7
Bailey
I had a feeling of déjà vu when I woke up, wrapped in Wyatt’s arms after another passionate night. The last time I’d been in this exact same spot, I’d freaked out and left before he realized I was gone. It was tempting to try it again, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to go far. My conscience wouldn’t let me, not when I was pregnant with his baby—and neither would he. He’d made that obvious when he’d told me he’d looked for me when I’d left before. I let it sink in for a moment.
Wyatt looked for me.
No, that was an understatement.
He’d searched the entire state of Nebraska trying to find me. Me, the inexperienced virgin he’d fucked against a wall.
Our situation was sudden, there was no arguing how quickly things had happened between us. The way I reacted to him was scary. Knowing I was pregnant with his baby was life-changing. But it was all a little bit thrilling, realizing a man like him wanted me so badly. Wyatt’s leg slid between mine as he stirred, sending tingles up my spine. Correction, our situation was panty-meltingly explosive.
As tempting as it was to enjoy the feel of his warm body against mine, I needed to pee. Immediately. I was contemplating how to extricate myself from his hold to escape to the bathroom when my stomach let out the loudest growl in the history of the world. Busted by my own belly.
“Fuck,” Wyatt groaned in a gravelly voice, his arms tightening around me. “I should have made sure you had a snack before we fell asleep. You barely touched your dinner and it sounds like my boy needs to be fed.”
I couldn’t argue the not eating much part because the smell of the pot roast had kept my stomach rolling last night. Apparently, I was in the night sickness phase instead of morning sickness because I was starving without a hint of nausea right now. But the boy part? Yeah, that I could argue. “I think you mean my girl needs breakfast.”
He rubbed his chin against my neck, his stubble scraping against my tender skin and leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“You give me a baby girl and I just might have to spank your ass again.”
My face heated at the reminder of how I’d reacted to the feel of his palm smacking against my skin last night. It had been insanely hot and now I was wondering if there was anything I could do to guarantee we had a girl. Getting a sexy spanking from Wyatt definitely wasn’t a deterrent. I didn’t want him to be aware of that little fact, though, since I wanted the chance to earn some ass taps in the future.
I decided a little sass might move it along. “Are you telling me you would love a son more than a daughter?”
“Of course not,” he answered, clearly annoyed at my assumption. “But, boys I don’t have to worry about. If our daughter was half as beautiful as her mommy, I’d have to lock her in a tower where boys can’t get to her”—he paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully—“A chastity belt wouldn’t be out of the realm of consideration, either.”
I rolled my eyes and laughed, but inside I was swooning. “How about you find me some food while I’m in the bathroom and we can worry about the sex of our baby later? I’m not even sure when we can find out what we’re having.” Holy crap, I was going to have a baby and I didn’t know anything about pregnancy or being a parent. I’d never even held a baby before. “I need to go to the bookstore today.”
“Bathroom, food and a bookstore,” Wyatt chuckled. “I think I can manage all that for you, but not until I get my good morning kiss. I missed out on one last time and promised myself I would start all of my days with a kiss from you once I managed to find you. I didn’t expect it to take so damn long, but now I’m more than ready to make up for all the mornings I missed.”
He didn’t give me a chance to object, cupping my face in his palm and tilting my head so he could capture my lips. It wasn’t a closed lip, worried about morning breath kiss, either. This was an all-consuming, heart-pounding, forget about how much I needed to use the bathroom kiss. My legs were shaking so badly by the time he released me, I was barely able to stumble away from the bed.
My cheeks were still flushed and my lips swollen when I stared at myself in the mirror while washing my hands. I splashed cold water on my face, hoping to hide just how much his kiss had affected me. We had serious issues to discuss today, and Wyatt didn’t need to know he had a secret weapon in his arsenal. With the way he made me melt, I needed all the advantages I could get, including a hearty breakfast to start my morning. A much needed one based on the painful, gnawing sensation in my stomach.
I wandered into the kitchen and found Wyatt standing in front of the fridge, his arm resting on the open door. “Feed me,” I whimpered.
He turned to look at me, an apologetic look on his face while he shut the fridge door. “Remember when I promised you food?”
