“Um, I didn’t hear that Adam. I am the sheriff of Red Hook and last I heard, kidnapping was against the law.” Noah snorted. He kept on working.
Adam laughed, feeling so much better. This had to work. “Let’s get busy, Noah. I have a kidnapping to plan and your wife is going to be my accomplice.”
“Great,” Noah muttered. “At this rate I will never get re-elected.”
* * * *
Faith put her feet up in a chair and rubbed her stomach. It was finally round and her pregnancy was obvious to everyone. People were kind, offering her their congratulations. Thanks to Adam’s speech at the Garcia restaurant, everyone knew he was the father. Nina still gave her dirty looks when they saw each other, but she no longer made snide remarks.
Thinking of the baby always made her think of Adam. He was so nice to her now. He went to every appointment with her and took her out to lunch afterwards. He treated her like a fragile piece of glass. He hadn’t made love to her again, but he took every opportunity to touch her or caress her. She felt like she was in a constant state of desire and confusion.
He and his brother Liam had painted the nursery yellow for her. She didn’t have any furniture yet, but she knew she had to do that soon. Alana was talking about giving her a baby shower, but she told Alana that she had no friends besides Alana and her sister Alicia. She always had such a habit of keeping to herself even on her days off work.
She was five months along now and finally she could eat and not get sick.
Her cell phone buzzed and she took it out. It was a text from Alana. She wanted to know if she could drop by later. She had some magazines of baby furniture to give her. Faith smiled and replied yes.
Alana had become a close friend. They often met for dinner. Noah was a great guy and loved his wife very much. She envied their relationship, but she shouldn’t complain. Adam was going to be a great father. She had no doubt of that. Plus her baby would have family, something she and Holly never had.
Faith yawned as she looked around the empty coffee shop. She was exhausted and knew she would sleep well tonight. It had been a busy night. At first it had been hard to adjust to living alone. Even though Holly was a busy person it had felt good knowing she would be home soon. She understood it made sense for Holly to share with a girl from nursing school. They could study together and carpool. But the house was so quiet and still. It got to her sometimes.
She heard a knock on the door and turned to see Adam standing outside. He was holding something in his hand as he waved.
She gave him a friendly smile and walked toward the locked door. Her pulse sped up and her heartbeat increased. It was so hard to keep a distance between them. Her resolve to keep her distance was getting harder with each passing day.
She loved spending time with Adam, but it was dangerous. It would be so easy to let the dreams in her imagination take over. Then she would end up hurting worse than she was now. It was better to stay strong and just be his friend.
She opened the door to let him in.
“Hey Adam. I was expecting Alana.”
He nodded. “She got held up at work, so she sent me over.”
He set the stack of magazines down on a nearby table. “How are you feeling?”
“Tired. Hungry.” She answered honestly. “I haven’t seen you in a while. Everything okay?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, nothing new except I got a three-day weekend.”
“Wow, three whole days,” she teased. “What are you going to do?”
He smiled at her. He looked so handsome and she was tempted to caress his cheek in a loving gesture, but she didn’t have that right. “Let me give you a ride home and I’ll tell you.”
She had been walking the four blocks to and from work lately. The weather was warm but not hot. It counted as her exercise. She grabbed her purse and he picked up the magazines for her. She made sure to lock up and followed him to his truck. She was glad he didn’t bring his bike. Her stomach would be in the way if she tried to hold on to him.
He started driving to her house. “I know of this small cabin by a lake an hour away. Quiet and peaceful. I rented it. I’ve been there plenty of times.”
She tried not to let him know she would miss spying him around town. They didn’t talk every day, but she often spotted him at the restaurant or grocery store. He texted her and called her at night just to talk about their days. They had settled into an easy friendship she enjoyed. She tried to not wish for more. “That sounds relaxing. Do you fish?”
“Yes ma’am,” he said in his Texas drawl. Faith laughed.
They pulled into her driveway. “H
ave fun, Adam. You work so hard and you deserve a relaxing few days.”
“Oh I will, because you are coming with me,” he announced, looking pleased with himself.
“What?” She gasped.