The Child Who Changed Them (Parent Portal 5)

He took a minute to reassess. “Yeah. I know I certainly don’t want any more complications added to the mix.”

“Me, either.”

“So we’re good?” He was serious as he looked over at her.

“We’re good.”

“Then would you mind getting the hell out of here so I can get up and go to bed?”

She didn’t look at his crotch. She might or might not know why he chose not to get up with her there.

He figured there were some things best left unsaid.

* * *

The night of the television incident was a turning point where Elaina’s dealings with Greg were concerned. He was still working nights—getting home a little after midnight most evenings—so she wasn’t seeing him all that much, but she felt differently about having him at the house. His initial desire of wanting to be around during her pregnancy still stood and she was fine to have him there. He’d accepted the full-time ED position at Oceanfront, but had decided to put off looking for a house of his own until after the baby was born.

The change wasn’t in their situation, but more in how she felt about having him in her space. Knowing she could talk to him honestly, openly, seemed to free up something inside her that had been under lock and key for a very long time.

With no expectations between them, and no past romantic history to speak of, she didn’t have to worry about hurting him. Or letting him down.

And she trusted him to listen to her. Not just to hear her words, but to really listen. Just as she listened to him. Because they both had one common goal—to bring their child into a healthy environment, and then to raise it in one.

As another couple of weeks passed, she thought about Greg more and more. Wanting to spend some real time with him, to talk about baby things.

Mostly.

The man’s musky scent in her home, his notes on the fridge, his dishes in the dishwasher, the trash disappearing from the can, a soft sound coming from the living room lulling her back to sleep if she happened to wake up in the night were all settling in on her, though she knew, too, that they weren’t a permanent part of her new reality.

But this new routine seemed to have a particularly noticeable side effect—she was more turned on by him than ever. To the point of having dreams about the sex they used to share. Only in her dreams, they’d be in a place she didn’t recognize. Or his face would suddenly disappear.

She’d wake up hot, needing to feel him inside her, and blanketed in a sense of foreboding that left a shadow on her. She was pretty sure—based on what she’d seen that night he’d come in from the pool, and then again on the night on the couch—that he was suffering some of the same, and that added sparks to the fire. But she was also aware of the sense of regret that would follow if they gave in to the fiery attraction. They had too much at stake to ruin it with lust.

She’d left a note for Greg telling him about the dog adoption day at the shelter in Mission Viejo, and another one mentioning that her sixteen-week check was coming up and asking if he wanted to be there. When he’d replied in the affirmative to both, she scheduled the doctor’s appointment on the same day as the adoption day, thinking it would be easier just to go from one to the other.

What it did was have them spending the whole day together. They would go together to these appointments from her house, as they’d both scheduled the day off.

She’d come out of her suite only long enough to get her morning tea and toast, taking it back to her suite to consume while she had a relaxing soak in the tub and then got ready. And yet she felt his presence. While she lay naked, submerged in warm bubbles, while she was drying off, rubbing every inch of her skin with the soft fluffy towel, and when she chose her clothes.

She’d told herself to dress for comfort. And the black leggings and tight white T-shirt were definitely that. But they also made her feel...feminine. Attractive.

While her tummy wasn’t showing her pregnancy yet, there was definitely more of a roundness there than normal for her, and she wanted to show that off—to the man who’d put it there.

And for once she left her hair down around her shoulders and down her back. Greg loved her hair. Thought it silky and lush. Had played with it in any number of ways...

Truth was, she liked it that way, too, which was why she’d left it long. It had become habit to keep it tightly pulled back and out of the way during all of the months of therapy. And then, so it didn’t get in the way during medical school.

But maybe her hairstyle had all been part of the hold she’d put on her life...

Shaking her head against the thought, not wanting such a serious intrusion on a day off, she grabbed a pair of gold hoop earrings Wood had given her for Christmas when Peter had still been alive, put them in and slid into her favorite wedge sandals.

Greg was waiting for her in the kitchen. In beige shorts with pockets down the thighs, a black shirt and black slip-ons, he looked like a guy any dog would run up to and adopt. His glance at her, the way he turned abruptly and poured the rest of his coffee down the drain, rinsed the cup, put it in the dishwasher and then reached for his keys...gave her a wonderful sense of being appreciated.

And a reminder that she had a responsibility to the choices they’d made, too. There’d be no flirting. No making more of the day than it was.

“I’ll drive,” she said, grabbing her keys as she put her satchel over her shoulder. And not to be disrespectful or thinking her desires automatically won out, she added, “Your car, being basically a two-seater, isn’t really big enough to bring a pet home, if we do get one today.”

Though she’d been approved by the animal shelter, she was trying not to get too excited about the prospect of a dog. Was trying to remain practical in light of the baby coming and the hours they both worked. Didn’t want to make a selfish choice.