AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Brynn smiled hesitantly at him. “Yes. Good to see you again.”
Finn nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“Do you know what you want? Same cravings as before? Burger with extra pickles and a shake?” Brynn turned her attention to Charli.
Charli smiled. “You know me too well.”
A pang of hurt bounced through him. He should know these things. He’d been home for weeks, and he still didn’t know what his wife was craving.
“And for you?” Brynn’s eyes only met his for a moment before she stared at the menu in his hands.
His gaze searched the list of items. “I’ll just have the same as Charli but with no pickles. You can give them to her.”
“Got it. I’ll bring your shakes in a few minutes.” Brynn tapped the pen to the paper before she turned and left.
“She seemed nice,” Finn said, unwrapping his set of silverware.
Charli placed a hand on her belly. “She is.”
“How did you meet her?”
Her gaze dropped. “At the meeting I attend, actually. But don’t say anything about that to her.”
“I won’t,” he promised. Brynn also attended the meeting for survivors of sexual assault? Maybe that’s why she’d shied away from him. His grip tightened on the spoon he unwrapped. He’d just about had his fill of men who thought they could lay a hand on a woman. Damn if Charli wasn’t the bravest woman he knew. She brought out the protective instincts in him like no one else.
“So, pickles, huh?” He smirked, changing the subject.
The corner of Charli’s mouth turned up. “Don’t judge.”
He lifted his hands, palms facing her. “Me? Never.”
She laughed. His heart skipped at the sound.
Warmth and light radiated from her. This woman affected him. And just maybe, he was falling for her, one tinkling laugh at a time. But something was still holding him back. A part of him remained tethered to the past. Questions left unanswered, festering in the back of his mind. Maybe he did need to meet up with his ex for some closure. And perhaps she could help him trigger valuable memories. Then he could put whatever they’d had behind him and move on to a future with Charli.
21
Finn
The paper on the examination table crinkled as Finn helped Charli climb on top of it. The hospital gown she wore flapped open, giving him a tantalizing peek of her backside.
“Where should I, uh, stand?” he asked, searching the tiny room that was no bigger than a decent closet.
“Over here, by my head.” Charli patted her left side with a tiny space between her and the wall.
Finn walked around, taking in the large machine that looked more like an outdated computer from a bygone era.
Charli reached out and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. “Are you nervous?”
“Never,” he answered far too quickly.
She shot him a look of disbelief.
“Okay, maybe a little.” The truth was his body was buzzing like a hive of honeybees.
She gave him an easy smile. “I promise the ultrasound is actually pretty cool.”
He swallowed the bundle of nerves that stuck in his throat. He was about to get a sneak peek at his child.
