Reckless Love (Cowboys & Angels 7)

“So, do you think we should head on out?” she finally asked.

My eyes roamed over her body. The simple black skirt fell past her knees, but had a split that would show off her legs when she walked. Simple, yet sexy as hell. The white top she had on mimicked the look of her skirt, simple and sexy, as it dropped down her shoulders and was held on by two thin straps. Scarlett knew how to dress. Even in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt she looked amazing. But knowing she was carrying my baby made her ten times sexier.

“You look…beautiful.”

Dropping her gaze to assess her outfit, she said, “You’ve seen me in this before. I wear it to work sometimes.”

“You wear that to work? Oh, fuck no. You’re not allowed to wear that to work.”

Pinching her eyebrows, she placed her hand on her hip and tilted her head. “Is that so? Who says?”

“Um, the man whose baby you’re carrying. You look fucking hot in that outfit and the fact that you’re carrying our child makes you look even hotter, so I’m going to need you to dress in sweats and T-shirts from now on. Y’all have a casual dress code at the courthouse, right?”

Her laugh filled the room and the tightening my chest didn’t go unnoticed. I loved that I was making her laugh and not cry. I’d made her laugh plenty of other times, but for some reason, the times I made her cry stood out more. I needed to fix that.

When she stopped laughing, her teeth sank into that plump red lip of hers. “Did you really mean what you said?”

Keeping my eyes fixed on hers, I asked, “Which part? The sweats? Yes, I meant every word of that.”

Her cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of pink as she chuckled. “No. The part about me looking hotter.”

My pants felt like they’d grown about two sizes too small.

“Of course, I meant it. You look beautiful, Scarlett. I honestly can’t wait to see our baby growing inside of you as you get bigger.”

Her nose scrunched up. “That is a lie!”

I made my way over to her and placed my hand on her stomach, causing her to pull in a sharp breath. My own damn breathing picked up, but I tried like hell to act normal.

“I’m not ever going to lie to you, especially about our child. Seeing your stomach grow bigger means we’re that much closer to meeting her.”

Her eyes pooled with tears, and she quickly started blinking to keep them at bay. “Her?” she whispered.

I shrugged. “Or him. I don’t care which. As long as they’re healthy and have your eyes.”

Scarlett looked away and cleared her throat. “We should probably get going.”

I stepped away, and my heart felt like it was about to be ripped from my chest. I hated that she was keeping a wall between us. She didn’t know it, but I was going to fight like hell to tear that thing down. Piece by damn piece if I had to.

“Did you want to follow me over there, so you’ll have your car? Or I can bring you back home. Totally up to you.”

Seemingly surprised by my offer of having her drive by herself, she paused for a moment and then shook her head.

“Would you mind if we drove over together? That way I don’t have to drive back in the dark. The deer and all.”

“I don’t mind a single bit. Let’s head on out.”

The drive to Laney’s Grill was quiet before I broke the silence. “Do you think I can go with you to your next doctor’s appointment?”

I felt her eyes on me almost instantly.

“Of course, you can. I have one next week.”

“Perfect. Should we meet there?”

Scarlett fiddled with her hands in her lap before answering me. “If that’s what you want.”

“It’s up to you. I don’t want to push you into something you aren’t comfortable with or ready for.”

I saw her pull in a deep breath. “It might be better if we meet, that way you don’t have to bring me back to work and can head back to the ranch.”

Disappointment hit me hard. “Okay.”

The silence returned and when I couldn’t take it any longer I turned the radio on, drowning out the overthinking in my damn head.

When we finally pulled up to the restaurant, I parked and shut the truck off. When I went to get out, Scarlett grabbed my arm.

“Wait.”

Turning back to her, I gave her a smile. “Everything okay?”

“Yes. No. Trevor, I’m not trying to hurt you by keeping a little distance between us.”

“I know that.”

“Do you?” she asked, her brows pinched together.

“I do. I’m not going to lie and act like it doesn’t hurt that you don’t want to be near me, but I respect that.”

She shook her head before returning her gaze back to me.