“Maybe Edward then?”
Bella punched him in the arm. “Or maybe Kylo, or Finn, or Chewbacca?”
“Okay, okay. Let’s move on.”
They continued their stroll. The trees overhead were laden with blossoms and spring leaves, and the air smelled fresh and clean. For the first time in months, Bella wasn’t worried about The Cherry on Top. Her business was in good hands. And she wasn’t worried about the as-yet-unnamed baby, either. In fact, for the first time in a very long time, Bella Nolan was content.
As they bounced baby names back and forth and slowly walked, Bella’s arm threaded through Luke’s for balance, it was all too easy to imagine that they were a couple in love, expecting a baby. And right now, that was a wonderful thing to imagine.
There were a lot of things about Luke that Bella didn’t know. She suspected there was some kind of tragedy in his past that kept him closed off. That was okay. She’d had her own hurts in the past, and she was happy to keep a little distance between them. At least for now.
And if her feelings for Luke went beyond friendship or admiration, she wouldn’t let herself think about that. The relationship they had now was enough. In fact, it was more than she’d ever hoped for.
CHAPTER 17
LUKE
“Pioneer Courthouse Square?” Bella asked.
“Nope.”
“The Rose Garden?”
“Nope.”
“Forest Park?”
They were sitting at the table in the dining room, eating French toast Bella had made, on a warm morning in early May. The sun shone through the open windows, illuminating the many plants Bella had added to the kitchen. It was a Tuesday, but Luke had the day off, and Bella wasn’t working much at all now.
“Nope.”
“Timberline Lodge?”
“Nope.”
“Multnomah Falls?”
“Let me save you some time.” Luke grinned at Bella across the table. “The main sights I’ve seen in and near Portland are my house, the hospital, and this neighborhood.”
“Hopeless.” Bella shook her head. She was wearing a T-shirt and shorts, and her hair was woven into a braid down her back. One hand rested on top of her baby bump, while the other held her cup of herbal tea. “You’ve been in Portland for five years and you’ve seen nothing?”
“Notnothing,” Luke protested. “I’ve seen the hospital, my house, and this neighborhood.”
“Hopeless,” Bella repeated, laughing. “Well, we have today, right? How about we do a highlights-of-Portland tour? I promise, I’ll limit the walking and build in plenty of time for me to rest.”
“All right.” Luke held up his hands. “I get the feeling I’m not going to be able to argue with you.”
“Maybe we’ll even get inspired by a name,” Bella added. Her eyes took on a faraway look, and she said, “Willamette, maybe. Lloyd. Or Umpqua.”
“Now you’re just making up words.”
“I’m not — andyou’vejust proven my point that you really need to get to know the city.” Bella slowly heaved herself out of her chair, steadying herself on the countertop. Luke instinctively stood, ready to help her, but she smiled and waved him off. “I’m fine. I’m going to get changed and plan our route. Do you want to clean up here?”
“Sure.” Luke started stacking their plates as Bella headed off towards the stairs. He was looking forward to their day together.Almost every moment he spent with Bella was a pleasant one. Over the last two months, since Bella had moved in, things had gotten easier and easier between them. There were no more awkward silences. Luke had told her things he hadn’t told anyone in a long time — not particularly secret things, but simply the ones shared with friends instead of acquaintances.
It almost felt like they were a real couple expecting a baby. And that thought wasn’t anywhere near as scary as Luke would have expected. After Jenna, he’d never expected to find anything serious again, yet this was almost as serious as it got — having a baby. And Luke was enjoying it, even though he was a little scared, too.
He was just loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher when Bella came back downstairs, grinning.
