Текст книги "Never Too Far"

Автор книги: Abbi Glines

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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

“Oh god, Rush please, oh god, ahhhhh,” I cried out as I held his head unable to let him stop. It was too good. The flick of his tongue over my clit was incredible. I needed more. I never wanted this to end. His finger slid through my opening then held it open as he licked and kissed me there.

“Mine. It’s mine. You can’t leave me again. I need this. You smell so fucking perfect. Nothing is ever going to be this damn perfect for me,” he murmured, as he tasted me. I was ready to agree to anything he wanted.

“I need in you,” he said, lifting his eyes to look up at me. I just nodded.

“I don’t have a condom,” he paused and closed his eyes tightly, “but I’ll pull out.”

It didn’t matter now. But I couldn’t tell him that. I just nodded again.

Rush was up with his jeans down instantly. He grabbed my hips and moved me back to the edge of the counter until the head of his erection was touching me. The question in his eyes was unmistakable even if he didn’t say it aloud. I reached down and guided his erection inside me.

“Fuck,” he moaned as he pressed the rest of the way until I was full. Completely full of Rush. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him. For just a second I needed to hold him. This wasn’t about my crazy hormones anymore. Now that he was in me I felt home. Complete and I was about to cry. Before I could embarrass myself and confuse him I lifted my head and whispered in his ear. “Fuck me.”

It was as if I’d pulled the trigger on a loaded gun. Rush grabbed my hips with both his hands and let out a growl before pumping in and out of me. The climb toward the spiral I knew was going to come started up again and I rode him. Enjoying his moment of surrender and the complete abandon on his face as he brought us closer and closer to the climax we needed.

“I love you, Blaire. I love you so damn much it hurts,” he panted then lowered his head to suck on my nipple. My body went off and I cried out his name. Rush lifted his head, and looking into my eyes, started to pull out and I clamped my legs around his waist. I didn’t want him to pull out. The understanding of what I wanted hit him and he said my name in a whisper before throwing his head back as he pumped his release into me.

Rush

Blaire pushed me back and jumped down off the counter before I could get my head clear from that orgasm. “Wait, I need to clean you up,” I told her. I actually just wanted to clean her up. I liked it. No, I fucking loved it. Knowing I’d been there and I was taking care of her did something to me.

“You don’t need to clean me up. I’m fine,” she replied as she reached for her discarded dress and slipped it back on without making eye contact with me. Shit. Had I read her wrong? I thought she wanted this. No. I knew she wanted it. She’d been so damn hungry for it.

“Blaire, look at me.”

She paused and picked up her panties. I swallowed hard as she stepped into them and slid them back up her body. I needed her again. She couldn’t walk away from me now. I wasn’t going to be able to live through it if she did.

“Blaire, please look at me,” I begged.

Stopping, she took a deep breath then lifted her eyes to meet mine. The sadness there was mixed with something else. Embarrassment? Surely not. I reached over and cupped her face with my hand. “What’s wrong? Did I do something you didn’t want me to? Because I was trying not to lose control. I was trying real hard to do what you wanted.”

“No. You… you didn’t do anything wrong.” She dropped her eyes from mine again. “I just need to think. I need some space. I didn’t… I wasn’t… We shouldn’t have done that.”

Stabbing me in the chest would have been less painful. I wanted to pull her to me and go all cave man claiming she was mine and couldn’t leave me. But then I could lose her. I couldn’t go through that again. I had to do this her way. I let my hand fall from her face and I stepped back so she could leave.

Blaire lifted her face to look up at me again. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, then opened the door and escaped.

She had just blown my world away with amazingly hot sex and she was sorry. Fantastic.

When I finally emerged from the bathroom Blaire was gone. Jace smirked and Bethy made excuses for her. I didn’t want to be there anymore either. After I made sure all the heavy stuff was moved and Blaire’s suitcase and box were packed up I left. I couldn’t stay there while the two of them watched me. They’d heard us. Blaire had been loud. I wasn’t ashamed; I was just tired of them looking at me and waiting on me to say something to explain Blaire’s departure.

I gave Blaire a couple days to come to me. She hadn’t. I wasn’t surprised. But she’d asked for space and I’d given her all the space I could handle. I didn’t call anyone to play a round of golf with me. I didn’t want anyone around when Blaire showed up. We needed to talk. No distractions or excuses for her to ride off.

