadily sinking into the cushion with each delectable circle, so relaxed I’m barely able to keep track of the couples onDeserted Desire. A moan slips out of my mouth as I drop my head to the arm of the couch. Another firm swipe has me falling into a state of ecstasy. I’m halfway gone when his fingers still. I pop my head up, shooting him a glare. “Nooo,why’d you stop?”
“Come here.” His husky baritone matches the lust in his eyes, dousing my annoyance. I don’t even hesitate, scrambling across the couch. My usual instinct to challenge him is swallowed up by my body’s reaction to his deepened rasp. Before I can straddle him, he spins me around and pulls me onto his lap, gripping my hips as he grinds into me. I moan again, pressing my back against his chest. It’s been so long since I’ve felt him like this. I’m about to throw the medical advice out the window.No dick,my ass.
“Feel that?” he asks. His fingers ghost over my nipple, and I whimper, arching my back to search for more. “Your moans are making me squirm, sweetheart, and I can’t do anything about it…” He drops a kiss on my neck. I slide a hand to his head, keeping him there. His tongue soothes after each nibble, sucking lightly until my hips roll in time with his.I need to touch him.
“I can help you do something about it, Tre,” I pant, sliding my hands down his thighs. If this man only knew what he was doing to me right now, how fast I’m ready to drop to my knees and gobble him up, he wouldn’t be playing with fire.
