A big crib box, a few nondescript boxes, a stroller box, and a highchair. I don’t know what you need for a baby, but I can’t gather you’d need much more than this, and just these things must have cost a fortune. A fortune, that judging by her car, I’m not sure she has.
“Okay, so Santa’s gifts aside, maybe you can reimburse some of your costs with a cash only shower. Do they do that?”
She smiles, unlocking the front door. “No, Dodge. They don’t do that. Besides, I’m not sure who I’d invite. I’m kind of alone out here.”
I forgot Ash is without a family. Fuck.I should’ve remembered that. Following her inside, it’s easy to see I was right about the money thing. She has two lawn chairs in the living room for sitting, a card table in the makeshift dining room, and the kitchen is missing a big refrigerator. Instead, a mini fridge sits on the countertop.
“It’s not much, but I’m working on getting everything I need.” She sighs. “I made so much money stripping. I make only a fraction of that at the shop. I thought the tips would be bigger. I’m probably going to have to take a second job at the diner.” She pulls a pot from under the sink and a tumbling guilt takes over. She hasn’t got enough money to worry about feeding me too. “I hope you don’t mind. All I have is pasta.”
“Pasta sounds perfect, but I just thought… maybe you’re tired from being on your feet all day. I don’t mind running back into town to grab something.”
She glares at me. “Don’t you dare feel sorry for me! I’m working my ass off.”
I hold up my hands, as though she’s got a gun to my head. “Okay… okay. Pasta sounds good. Sorry I said anything.”
Her eyes roll and she looks down at the oven, watching the water as it bubbles.
She’s always had some walls, but they’re even more concrete now. I’m not sure how to break them down. I drag in the first box from the porch. It’s a highchair and should be an easy place to start. “I thought about you a lot since the weekend at the cabin.”
She laughs under her breath and adjusts the temperature of the water. “This is what I’m talking about. We haven’t talked in months. You didn’t call me once when we got back. I thought we were starting something.”
Given the number of times our lips touched that weekend, I’d say the same. I couldn’t keep my hands off her. Even now, I’m having a hard time. There’s something about this barefoot and pregnant look that’s really doing it for me.
I drag in a deep breath and pull out my pocketknife, slicing the box open. “You really want to know the truth?”
She looks down at the boiling water, then up at me. “Is it mean? I can’t take anymore harsh news today.”
“No,” I laugh, pulling the legs to the highchair out of the box. “I just… I caught all these weird feelings for you that weekend, but you’re so young. Hell, you’re the same age as my baby sister. I couldn’t get over how weird it felt.”
Her dark eyes look away again and I fear I’ve made the situation worse. So, I do what I do best, and keep talking. “Is that weird? The age thing?”
She shrugs and rolls her eyes. “Mark is my age and look how compatible we are. Besides, I didn’t really think of you as old.” She pours angel hair into the water, then leans against the back counter, running her hand over the top of her stomach. “That’s not a good excuse, anyway. You could’ve talked to me about the age thing. You didn’t want me because your sister told you I might be pregnant, didn’t she?”
I pull back my head. There’s a tone in her voice that I don’t care for, so I stand and make my way toward her. “She never told me anything. Why would you assume that?”
She laughs, twisting her hair to her shoulder. “Are you kidding?”
My gaze widens and my hand lands on her chin like it’s been there a thousand times before, like we haven’t missed a beat since we walked away from one another. I draw her gaze up to mine. “You’ve always been a mouthy one.”
She doesn’t push away. She meets my stare and maybe even leans in closer. “I think my reasoning for mistrust is warranted. Don’t you? I mean, I’m twenty-four, and pregnant with the devil's baby. I’m exhausted all the time and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to take a second job just to afford this disaster.” Her voice goes from strong to shaky in a matter of seconds as tears roll down her cheek in heavy succession. “I’m never going to figure any of this out, Dodge. What business do I have raising a baby? And what do I tell him? Your mom was a stripper who got knocked up by some jerk at a bar and now he wants nothing to do with you?” She buries her face in her hand. “I’m a mess. You should go. I’m sorry.”
I wrap my arm around her and pull her into my chest. “Why don’t I finish dinner and you get off your feet? I’ll bring you some tea.”
She looks up at me, tears still falling. “No, Dodge. I don’t even know why you’re here. You made it clear that you never wanted to see me again after the cabin. I don’t need to—”
A loud bang hits outside the cabin door, and then another. Ash leans in closer, wrapping her arms around my waist as she glares up at me. “What was that?”
I shake my head. “Stay here. I’ll check.”
“No! What if it’s a bear or a maniac?”
I suppose it could be either. We get all kinds of folks hiding up here in the woods, and bears are everywhere this time of year. She holds my arm tight, and though I like the possessiveness she shows toward me, I have to check the porch.
“I’ll be right back. You sit in the chair and relax. Everything is going to be fine.”
I truly believe that the noise we’ve heard is a branch snapping off the nearby maple. The wind is whipping tonight and there were some low-hanging branches on my way in. But when I open the front door, I’m left with a much different conclusion.
There’s a heavy rock with a note rubber-banded around it… and I know just who sent it.