It had sounded like a firm plan but after six holes and no cart girl I was beginning to wonder. Just as I was about to walk to the next hole I heard the sound of the cart. I stopped and turned around. The blood that had started pumping through my veins from the idea of seeing Blaire out here and having her alone froze when I realized it was that blond girl that I’d seen training a few times with Bethy. Shit.

I shook my head and waved her on. I didn’t want a drink from her. She smiled brightly and drove on to the next stop.

“It’s hot out here. You sure you don’t want something?” Meg’s voice asked and I glanced back to see her walking up dressed in a white tennis skirt and polo. She’d been big into tennis ten years ago too.

“Wrong cart girl,” I replied and waited on her to catch up to me.

“You only buy from one?”

“Yep.”

Meg looked thoughtful then nodded. “I see. You have a thing for a cart girl.”

‘A thing’ didn’t even scratch the surface. I pulled my golf bag up on my shoulder and started walking to the next hole. I wasn’t going to respond to that comment.

“And he’s touchy about it,” Meg quipped. That annoyed me.

“Or it’s just not your business.”

She let out a low whistle. “So it’s more than a thing.”

I stopped and leveled my gaze on her. Just because she was my first fuck didn’t mean we had any kind of bond or friendship. This was pissing me off. “Let it go,” I warned.

Meg put her hands on her hips and her jaw fell open. “Oh my god… Rush Finlay has fallen in love. Holy shit! I never thought I’d see the day.”

“You haven’t seen me in ten years, Meg. How the hell do you know anything about me?” The annoyed snarl in my voice didn’t even make her flinch.

“Listen, Finlay. Just because you haven’t seen me in ten years doesn’t mean I haven’t seen or heard about you. I’ve been back in town several times but you were always partying it up at casa de Finlay and screwing every model perfect body that came your way. I didn’t see a point in showing back up in your life. But yeah, I’ve seen you and like the rest of this town I know that you’re a rich, gorgeous player who can have his pick of the litter.”

I sounded shallow. I didn’t like the picture she painted of me. Did Blaire see me that way? Not only can she not trust me to choose her and protect her butshe must think I’ll just move on when someone else comes along. Surely she knows that isn’t true.

“She’s amazing. No… she’s perfect. Everything about her is fucking perfect,” I said aloud then shifted my gaze back to Meg. “I don’t just love her, she owns me. Completely. I’d do anything for her.”

“But she doesn’t feel the same way?” Meg asked.

“I hurt her. Not the way you’re thinking either. The way I hurt her is hard to explain. There is so much pain in what happened that I don’t know if I can ever get her back.”

“Is she a cart girl?”

She was really hung up on the cart girl thing. “Yeah she is,” I paused and wondered if I should tell her exactly who Blaire was. Saying it aloud to someone and admitting this might help me make sense of it. “She and Nan have the same father.” I hadn’t meant to say it like that.

“Shit,” Meg muttered. “Please tell me she’s nothing like your evil little sister.”

Nan had very few fans. I didn’t even flinch at the accusation that she was evil. She’d brought this on herself. “No. She’s nothing like Nan.”

Meg was quiet a moment and I wondered if this was as far as this conversation was going to go. Then she shifted her feet and pointed back toward the clubhouse. “Why don’t we go have some lunch and you can tell me all about this very strange situation and I’ll see if I can’t come up with some wisdom or at the very least female advice.”

I needed any advice I could get. There were no females in my life I could ask for help. “Yeah, okay. Sounds good. You give me any advice I can use and lunch is on me.”

Blaire

This was the second day that I had woken up without getting sick. I’d even had Bethy cook bacon to test me out before I came in for the lunch shift. I figured if I could survive the bacon then I could do this. My stomach had rolled and I’d gotten nauseous but I hadn’t thrown up. I was getting better.

I called Woods and assured him I would be fine. He told me to come on in because they were short staffed and he needed me. Jimmy was standing in the kitchen grinning when I walked in thirty minutes before the lunch shift.

“There’s my girl. Glad that stomach virus has gone. You look like you lost ten pounds. How long were you sick?” Woods had told Jimmy and anyone else who asked that I had a virus and I was recovering. I’d only worked two shifts on the course and I never ran into kitchen staff while on the carts.

“I probably did lose some weight. I’m sure I’ll gain it back soon enough,” I replied and hugged him.

“You better or I’m shoving donuts down your throat until I can wrap my hands around your waist and have my fingers not touch.”

That may be sooner than he realized. “I could use a good donut right now.”

“It’s a date. After work. You, me, and a twelve pack. Half chocolate covered,” Jimmy said and handed me my apron.

