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Was I doing the right thing by keeping Miles in the dark about the pregnancy? I didn’t know, exactly, but I suspected he might feel burdened or worse, obligated, by the news. I didn’t ever want to be anyone’s obligation, especially when I could handle it on my own, or with the help of professionals.
Still, Mara’s words about cruelty stuck with me and made me feel guilty about the secret I was keeping. It made it harder to be around Miles, which was unfortunate because the more time we spent together, the more I enjoyed spending time with him. He wasn’t just funny and gorgeous, he was kind and generous, and he had an incredible laugh, so deep and rich and contagious that I longed to hear it when he wasn’t around.
The nonstop ringing of the doorbell broke through my thoughts and I blinked, realizing I still sat at the kitchen table where Mara and I had been busy working. My back ached and my butt tingled as feeling came back when I stood, stretching to remove some of the kinks from my joints. The bell kept ringing and I slowly made my way to answer it, wondering what was so damn important.
It was Miles. Of course, it was him. “Hey Miles. I’m not feeling all that well so it’s not the best time for a visit.” He was a welcome sight in his plain white t-shirt and worn light blue denim that hugged his legs in all that right places, but I couldn’t do it right now. I couldn’t pretend.
Miles flashed that boyish smile that was at such odds with his utterly masculine physique. “I heard you weren’t up to Trivia Night in Tulip so I’ve decided to come and nurse you back to health, because that’s what friends do. Or so I’m told. None of my friends ever offered this kind of service.”
His words brought a smile to my face as I imaged his Navy buddies dressed up in a nurse uniform, muscles bursting out of the little white dress. “I’m not actually sick, Miles. I’m tired and not feeling all that great so you don’t need to nurse me back to health.”
“Too bad,” he said and pushed his way inside. “I’ve already picked up soup with extra garlic for faster healing, fresh bread and my secret feel good ingredient. Mashed potatoes.” He held up his bag of goodies and the smell was amazing rather than nausea-inducing and I nodded, taking a step back.
“Fine, you and the food can come inside.”
His deep chuckle reverberated through me as I followed him down the short hall to the kitchen. “You can pretend it’s the promise of mashed potatoes all you want, Shannon, but we both know it’s my sparkling personality you can’t get enough of.”
“That and your modesty. Irresistible,” I told him in a flat voice that made him laugh again.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He unpacked the items in the bag before pausing to look at me, no, to stare at me. “You really do look pale, are you sure you’re all right?”
I nodded, feeling a different type of nausea return at his words. Did I look so horrible that it was noticeable? “Just tired. The early hours of the bakery must finally be getting to me, I guess.” What was another lie when the one I was keeping was already so big and overwhelming?
“Why don’t you go relax on the sofa while I serve? You can even pick what we watch.” His lips twitched and I knew he was trying to lighten the mood.
“Oh, can I? How kind of you to let me choose what I watch in my own home.”
“Right? I’m just that kind of guy, Shan.”
I ignored that goosebumps that broke out over my skin and the smile that threatened when Miles shortened my name. I wasn’t really a nickname kind of girl. Not only did my name not lend itself to a proper nickname, I didn’t have a quirk or standout feature that produced a nickname. It felt intimate, like we really were becoming friends.
But not just friends, Mara’s plain-spoken voice echoed in my head.
I found an old sitcom from the nineties on one of the streaming services and I was singing along to the theme song when Miles entered with a bowl filled with garlic bread. “They don’t make theme songs like they used to,” I informed him in an effort to distract from my tone deaf performance.
“I’m just impressed that you still remember the words. Were you even alive when this show aired the first time?”
“Nope, but when Teresa and Tessa moved in, I spent a lot of time in my room wishing I had a TV sitcom family.” It was a pathetic admission but it didn’t feel wrong to share it with Miles. “I’ve probably seen them all.”
