Love You, Baby (Must Love Diamonds 3)

When he forced his gaze away from her full breasts, it halted on her belly.

His pulse sped up for a different reason. His baby was growing inside her. What would happen to all her curves as the baby grew? Instead of freaking him out, an unexpected surge of possessiveness rolled through him.

“Someone has to know something,” Mae snapped. “See what you can find out and let me know. I sent the rest of the crew over to get the Overland job started instead of having them sitting here doing nothing.” She turned back to face him as she said, “Thanks, Becca,” and hung up.

Merit straightened and met her gaze. “Hi.”

“What are you doing here?”

He frowned at her annoyed tone. “I have questions.”

“This is my work, Merit.” She reached into her front jeans pocket to pull out her keys before squaring her shoulders. “I don’t care that it’s your sister’s place, it’s still not cool.”

Well, shit. “I’m sorry, but I did ask you to wait last night.”

“You really thought I’d hang around to talk while your latest hook-up waited in the wings?”

“It wasn’t like that.” He cringed inside, because it would’ve been if she hadn’t showed up before Lyssa. Or might have been, if he could’ve worked up the interest.

Mae snorted her disbelief.

He decided to get right to the point. “When is the baby due?”

“Why? So you can do the math?”

“So I know when the baby’s due.”

A slight frown marred her brow before she looked away. “January twenty-third. Almost nine months to the day, but if you need actual proof it’s yours besides my word, you have to wait until after the birth.”

“I don’t need actual proof, Mae. I believe you.”

Her gaze returned to his. The uncertainty in her blue eyes made his heart skip a beat. He stepped closer, but she halted him with a raised hand.

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what?”

“Whatever you were about to do.”

He’d been about to pull her into his arms, tell her he was in this with her and once he’d gotten over the shock, was even a little bit excited.

Her brow furrowed again. “I told you about the baby because I felt you had a right to know, but I meant it when I said I don’t expect anything from you.”

To keep from disobeying her request, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and hunched his shoulders. “I’m not going to just go away.”

“You say that now.” She spun around and stalked toward her truck.

Merit fisted his hands in frustration as he followed her. “I’ll say it again in a month. And in nine months, and a year, and five years. I’ll say it because I mean it, Mae.”

“I’m sure you believe you do. But babies are a lot of work. And they grow into kids who are even more work.”

He leaned in to brace his palm on the driver’s side door to keep her from opening it.

She stepped back in surprise and then lifted her chin to glare at him. “I have to get back to work.”

“We need to talk about this and what’s all going to happen,” he insisted.

“Go talk to your coffee girl,” she snapped.