“Sounds good. You can come see my new place. I’m staying with Bethy in a condo on the club property.”

Jimmy’s eyebrows shot up. “You don’t say. Well, well, well aren’t you highfalutin’?”

I tied my apron on and tucked my pen and pad in my front pocket. “I’ll take the first round if you prep the salads and make the sweet tea.”

Jimmy winked. “Deal.”

I headed out to the dining room and luckily the only guests were two older gentlemen I’d seen before but I didn’t know their names. I took down their orders and poured them both a cup of coffee before heading back to check on the salads.

Jimmy had two already made for me and was holding them up when I walked back into the kitchen. “Here ya go hot stuff,” he said.

“Thanks gorgeous,” I replied taking the salads into the dining room. I delivered the salads and took the drink order of new guests. Then I headed back to get their sparkling water and spring water with lemon. No one ever just ordered water around here.

Jimmy was heading out the kitchen door when I got there. “I just got the two women who look like they came off the tennis courts. I think I saw Hillary… isn’t that the hostess today? Anyway I think I saw her talking to more guests so there should be a table waiting to be greeted.”

He saluted me and headed back to the dining room.

I quickly finished getting the special waters and put the two orders of crab bisque the men had requested onto my tray thenreturned to the dining room when Jimmy’s panicked expression caught my attention.

“I got this,” he said, reaching for my tray.

“You don’t even know where it goes. I can carry a tray Jimmy,” I replied rolling my eyes. He didn’t even know I was pregnant and he was being silly…

Then I saw him… or them. Jimmy wasn’t being silly. He was protecting me. Rush’s head was tilted forward as he talked about something that caused that intense serious expression on his face. The woman had long dark hair. She was gorgeous. Her cheekbones were high and perfect. Long heavy lashes outlined her dark eyes. I was going to be sick. My tray rattled and Jimmy was taking it from me. I let him. I was about to drop it.

He wasn’t mine. But… I was carrying his baby. He didn’t know. But… he’d made love to me, no he’d fucked me, in Bethy’s bathroom just three days ago. This hurt. So bad. I swallowed but my throat felt almost closed. Jimmy was saying something to me but I couldn’t understand him. I was unable to do anything but stare at them. He leaned in so close to her like he didn’t want anyone to hear what he was saying.

Her eyes shifted from Rush’s and they met mine. I hated her. She was beautiful and refined and everything I wasn’t. She was a woman. I was a girl. A pathetic girl. Who needed to get the hell out of here and stop making a scene. Even if it was a silent scene, I was still just standing frozen staring at them. She studied me and a small frown creased her forehead. I didn’t want her asking Rush about me and pointing me out. I spun around and fled the dining room.

As soon as I was out of the guests’ view, I broke into a run and ran right into Woods’ hard chest. “Whoa there sweetheart. Where are you running off to? Still too much for you?” he asked sticking his finger under my chin and tilting my head up so he could see my face.

I shook my head and a tear escaped. I was not going to cry about this, dammit. I’d asked for it. I’d pushed him away. I’d walked out on him after the amazing sex. What did I expect? That he’d sit around pining for me? Hardly. “I’m sorry, Woods. Just give me a minute and I’ll be fine. I promise you. I just need a moment to get myself together.”

He nodded and ran a hand up and down my arm in a comforting way. “Is Rush in there?” he asked almost hesitantly.

“Yeah,” I choked out, forcing the tears filling my eyes to go away. I took a deep breath and blinked them away. I wasn’t going to do this. I was going to control my crazy emotions.

“Is he with someone?” Woods asked.

I just nodded. I didn’t want to say it.

“You want to go to my office and chill out a bit? Wait until they’re gone?”

Yes. I wanted to go hide from this but I couldn’t. I had to learn to live with it. Rush would be in Rosemary for another month. I had to learn to deal. “I can do this. It was just a surprise. That’s all.”

Woods lifted his gaze from mine and a cold expression came over his face. “Go away. This is not what she needs right now,” Woods said in a hard angry tone.

“Get your mother fucking hands off her,” Rush replied.

I stepped back from Woods’ embrace and kept my eyes down. I didn’t want to see him but I also didn’t want him and Woods fighting either. Woods looked ready to fight for my honor. I had no idea how Rush looked because I wasn’t going to check and see.

“I’m fine Woods. Thank you. I’ll get back to work,” I mumbled and started to head back to the kitchen.

“Blaire, don’t. Talk to me,” Rush pleaded.

“You’ve done enough. Leave her the hell alone, Rush. She doesn’t need this from you. Not now,” Woods barked.

