That made me laugh. A real one. Small, but real.
For a second, the ache in my chest eased, and there it was—a flicker of warmth, small but stubborn, like hope refusing to take the hint.
***
Our beloved chariot dropped us off at Savannah Coffee Roasters, and we settled in front of the fireplace with a table of charcuterie between us.
Dig, already more than halfway through the plate, looked up at me, wide-eyed. “Why aren’t you eating? You love cheese.”
I sipped my decaf and let the cozy quiet settle over us. “I can’t eat soft cheese, remember? Or deli meat.” I lifted my cup and gave it a small wave. “Or real coffee.”
“Is this a prison sentence or a pregnancy? I’ve never been happier to be biologically excluded from the process.”
We laughed and fell into an easy stretch of silence, the kind that only existed between people who didn’t need to fill space with words. My body was still, but my brain was racing. I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone, tapping a few thoughts into my notes.
What if I starteda business of my own? I’d need to save money, which meant more shifts at the wine shop, maybe some extra gigs here and there. The holiday season meant places were hiring. But what exactly would Ido? Savannah was full of talented photographers. If I wanted to stand out, I’d need more than the desperate wave of hope crashing against my soul.
“So,” Dig said, snapping me out of it. “What’s going on with you and the burly, very broody guy next door? Aside from theRated R dreams. And don’t say ‘nothing‘, because I know you, and this feels verysomething.”
“Honestly? It’s hard to explain. It’s gone beyond humiliating run-ins and turned into more of Charlie showing up for me in ways no one else has. I just can’t tell yet if it’s because he wants to… or because it’s the right thing to do.”
I could still feel the echo of those moments—his hand steadying me without hesitation, the way his eyes stayed on mine like he was making sure I was really okay. They lingered longer than they should have, enough to leave me wondering what, exactly, we were doing.
“That’s not nothing, Tally. That’s practically a master class in a guy falling for you, and you’re doing that thing where you’ve got the blinders on again.”
I stood and peeled off my sweatshirt, the heat from the fireplace—or maybe whatever nonsense had fallen out of Dig’s mouth about Charlie falling for me—finally getting to me. I knotted it low around the swell of my belly, letting my hand settle there, quiet and still. And there it was—that small flicker of pride I didn’t always let myself feel. The quiet awe of knowing I was growing a life inside me.
“You really do look beautiful,” Dig murmured. He stood and rubbed slow, steady circles over my stomach with both hands, and we stood there, foreheads resting together in front of the fire.
To anyone passing by, we probably looked like the picture of glowing domestic bliss. A happy couple. Dreamy and in love. Planning a baby shower and buying matching Mama and Dada shirts. Not a woman doing this alone with nothing but a hopeful heart and a bottle of Pepcid, and her best friend who could barely remember to eat a vegetable.
But for a moment, I let myself lean into it. Let myself believe it was real. Long enough to quiet the ache.
“Well, if it isn’t the cutest couple in Savannah,” came a familiar voice behind us.
We both looked up to see Doyle’s friends, Sutton and Ryan—Lee’s bandmate—heading toward the exit with their arms full of brown paper bags and iced coffees.
Sutton lifted a perfectly arched brow, her gaze flicking from Dig’s hands on my belly to the very little space between us. “Didn’t know y’all were together,” she said. Her tone was light, but there was definitely curiosity tucked inside it.
I opened my mouth to explain, prepared to ramble my way into awkward honesty or pure weirdness—but Dig beat me to it. He grinned and winked, fully committed to the bit.
“Scandalous, right?” he said, pulling me a little closer like we were starring in some sweet, small-town romance and halfway through our press tour.
Sutton let out a quiet laugh, caught off guard. Ryan elbowed her, already focused on unwrapping a cronut from his bag.
“We’ll let y’all get back to it,” he said as they passed. “You promised me we could make out a little after we grabbed supplies for the party you’re catering.”
Sutton rolled her eyes and gave us a quick shake of her iced coffee in place of a wave. Then they disappeared through the door, leaving the scent of espresso and sugar behind them.
I turned to Dig, still blinking. “Dig,” I muttered, elbowing him. “What the hell was that?”
He shrugged with a little too much satisfaction. “What? You’re glowing. I’m supportive. Let them wonder.”
I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. “You know that’s going to come back and bite me in the ass, right?”
“Oh, absolutely,” he said cheerfully. “But at least you looked hot while it happened.”
Chapter Eighteen
