Jeremy went around to the foot of the bed and sat, covering his mouth with a hand. Tori watched him as he stared at the monitor, feeling her heart slipping bit by bit. He said he didn’t trust. He’d had a loveless childhood, from the sounds of it. And yet he was capable of so much feeling. He was good, underneath it all. She truly believed that. Could she keep her feelings for him under wraps? Wait it out until they faded? Wasn’t it natural to have feelings about the father of her baby?
Even if they weren’t returned...or couldn’t lead anywhere?
She looked back at the monitor again, and the form of her unborn child there. Every decision she made had to be for the good of her baby. They were the most important thing now.
“Okay, give me a few minutes and I’ll take some pictures for you.” The tech started moving the wand again, then held it in position and hit a few keys. She tried again and started to chuckle. “Your baby’s moving around in there and won’t sit still. So much for napping.”
It took another few minutes but then it was done and the tech gave her a towel to wipe away the gel as the pictures printed. “I’ll give you a few minutes to put yourself back together.” She handed the pictures to Jeremy. “Congratulations.”
Tori wiped off the gel and adjusted her clothing, then got up from the bed and dropped the cloth in the used bin. When she returned, she stopped in front of Jeremy. “Are you okay?”
He nodded. “I think so.” He reached out and pulled her closer, so his hand was on her hip and his face was just below her breasts. He cradled her bump and then, to her surprise, placed a kiss on it. Tears stung her eyes at the tender gesture.
“Are you real?” she asked softly, putting her hands on each side of his head. He looked up and into her eyes. “You could have run the moment you found out. You could have offered to buy me off. You could have made demands. But you haven’t, and I don’t understand, and I’m... I’m afraid that someday soon there’s going to be a price I need to pay and I don’t know what it is.”
He sighed, a heavy, weighted sigh that sounded so weary she wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“I’m trying to do the right thing,” he finally said. “I’m as responsible for this as you are. There is no blame and if there is, we share it equally. The truth is, that’s my child in there. I saw them on the screen and saw their heart beating. It’s humbling, Tori. I have no idea how to do this but I want us to try.”
“Us,” she said, a bit numb from what she thought he might mean.
“We’re going to be parents together. We like each other. For God’s sake, we kissed the other day.”
“You kissed me,” she clarified, though her heart thumped against her ribs.
He stood then, so she had to look up the tiniest bit. “If you tell me there’s nothing between us at all, I’ll drop the subject right now. But if there is, don’t we owe it to our baby to try?”
“If we blow it, the stakes are really high,” she responded. And yet he was so close she could smell his cologne and feel his warmth. She couldn’t lie and say there was nothing between them because there was. Both the attraction from the summer, and the depth of character he’d shown since his return. He’d been far more understanding than a lot of men might have been.
“Look. Look at this picture and tell me this little nugget doesn’t deserve us to try at the very least.”
She hesitated but couldn’t take her eyes off the ultrasound picture. And he’d called him or her a nugget. It was an adorable little name.
Jeremy cupped her cheek, then kissed her forehead. “Let me take you home. Maybe we can talk it over.”
Her home. Where she had, in all likelihood, conceived their child. Where they’d spent lazy evenings after a day at the beach. And lazy morning-afters, watching the sunrise.
“Okay,” she replied. “Let’s go home. And talk.”
Because she was really unsure about this step, and they needed to set some solid boundaries.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SHE WAS VERY aware of how small her house was when they stepped in it again, Jeremy for the first time since last July. Just under a thousand square feet meant two bedrooms, a small kitchen with dining area to the side, a modest living room and a bathroom that was smaller than the closet in his suite at the Sandpiper. Still, it suited her well. It was cozy, and it was hers.
He didn’t seem to mind as he removed his coat and draped it over the back of her sofa. He slipped off his shoes, too, and left them by the door, stepping inside in his socks. Today he’d worn jeans and a simple sweater, and the look of him in casual clothing, so approachable, made her want to slip into his arms. But she couldn’t. Not with what he’d suggested hovering between them.
Could they be more than simple co-parents? More than...friends?
“You’re nervous,” he said quietly, moving toward her. “Don’t be.”
“How can I not?” She turned around, folding her hands in front of her. “What you said... It would change everything. I was thinking we could just be friends. Work together as a team. But not...”
Her voice trailed off.
“Not lovers?” he answered, reaching out and putting his hand along her upper arm, rubbing gently.
“Yes, that,” she answered, trying hard to keep her breath even. Right now, despite the thread of desire winding its way through her body, she couldn’t imagine having sex with him. Her body had changed. Heck, everything had changed. It certainly wouldn’t be a summer fling.