“You don’t know anything,” Rush growled and Woods took a step in Rush’s direction. Woods was either going to blurt out that I was pregnant and make it very obvious that he did know something or he was going to start throwing punches with Rush. It was once again time for me to get over this and fix it.

I turned back and went to stand in front of Rush. I looked up at Woods. “It’s okay. Just give me a minute with him. It’ll be okay. He didn’t do anything wrong. I was just being emotional. That’s all,” I told him.

Woods’ jaw worked back and forth as he ground his teeth. Keeping his mouth shut was proving difficult for him. He finally nodded and stalked away.

I had to face Rush now.

“Blaire,” Rush said gently as his hand reached out and grabbed mine. “Please look at me.”

I could do this. I had to do this. I turned around letting Rush continue holding my hand in his. I should remove it but I couldn’t just yet. I’d seen him with a woman who was probably keeping his bed warm at night while I continued to push him away. I was losing him. So was our baby. But then… had we ever really had him?

I lifted my eyes and met his worried gaze. He didn’t like upsetting me. I loved that about him. “It’s okay. I overreacted. I was just, um, surprised is all. I should have known you’d have moved on by now. I just–”

“Stop it,” Rush interrupted me and pulled me up against him. “I haven’t moved anywhere. What you think you saw you didn’t. Meg is an old friend. That is all. She means nothing to me. I came looking for you. I needed to see you and I went to play golf. You weren’t there. I ran into Meg and she suggested we have lunch. That’s it. I had no idea you were in here working. I’d have never done that. Even though I wasn’t doing anything. I love you Blaire. Just you. I’m not with anyone else. I never will be.”

I wanted to believe him. As selfish and wrong as it was I wanted to believe he loved me enough not to need anyone else. Even if I was pushing him away from me. I was lying to him. I hated liars. He would hate me too if I didn’t tell him soon. I didn’t want him to hate me. But I couldn’t trust him. Did lying make that okay? Was lying ever okay? How could he ever trust me?

“I’m pregnant.” The words came out of me before I realized what I was doing. I covered my mouth in horror as Rush’s eyes went wide. Then I turned and ran like hell.

Rush

My feet were cemented to the floor. Even as I watched Blaire running away from me I couldn’t move. Had I just dreamed that? Was it a desperate hallucination? Was I getting that bad?

“If you aren’t going after her I am.” Woods’ voice broke into my thoughts and I snapped out of my shocked haze.

“What?” I asked, glaring at him. I hated him. Beating his face in was something I was suddenly fantasizing about.

“I said, if you aren’t going after her I am. She needs someone right now. As much as I don’t want it to be you because I don’t think you deserve her it needs to be you.”

Did he know she was pregnant? My blood started to boil. Had she told Woods she was pregnant and hadn’t told me?

“I was here the first morning she tried to work and the smell of bacon sent her scrambling to the restroom to vomit. So, yeah I already knew. Get that crazed possessive gleam out of your eyes and go get her.” Woods’ tone was laced with disgust.

“She’s been sick?” I hadn’t known she was sick. My chest hurt. She’d been sick alone. I’d left her alone and she’d been suffering. Air wasn’t getting to my lungs.

“Yeah, you stupid shit, she’s been sick. That happens in her situation. But she’s getting better. Now I’m about to turn and go after her. Make your move,” Woods warned.

I broke into a run.

It wasn’t until I exited the building in the back and looked up the hill that I found her. She was still running. It was toward the condos. She was going back to her place. I went after her. She was pregnant. Should she be running like this? What if it was bad for the baby? She needed to slow down.

“Blaire, stop. Wait,” I called out when I was close enough. She slowed down and finally stopped as I caught up with her.

“I’m sorry,” she sobbed with her face in her hands.

“What are you sorry for?” I asked, closing the distance between us and pulling her against me. I wasn’t worried about scaring her off anymore. I wasn’t letting her go anywhere.

“This. Everything. My being pregnant,” she whispered, stiff in my arms.

She was sorry. No. She wasn’t going to be sorry for that. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Don’t ever apologize to me again. Do you hear me?”

Some of the tension in her body eased and she leaned against me. “But I didn’t tell you.”

No, she hadn’t but I understood. It sucked but I understood. “I wish you had. I’d have never let you be sick on your own. I’d have taken care of you. I’m going to take care of you now. I’ll make up for it. I swear.”

Blaire shook her head and pushed away from me. “No. I can’t. We can’t do this. I didn’t tell you for a reason. We… we need to talk.”

