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“No, it’s perfect,” she assured both of us with a friendly smile.
I barely noticed her clean the gel off Teddy’s belly, and the conversation between them came out muddled like I was under water. All of it suddenly became more real than it was even an hour ago. She was no more pregnant than she’d been then, but now the baby was real, even though Teddy was still as thin as she ever was. We drove home in a daze, after one of the most stressful three hours of my life, second only to the first twenty-four hours in prison. “Do you need any help?” I asked when I got her inside and back on the sofa.
Teddy rolled her eyes but I saw the small, sweet smile she tried to hide. “No, I’m fine. I’m going to try and clean the hospital stink off me.” She looked away and sighed before turning back to me. “Thank you, Tate. For being there for me. We’ll talk over dinner?” She moved to the wheelchair and looked up at me again. Waiting.
I gave a short nod and disappeared into the kitchen, making as much noise as possible so I wouldn’t hear the spray of the shower and think about the water droplets drip over the swell of her breast, down her long legs. I tried to push those thoughts out of my mind by thinking about the fact that she still hadn’t said anything about us. I poured out my fucking heart and told her I loved her, but she kept her thoughts and feelings to herself.
Patience wasn’t my strong suit, but I was trying to be the man Teddy needed me to be. The man she deserved. That man would’ve understood her reluctance to talk until she knew the baby was safe. Instead, I tried to push it while we waited and she’d shut down completely.
So now I was in the kitchen, making a healthy dinner for the mother of my child. The only woman to ever hold my heart. By the time Teddy made it back to the kitchen wearing a smile and a pretty little dress, the potatoes were boiling and the steaks sat in marinade, waiting for the broiler. “Hospital stink gone?”
She laughed and shrugged. “As much as I can get it done without a shower.”
“Duh. That’s right. You can’t get that thing wet. I could help, you know, and for once I don’t mean it in a dirty way.” But I smiled and wiggled my brows anyway, because I was a man and this woman was mine. I’d never pass up a chance to get dirty with her.
“Careful, Golden Boy, I might take you up on that offer.”
“Please do,” I told her as I drained the potatoes and put the steaks in the oven before turning to her. “It would be my pleasure and punishment to help you get clean.” She smiled up at me and I had to blink because I thought maybe I saw love there, but it was gone so quickly I couldn’t be sure.
“It smells delicious in here.”
“I figured after that scare
in the parking lot we could both use a good meal.”
“I appreciate it, but you didn’t have to.”
This was starting to piss me off. “Teddy we both know I don’t do shit I don’t want to do, so cut it out.” I brought all the food to the table and we sat across from one another, eating in silence. “I didn’t know what exactly was good for the baby, but I knew those stinky ass cheeses weren’t good and neither was shrimp. Can’t go wrong with steak.”
She hummed her agreement.
“Need me to cut it for you?”
She waved me away and forked the steak whole, lifting it to her mouth with a satisfied smile on her face. When half her steak was eaten, she sat back and looked at me.
“I’m sorry about lying about the baby, but I needed to wrap my head around it first. I couldn’t let anyone else’s opinion influence me.”
I sighed, trying really fucking hard not to be offended. “You thought I would tell you to get rid of it?” If so, she definitely didn’t love me because she didn’t fucking know me.
Her blue eyes went so wide they practically bugged out of her head. “No, I thought you would urge me to keep it and I wasn’t sure if that was the right decision.” She blew out a breath, like it was a relief to get it out there.
But I frowned. “Because of me?”
She laughed but the sound was hollow and bitter. “No, Tate. Because of me. I don’t know jack shit about how a family is supposed to behave. I’m not sure I even know how to behave.” She snorted another laugh. “Every mother figure I’ve ever had in my life let me down and I wasn’t sure I was willing to risk bringing a child into that.”
“And now?” I had to know.
“Now I’m sure I’ll do better. I’ll read every mommy book under the sun, do my best by hovering and helicoptering and whatever else comes along to make sure this kid is the smartest, funniest, best kid around.”
She was definitely certain. It was evident in her tone, in that look of fierce determination and that sexy smile she wore. But I only nodded, waiting to see if I played any role in this future she laid out.
“Then there’s us,” she began, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “You were...unexpected. Together we were...two ships in the night, maybe.”
“And now? What are we now?”
She smiled again and nodded. “We are...us.”
“You’re not anything bitch. Golden Boy is mine, damn you!”
