“She’s still here?” Andrew seemed surprised. “I haven’t seen her since I moved out of the motel.”
“Still here. I’m not sure how much longer she’s staying.”
“Wonder what her story is.”
Hearing the thoughtful curiosity in his tone, Hannah laughed softly and shook her head. “You can’t run checks on everyone in the resort, Andrew. You’re already looking into Chuck and Zach. Have you found out anything about Zach, by the way?”
“That’s what I’ve been doing since I got back from Cavender’s place. Zach’s juvenile records are sealed and he’s kept his nose clean for at least the past couple of years. His band has a few upcoming gigs, and he works part-time giving guitar lessons. He spends a lot of time in bars and clubs, but considering his career aspirations, that’s to be expected.”
Hannah frowned. “Hardly the most secure career he could pursue. Not to mention the lifestyle that goes along with it—constant travel, uncertain income, groupies, drugs...I’d hate to see Lori get wrapped up in all that.”
Andrew chuckled. “Now who’s being overprotective? Not to mention that you’re stereotyping every young guy who ever played in a band. I have a couple of cousins who went through the band stage, and they’ve all turned out okay. Your cousin’s just going through the typical rebellion stage, I wouldn’t worry about it too much.”
“You’re probably right,” Hannah conceded sheepishly. “I guess it comes from being the oldest. I tend to think I have to look after the others.”
“My cousin Jason would identify with that,” Andrew said with a chuckle.
“Is he an eldest cousin, too?”
“Well, technically, he’s the second of the fifteen Walker cousins, but there’s a sixteen-year gap between him and my oldest cousin, Brynn. He’s always seemed like the first of our generation, while Brynn seems more comfortable with our parents.”
Her baby was going to have a lot of relatives, Hannah thought a few minutes later, after Andrew left to eat. She had to occasionally remind herself that the child was as much a Walker as she was a Bell. Just as her parents were going to have to get used to the idea of sharing their grandchild with another set of grandparents. She sighed, telling herself that the sooner she and Andrew broke the news, the sooner everyone could start adjusting. It seemed clear that tonight at dinner would be the natural time, which meant she would warn Andrew to be prepared for the resulting fallout. She had only a few hours to brace herself and decide exactly what she wanted to say.
Chapter Eight
Andrew just happened to be hanging around when Hannah was ready to go back to her place before the planned dinner with her parents. Resisting an impulse to sigh, she climbed into a golf cart with him and allowed him to drive her the half mile home, though she had planned to walk for the exercise. It just seemed easier not to argue. This time.
He insisted on checking her steps and newly constructed railing before she climbed the stairs to her front door. Only when he’d confirmed that everything was solid did he move aside to allow her to enter.
“Thank you,” she said, her sarcasm either sailing over his head or simply going unacknowledged as he followed her in.
“Are you kidding?” she murmured when he then made a show of checking all the windows and the back door for signs of entrance. “Don’t you think you’re carrying this a little too far?”
“Not where your safety is concerned,” he replied, unperturbed by her tone. “Everything looks good.”
“Of course it does.” Shaking her head, she motioned toward the kitchen. “There’s iced tea in the fridge if you want a glass. I want to freshen up before we head to Mom and Dad’s house. Or, of course, you could meet me there later.”
“I’ll have some tea,” he said, not at all to her surprise. He wasn’t leaving her alone even for the half hour remaining before they were expected to join her family for dinner. She was going to have to discuss this with him of course. She would be smothered if she couldn’t have even a few minutes to herself, and she needed to convince him that she was perfectly capable of using caution on her own behalf. It was just one of the many things they were going to talk about after she washed her face, freshened her makeup and brushed her hair—all an excuse to give her a few minutes alone to compose her arguments.
He sat on the couch when she returned, a half-filled glass of tea on the coffee table, his ever-present phone in his hand. More work emails, she suspected. His responsibilities in Dallas had to be weighing on his mind as much as his concerns here.
She sat on the other end of the couch, half turned to face him. “Andrew—”
He set his phone aside. “You want me to back off. I’m trying.”
He had a real knack for knowing exactly what she was about to say. Still, she said, “You can’t be my full-time bodyguard.”
“I know,” he conceded with visible reluctance. He reached out to cover her hand on her knee with his. “I just want to take care of you.”
Something inside her melted in response to his words and the gentle tone in which he’d said them, but she made herself stay strong. “You know, since I found the backbone to divorce Wade a year and a half ago, I’ve gotten into the habit of taking care of myself. I like it.”
“I know that, too. And I have to admit, it makes me wonder if there’s a place for me in the life you’ve made for yourself.”
She moistened her lips, trying to decide what he meant. Was he saying he wanted a place in her life? Permanently?
The baby gave a particularly vigorous kick to her rib cage, probably because she was twisted on the couch, and she shifted into a more comfortable position, her free hand going automatically to her side. Andrew followed that movement with his eyes. “Is she kicking?”
“Yes. Do you want to feel her?” After their lovemaking last night, he had been fascinated by the hard little lumps and bumps beneath her skin, the rolling, kicking movements of their child inside her. Hannah had fallen asleep very quickly, but she wondered how long Andrew had lain awake, thinking about the future, visualizing the daughter he would be meeting in a few months.