I was taking care of her and she wasn’t leaving me. But if she needed to talk about it then I’d let her. “Okay. Let’s go to your place since we’re so close.”

Blaire nodded and turned to walk toward the condo she’d been running for earlier. Jace had said Woods was letting them stay there for the same amount as Bethy’s old apartment. He thought Woods was thinking of using it as a tax write off or something. I understood now. He’d been doing it for Blaire. He’d been taking care of her. Not anymore he wasn’t. I was taking care of what was mine. I didn’t need Woods doing it. I’d go talk to Woods later but I’d be paying the prime amount for rent on this place. Woods was not taking care of Blaire. She was mine.

I watched as she bent down and got the key from under the mat. That had to be the worst hiding spot ever for a key. I’d deal with that later too. I wasn’t going to be able to sleep at night knowing she had a key tucked under her front door mat for anyone to walk in on her.

Blaire opened the door and stepped back. “Come on in.”

I stepped inside and took her hand with me as I passed her. She might want to tell me all the reasons we couldn’t be together but I was going to be touching her while she talked. I needed to know she was okay. Touching her calmed me down.

She closed the door and let me pull her over to the sofa. I sat down and pulled her down beside me. I wanted to put her in my lap but the worried, nervous look on her face stopped me. She needed to talk and I was going to let her.

“I should have told you. I’m sorry I didn’t. I was going to; maybe not the way I did today but I was going to tell you. I just needed time to decide on where I was going to go next and what I was going to do with my life. I wanted to save up and go start somewhere new. For the baby. But I was going to tell you.”

She was going to tell me and then leave me? Panic gripped me. She couldn’t do that. “You can’t leave me,” I said as plainly as I could. She needed to understand that.

Blaire dropped her gaze from mine and studied our hands. I’d laced my fingers through hers. It was all that was keeping me calm at the moment. “Rush,” she said softly. “I don’t want my baby to ever feel unwanted. Your family...” she trailed off and her face had gone pale.

“My family will accept what I tell them to accept. If they don’t I will take you and my baby and leave them to pay all their own damn bills. You come first, Blaire.”

She shook her head and tugged her hand loose from mine as she stood up. “No. You say that now but it isn’t true. It wasn’t true a month ago and it isn’t true now. You will always choose them over me. Or at least you will Nan and that’s okay. I understand; I just can’t live with it. I can’t stay here.”

Not telling her about her dad was going to haunt me for the rest of my life. My need to protect Nan had fucked up the only thing important to me. I stood up and walked toward her as she backed up until she was against the wall. “No. One. Comes. Before. You.”

Her eyes shimmered with unshed tears and she shook her head. I hated that she couldn’t believe me.

“I love you. When you walked into my life I didn’t know you. Nan was my first priority. But you changed that. You changed everything. I was going to tell you but my mom came home too soon. I was so scared to death of losing you that I lost you anyway. Nothing is going to take you away from me again. I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you that I love you. You and this baby,” I touched her flat stomach and she trembled, “come first.”

“I want to believe you,” she said through a sob.

“Let me prove it to you. Leaving me doesn’t let me prove anything. You have to stay with me, Blaire. You have to give me a chance.”

A tear slipped free and rolled down her face. “I’m gonna get big and fat. Babies cry all night and they cost money. I won’t be the same. We won’t be the same. You’ll regret it.”

She really didn’t have a clue. No matter how many times I told her, she didn’t believe me. She’d lost everyone in her life she’d loved and trusted. Why should she believe me? The only men in her life had left her. Betrayed her. She expected nothing else.

“This baby brought you back to me. It’s a part of us. I will never regret it. And you can get as big as a whale and I’ll love you anyway.”

A small smile tugged on her lips. “I better not get as big as a whale.”

I shrugged. “Doesn’t matter.”

Her small smile quickly left. “Your sister. She’s going to hate this. Me. The baby.”

I would deal with Nan. If she couldn’t cope then I’d take Blaire and we’d go somewhere far away from my sister. Blaire had been upset enough. I wasn’t letting anyone else hurt her. “Trust me to protect you and put you first.”

Blaire closed her eyes and then nodded.

My chest swelled and I wanted to shout to the world that this woman was mine. But instead I picked her up. “Where’s your bedroom?” I asked.

“The last room on the left.”

I walked back there. I wouldn’t make love to her right now but I needed to hold her for awhile. I pushed the door open and I froze. The bedroom was a nice size for a condo but the blanket on the floor with a single pillow was just one more strike against me. When I’d moved them I had known Blaire didn’t have a bed. She’d been sleeping on the couch. But I had been so wrapped up in getting her back I hadn’t thought about her needing a bed.

