Sun-Kissed (Love In All Seasons 1)

"Made out of what?"

I gasp, covering my mouth. "Love. I loved the man I slept with. I just..."

Cheryl softens. "You loved him, but you never got his name?"

"I know it sounds insane. But..."

"Love is insane, isn't it?"

I nod. "I want this baby. I just don’t know how I'll manage."

"Strong women have been raising children as single parents since the beginning of time. Hell, I was a single mama for a long time. But, Sweetie, you won't be in this alone."

"My brothers hate me, I don't have any other family."

"You have me. You have Bernie and Mabel."

I nod, wiping my eyes. Maybe she's right. I've been having dinner with Bernie and Mabel a few nights a week for the last few months.

"They'll be so disappointed in me."

"No, that's not how friendship should work, how a family should work. You stick it out together through thick and thin."

"I just wish I knew how I could find him. Maybe I can call the base in town and ask if they..." I shake my head, feeling like it's useless. "Ask if there's a sailor in his early twenties, who's super handsome, who slept with a girl when he was in port?" I roll my eyes at how dumb it sounds.

"Hey," Cheryl says. "One day at a time."

I nod, knowing she's right.

"But you could look into when his boat is returning? Do you know the name of his ship?"

I smile. "It's the USS Gantry."

"See, it's going to be okay, Sweetie." Cheryl's warmth offers me the assurance I need right now.

I blink back more tears. "Thank you," I tell her, pulling her into a hug. "It's like the moment I took control of my life, I started meeting all these wonderful people."

"So, first," she says, "we celebrate the news that you're having a baby. Later, we can track this sailor down. But right now, we need to eat cake."SampsonAfter writing forty letters with no reply, I have my doubts.

After fifty, I think I'm a fool.

That is when I know for sure. With absolute certainty.

I'm more than a fool. I'm goddamn crazy.

Crazy for her.Sweetie"All right, Sweetie," Doctor Hannah says with a smile. "Everything looks healthy. Your baby has a strong heartbeat and the last ultrasound looked wonderful. Also, your blood pressure is looking much better. Are you feeling less stress than you did when I saw you a month ago?"

I run my hand over my six-month pregnant belly. "Yeah, I feel a lot less tension. Since Mabel and Bernie offered to let me move into their spare bedroom, I feel a lot less overwhelmed."

"Great. And I see that your friend, Cheryl, is here in the waiting room?"

"Yeah. She's even throwing me a baby shower."

"Wonderful. Now is the time to start thinking about your birth plan. I know you aren't in contact with the birth father, but--"

I cut her off. "Actually, his ship is coming back into port tomorrow."

"Oh?"

"I know." I shake my head, sighing. "I'm still not sure how I feel. It ended so... abruptly. Maybe he isn't interested."

Dr. Hannah nods. "Sometimes, it can be a healthy decision, though, to make sure people are aware of the choices they have to make."

I lift my eyebrows. "So, I should contact him when he gets back?"

Dr. Hannah tilts her head, her eyes crinkling. "I think you need to make that choice on your own. And I think you are strong enough to."

Twisting my lips, I tell her, "I should probably tell my brothers that if they beat him up again I'll call the cops."

My doctor frowns. "Do you genuinely have cause for concern over his safety?"

I shrug. "I don't know."

But I do. I see my brothers a few times a month and the last time they told me they'd make the man who did this to me pay.

"Well, I trust you'll follow your gut, and if you need more support, the local police can offer you whatever help you need."

Leaving the doctor’s office, I get into Cheryl's car and she can immediately sense that something is off.

"Is the baby okay?" she asks, putting her hatchback in reverse.

"That's not it. I just keep debating if I should tell the father. Find the father."

"What else?"

"I kinda think I need to tell my brothers to back off. I'm scared they will do something stupid if they see him again."

"What were you thinking?"

"Can you drop me off at Grim?"

"You sure that's a good idea?"

I nod. "I can't bring the sailor back in my life if I think my brothers might hurt him. That would be cruel."

Cheryl nods. "Well, I'm not dropping you off. If you're going, we're going together."The shop is open, and as Cheryl and I walk in, I feel all eyes on me. Or rather, on my belly.

"Sweetie?" Smith asks, setting down his tracing paper. I see he is working on a piece for a client and, even though I am upset with my brothers, I have to admit the stallion he's drawing looks pretty good.