Page 14 of Fall Love

With her permission, I lay my hand on her stomach again. The next kick isn’t quite as jarring as the first one. More like a gentle roll of her foot. Or an elbow.

“Does that hurt?”

Neve smiles, smoothing a hand right down the middle of her abdomen. “Not really. It’s so strange, though. I didn’t really want to be a mother. Never thought I’d have a baby.” Her brows lift in surprise. “It’s all a little . . . unsettling.”

She glances at me but quickly looks away.

“How do you feel about becoming a mother now?” I find I’m holding my breath, anxious about her answer.

“Still unsettled.” She sighs. “But it’s happening, right?” Her eyes pinch when she gazes back at me.

I can’t get a read on her true feelings, and I wish she would just tell them to me.

“What about you?” She swallows and licks her lips. “Did you ever want to be a dad?” She pauses. “Assuming you aren’t.” Her eyes narrow more. “Are you married?”

Her gaze drops to my left hand.

“Nope.” I pop the p. “I never wanted to be married for the sake of it. I’ve wanted the whole thing. Falling in love, building something real, being a husband, a dad . . . all of it.”

I hesitate to add that it just hasn’t been in the cards for me, because I believe I still have time. I just haven’t found my person.

Neve watches me a beat, eyes unblinking. Maybe the confession was too much. Or maybe she’s really listening to me. Hears the truth in what I’m saying. I want something that I know is missing from my life.

Something around the corner, just out of reach, and yet lingering, possibly waiting, for me.

A strong wind blows over us. A set of leaves rustles toward us and settles beneath our feet.

Strange. I’m not certain where they came from. Must have been carried in the gust.

“I don’t know if I’ll be a good mom.” Neve’s voice is almost tiny as she slips me this little nugget of emotion.

Unable to help myself, I reach for the back of her neck and squeeze. “I bet you’ll be an amazing mother.”

“Why?” Her head whips in my direction again. “You don’t even know me.”

Actually, I knew a few things about her, but none of those were relevant to motherhood.

“Well, you seem kind. You were so nice to my aunt.”

“Miss Charma is special.”

“She certainly is.” I chuckle. “And you seem dedicated, devoted even, to Rusty’s Wrecks.” I understand she’s been the nail in the tire of all potential sales, and I should be working on persuading her to sell. Giving her my pitch and promise with additional incentives to sweeten the pot if necessary. But something feels off about hitting her with the imminent financial ruin of keeping the business, and how the sale would benefit her.

Hessfield Holdings ran a background check on Rusty’s Wrecks past five years of profitability. There isn’t any. Based on what it’s worth as a business, which isn’t much, our offer is over the top, because we want the property for our client. The location is key.

“Do you love her?” I ask, dismissing business thoughts and glancing at her stomach.

“Yeah.” She sighs, then repeats herself almost wistfully. “Yeah, I do.”

Her hands no longer roam her belly but stop in a position that looks more like she’s hugging it, embracing the baby inside.

“I think you’ll be a great mom, then,” I repeat, squeezing her neck one more time, intending to remove it but instead keeping it in place against her warm nape.

We both glance at the ocean until the breeze sends a chill up my spine.

That sense of missing something returns to me, more powerful than I’ve ever felt it.

I almost turn to Neve and ask if she feels the sensation. Like Aunt Charma asked us the other day when she arrived at the garage.