“I haven’t got a bed yet. I could’ve just slept on the couch but I wanted to sleep in my own room.” Blaire mumbled, trying to get down out of my arms. I wasn’t letting her go. I held her tighter against me. She’d slept on the hard ground last night while I’d been sleeping in my big king size bed. Fuck.

“You’re shaking, Rush. Put me down,” Blaire said, tugging on my arm.

Without putting her down, I spun around and stalked back to the living room, then out the door. Slamming the door behind me I locked it and stuck the key in my pocket. I wasn’t sticking it back under that damn mat.

“What are you doing?” Blaire asked.

My car wasn’t here. Then I’d carry her back down the hill and to my Rover. “I’m taking you to get a bed. A big ass bed. One that costs a fucking fortune,” I growled. I was furious that I’d missed that one major issue. It was no wonder Woods had been taking care of her. I’d failed. I wasn’t going to fail her again. I’d make sure she had it all.

“I don’t need an expensive bed. I’m going to get a bed soon.”

“Yeah, real soon. Tonight,” I replied then bent my head and kissed her nose. “Let me do this. I need to do this. I need you tucked into the best bed money can buy. Okay?”

A small smile tugged at her lips. “Okay.

Blaire

I didn’t require more than a full size bed. However, Rush refused to get anything less than a king size bed, two bedside tables and a matching dresser with a gorgeous mirror. I made the mistake of looking too long at a pretty lavender quilt and matching shams. Before I knew what was happening he was buying the entire bed set complete with sheets and new pillows. I argued with him the entire time but he acted like I wasn’t talking. He just winked at me and kept placing his orders and giving the salesman directions.

By the time we got back from eating dinner, which he also was determined to feed me, the furniture was already being delivered. Bethy was standing at the door smiling when we drove up. She was loving this.

“Thank you for letting me do that today. I needed it. You may not understand but I needed to do that,” Rush said before I opened the car door.

I glanced back at him. “You needed to buy me an entire bedroom suite and expensive bedding?” I asked, confused.

“Yeah, I did.”

I didn’t understand but I nodded. If he needed to do it then I was going to appreciate it. I still couldn’t believe it was all mine. I was going to feel like a princess in my room. “Well, thank you for all of it. I wasn’t expecting anything more than a mattress. I wasn’t prepared to be spoiled.”

Rush leaned forward and pressed a kiss beside my ear. “That’s not even close to spoiling you. But I intend to show you exactly what spoiling is.”

I shivered and squeezed the door handle. I wasn’t going to let him buy me anything else. I had to stop this but the kisses around my ear made it hard to focus.

“Let’s go see how it looks,” he said as he leaned back.

Space. Had to get some space. I was ready to jump on him right now. Not a good thing. Control. The pregnancy hormones wanted to take over.

Rush was running around the front of the Rover when I opened my door and started to get out. He was in front of me taking my hands and helping me down like I was helpless before I could make a move to get down on my own.

“I can get out myself you know,” I told him.

He smirked. “Yeah but what’s the fun in that?”

Laughing, I pushed past him and made my way toward Bethy who was watching us like we were one of her favorite television dramas.

“Looks like the Pottery Barn decided to unload their latest shipment in your bedroom,” Bethy said, grinning like a kid in a candy store. “Can I sleep with you in that big ass bed tonight? The mattress is unbelievable!”

“No. She needs her rest. No bed buddies,” Rush said, walking up behind me and wrapping a protective arm around my waist.

Bethy’s eyes dropped to my waist and then back up at Rush. “You know,” she said, looking very pleased.

“Yes I do,” he replied. He tensed up behind me.

I felt horrible. One more person that I had told about my pregnancy before I told him. He had every right to be hurt. I was a liar. Would he figure this out and leave me now?

“Good,” Bethy said and stepped out of the way so we could walk inside.

“Why don’t you go make sure they’re putting everything where you want it,” Rush said to me when we got inside.

“Good idea.” I left him there to go check on the furniture. If he was mad at me he would have time to cool off.

The delivery guys were doing a good job with placement so I didn’t bother them. I was happy with where they were putting things. Walking back to the living room I heard Bethy whispering and I stopped.

“She’s better. She’s been sick a good bit but the past two mornings she’s hasn’t thrown up.”

“You call me the second she even looks like she might get sick.” Rush even managed to make his whisper sound like a demand.