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ChapterTwenty-Three
Chase
When I walked across the room, Hallie turned around with a smile. I hated how my old instincts kicked in. I was searching her eyes for some sort of sign that she was hiding something. There was nothing. Her expression was open.
“I was just talking to my friend Jonathan, the one who’s expecting a baby with his husband. Between them and Jasmine, we’ll have some baby parent friends,” she explained.
Relief rushed through me. I smiled, recalibrating and forcing myself not to get stuck in that old rut of distrust, of questioning.
“Oh, that will be nice. You mentioned that, but how far along is the surrogate?”
“Two months ahead of me. I'm going to go to lunch with Jasmine this afternoon. Do you mind?”
“Of course not.”
I was a little unsettled by how quickly I imagined a life with Hallie. I wanted her to have her own connections here in Willow Brook, not just me.
Donovan was a friend, and Jasmine was by extension as they were married. Her older brother, Levi, and I had been in the same grade in high school. Back then, she’d just been the little sister Levi tried to ignore.
“I'm sure she'll love that,” I added.
“Should I be nervous?” Hallie asked.
“You might be, but I promise Jasmine's really nice.”
“How long have you known her?”
I shrugged. “As long as I can remember. Her brother and I were in high school together. Levi Phillips. She’s a few years younger. Her husband, Donovan, is also a hotshot. Good guy. Totally solid.”
Hallie took a quick breath before nodding. “Midnight Sun Arts is a good gallery. Ethan and Jack, the owners, are really nice. Being able to show here would be great.”
“When are you meeting her?”
Hallie spun her phone around on the counter, looking down at it. “She said to meet her at twelve thirty. She said we’ll have lunch while we chat.”
“Ooh, nice. As you know, the food there is good.”
“I'll bring you some takeout.” She flashed me a smile. “What do you want?”
“Anything.”
“Don't you have a preference?”
“Haven’t you noticed yet? I will literally eat anything,” I said flatly.
Hallie giggled, spinning and rounding the counter to cross over to me. She stopped in front of me, reaching for my hands before leaning up and pressing a quick kiss on my lips. It felt as if she sent a little flame licking across the surface. The heat spun inside me.
When she left to meet Jasmine a half an hour later, I told myself my questioning earlier had been ridiculous. I needed to break those habits. They were like old ruts in the mud of my brain, left behind by my mother and the games she’d played with my father for my entire life.
It was dark when I opened my eyes. Hallie was curled up beside me, her bottom nestled into the curve of my hips. My arousal was unabashed and unable to resist responding when she shifted slightly and sighed.
Damn. Hallie was everything I didn't expect and then some. I rose slightly on an elbow to peer at the clock.
The digital numbers glowed in the darkness, telling me it was 5:00 a.m. I knew I wouldn't fall back asleep. Normally, I'd want to roll out of bed, get up to make coffee, and prowl about the house. At this hour, I would even work on construction. I’d turn on my spotlights and use my portable heaters in the darkness. It was a good time to get things done.
But just now, I had Hallie warm and soft against me. I smoothed my hand over her hair and over her shoulder before letting it slide to rest on the curve of her belly. I'd seen many pregnant women in my life, but I’d never even thought much about it.
But with Hallie and the round curve of her belly—growing by the day, it seemed—it represented so much. To me. To her. To us. Just thinking about it knocked the breath from my chest.
