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Sliders, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, nachos. There’s enough food here to feed an entire pack of a rabid teenagers.
“You weren’t kidding. Did you order their entire menu?”
A sheepish expression crosses his face. “I may have ordered all their appetizer samplers. I didn’t know what you’d be in the mood for, and I didn’t want to call while you were driving.”
“It’s thoughtful. I appreciate it. Besides, I think I’m hungry enough to eat half of it, so as long as you can hold up your half, we’ll be set.”
He lowers the fry he was about to pop into his mouth. “This isn’t a contest. Just eat what you’re hungry for.”
“Oh, heck no. If I’m taking down half of this, you better too. There’s a baby daddy code. No pregnant woman should feel shame for eating for two. Ever heard of sympathy weight?”
Nathan palms his toned, trim abs hiding beneath his shirt. “Um, hate to break it to you, but I haven’t gained a pound.” He grimaces.
“Yeah? Never too late to start.” I gesture the food in front of him with my mozzarella stick.
He shakes his head in disbelief. “I’m not slamming sliders like a spring break eating contest.”
“I hear getting them wet first makes slamming them easier.”
Nathan chokes on his fry, and I break into a fit of giggles. As I compose myself with a drink of bottled water, Nathan takes a deliberate bite of his slider.
“Happy?” he says over a mouthful.
He makes the most mundane things look adorable.
“Very.” I pick up a slider from my own plate and take a bite, entertaining us both with an unladylike groan. “Sorry,” I say with a mouthful. “Told you, I was hungry.”
“Don’t apologize for feeding two of the people I care for the most.”
I point my burger at him. “You stop that right now, mister. Unless you want to unleash the hormone monster because she’s extra testy today.” I fail to hide a chin wobble, so I stuff more food in my mouth as a distraction.
“She doesn’t scare me.”
I gnash my teeth at him. “That’s because I keep her locked up tight.”
“What else do you keep locked up?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I rub my crumb-covered hands together over my plate to clean them off and pick up my napkin to wipe my mouth.
Nathan shrugs. “I would, yeah. I don’t want you to keep anything hidden from me if you don’t need to. Isn’t that what friends are for?”
“You’re just looking to open a can of worms, aren’t you?” A single eyebrow cocks at him.
I carefully descend my stool one foot at a time and gather my plate to load the dishwasher. Nathan bars me from reaching it.
“I got this. Go clean up from work, and I’ll meet you on the sofa.”
I stare up at him a little wide-eyed and inhale his warm, woodsy scent. This is new. This staying after dinner, cleaning up, and channel surfing or whatever it is we’re about to do. I don’t know what he has in mind, but the possibilities entice me.
“Oh. Okay,” I reply a little breathless.
Nathan straightens away and breaks me from my trance.
After washing my face, brushing my hair, and reapplying deodorant, I change out of my work clothes and put on a pair of soft, red plaid pajama bottoms and a basic white tee. It’s one of the few that still fit over my belly even though the bottom hangs out a bit. For a modicum of decency, I leave my bra on. This shirt offers zero nip protection.
Walking out and down the hall, I find Nathan fully reclined along the length of my couch. His eyes are trained on the TV, and with the remote in his hand, he flips through the channels mindlessly. I take in his faded denim jeans, waffle patterned fitted Henley that rides up his abs just enough I can count a few ridges, all the way down to his clean, white socks. A little tingle jolts my girl parts. My pregnancy is just becoming weird if clean socks turn me on.
I ridicule myself for staring and approach the end of the couch. As I cross his sightline, he snaps out of wherever he was and hits
