…
Madison reclined on the bed and closed her eyes while Joy nursed. Anxious as she was to get out of the hospital, she’d been a mom long enough to value a moment of calm when one presented itself. Besides, another couple minutes and Hunter would officially be twenty minutes late, which most likely meant—
The door to her room burst open so suddenly she nearly bobbled the baby. Hunter stood framed in the opening.
“Holy crap. You came back.”
He grabbed onto the doorjamb and steadied himself. In his other hand he held a big Target bag. “You doubted me?”
She had. She’d seen the ambushed look on his face when Alyssa had suggested he drive her home. A part of her had expected a nurse to stride in with her keys and some excuse like, Hunter’s sorry, but he had to bail. “It crossed my mind you might have other things to do today.”
“Nope. I’m your taxi.” The door swung closed behind him as he advanced toward the bed, his eyes scanning her face. Then his gaze dropped, and he paused halfway across the room in what struck her as an uncharacteristic display of hesitancy.
Joy’s suckling noises interrupted the silence, and heat swept into her face as she realized she was sitting there with her dress unbuttoned, her nursing bra unclipped, and her breast hanging out. Not even her breast, no, because her breasts—perky curves she remembered from before she’d gone all pear-shaped—had grown into oversized globes with a job to do. She barely recognized them, and she sure as heck didn’t want him getting an eyeful. If he hadn’t been gay already, the sight of her boobs would definitely turn him.
Mortified, she scooped up the baby blanket slung over the bed rail and covered herself, before slumping back against the pillows and resettling the baby. “Sorry.”
“For what? Being a good mom? Want me to come back in ten minutes?”
She closed her eyes and willed herself to relax. “No. Please take a seat. She’s almost done.”
“Okay.” His voice came from the bedside now, and she heard him lower himself into a chair. She forced her eyes open and found him staring at her, so close she could see mesmerizing threads of gold around his pupils. Those dark centers expanded a little as she stared, and she saw something else in there. Something that made her wish they’d met under different circumstances. Like maybe he’d come into the coffee shop where she worked, flirted with her while he’d ordered, and instead of being upset when she’d told him they’d sold out of the coffee of the day, he’d told her she could make it up to him by joining him for dinner. Then she’d step out from around the register, her big nursing-mom boobs and post-birth belly preceding her, and…the fantasy dissolved. Now it was her turn to clear her throat. “You’re not gay, are you?”
The smile returned. She knew because the corners of his eyes crinkled.
“I never said I was gay. I asked if you’d feel better if I told you I was gay.”
“You introduced Beau as your partner.”
“He is my partner. We’ve worked together over five years.”
“Split the hair however you want, Hunter. We both know you lied.”
His gaze never wavered, but he had the good grace to twist his lying lips into an apologetic smile. “I wanted you to be comfortable. You had enough to worry about without adding self-consciousness to the mix.”
Okay, so maybe his motives had been noble, but still. The self-consciousness came back in full force now. Her cheeks flamed again, until a little gurgle erupted from under the blanket.
“She’s done.” Madison shifted the baby to her shoulder and re-clipped the bra. “Give me a second, and we’ll be good to go.”
“No w
orries.” He stood and walked to the window while she quickly buttoned her dress and then put Joy over her shoulder and patted her back. Her good little eater rewarded the effort with a quick burp.
He turned to face her. “I thought maybe you’d like to change before we go.”
She ran a hand down the skirt of the wrinkled dress the nurse had been kind enough to rinse out in the bathroom sink while helping her shower last night. “I…um…this is all I’ve got.”
“I had to stop at Target.” He pointed to the bag he’d left on the chair. “A lady at the store suggested you could use a few things. I went with her suggestions.”
“Oh, that was very sweet of you, but…” She couldn’t afford new clothes. Even so, she peeked inside. A light gray top claimed her attention, and something that looked like coordinated, loose fitting pants. Heaven in a stretchy cotton blend. Then she spied a pale purple sleep bra along with a three-pack of matching undies and felt her face heat. “Thank you.” She’d repay him, somehow. “How much do I owe you?”
The question provoked a frown. “Nothing. Consider it a baby gift.”
“Hunter, you already gave me the best baby gift ever, in the form of a safe delivery of my daughter. Besides, these things don’t qualify, since they’re for me.”
“There’s stuff in there for Joy, too.”
One-handed, she dug past the layer of post-birth loungewear to a five-pack of pink onesies, a little pink and white sweater, matching leggings, and a hat. “I don’t know what to say.”