“Umm, yeah. It was only a couple minutes ago.”
“We’re going to have to go out for breakfast because there’s practically no food in the house,” he admitted. “Certainly nothing I’d feel safe serving to you since I’m not even sure how long any of the leftover containers have been in there.”
I scooted past him and opened the fridge door, finding a pizza box, Chinese takeout containers and beer on the shelves. Glancing at the door, I noticed butter, milk and a bottle of syrup. “Breakfast might just be saved.” I moved to the pantry, pulling open the door and searching the almost bare shelves for anything resembling pancake mix or flour. I let out a startled laugh, surprised to learn he didn’t even have enough of the most basic staples on hand. The house might not look like it on the surface, but Wyatt’s place was definitely a bachelor pad. “Scratch that, we’re definitely going out to eat.” My stomach growled loudly again. “Now.”
I wasn’t happy putting my clothes back on from the day before to head out the door early in the morning. I was even less so when Wyatt changed my order. “Switch her coffee to herbal tea and add a side order of fresh fruit.”
The waitress shifted her attention back to me, her brow lifted and lips tilted in amusement. “That okay with you, sweetie?”
“I hate tea,” I grumbled.
“Caffeine isn’t good for the baby,” Wyatt replied.
“Ahh, that explains it,” the waitress laughed, her gaze dropping to my belly. “How about I bring you decaf coffee instead? All the flavor with none of the lead.”
“Fine,” I sighed, complaining to Wyatt after she walked away. “The whole point of coffee is the caffeine.”
“Baby,” he replied like it was a complete answer. I guessed it kind of was, at least until I had a pregnancy book in hand which said I could have a cup of coffee without hurting the baby.
“Don’t be a smartass.”
“Better than a dumbass,” he shot back.
Gah! Winning with this man was impossible. “Just so long as you don’t think this means I’m going to start letting you make all my decisions for me.”
He reached underneath my chair and scooted it closer to his, wrapping an arm around my shoulder once I was near enough. “I’ll try my best to not steamroll over you, but I’m going to have a say in your life from now on.”
I bit my tongue, wanting to argue but knowing it wasn’t fair. To a certain extent, what he’d said was true. I was pregnant with his baby, which meant we were going to be connected forever, regardless of what happened between the two of us in the future. “I’ll listen to your input,” I conceded.
“Good.” He nodded. “Because we need to talk about your living arrangements, and I have a lot of input I’d like to provide.” He practically spat out the word ‘input,’ making his distaste for my word choice clear. “Starting with the fact that I want you to move here permanently.”
“I’m not sure I’m ready yet.”
He didn’t let me finish my response. “I wasn’t done yet, Bailey.” His arm slid off my shoulder, and he turned me so we were facing each other. “When I say ‘here,’ I don’t mean this town, and not your dad’s place either. I want you under my roof so I can watch my baby grow in your belly, to be with you every step
of the way.”
I dropped my head against his chest and groaned. “How am I supposed to argue with you when you say such sweet things?”
“You aren’t. It’ll be much easier if you just go along with everything I want.”
My head jerked back up at the sound of plates being set down on the table. “Don’t go tricking the girl into agreeing to something when she’s dying of hunger.” The waitress shook her finger at him before turning her attention to me. “Go ahead and fill your belly so you can think straight before you tell him you’ll do whatever he wants.”
Saved by the food. Our conversation halted while I stuffed my face, eating all the food I’d ordered plus the fruit Wyatt had insisted on getting me. It gave me some time to mull things over, and I was ready to discuss things a little more rationally once I’d satisfied my hunger.
“When I came to Nebraska, it was only supposed to be for the summer. I wanted the chance to get to know my dad and brother, but I always planned to go back home before the school year started. I have a job and a home there waiting for me.”
“That may be true, but you have a family and the father of your baby here for you,” he pointed out.
I gripped his hand, lacing my fingers through his while I searched for the right words to make him understand. “For so long, it was my mom and I against the world. Now she’s gone and I have a family.” I paused, my hand dropping to my belly. “A growing one at that, but I’m not ready to let go of the house I spent my entire childhood in. It’s the last tie to my mom and I’m not prepared to sell it and walk away.”