“Bastard,” Colt comments, his voice matter-of-fact. “And when he found out you were pregnant? Did he take off right away or wait around for a while?”
“Pretty much right away.” But I didn’t want to talk about Brent anymore. “I find it oddly honorable that you’ve never done the deed without a condom,” I admit. He’s never put a woman at risk. I know it’s not one hundred percent effective, but he’s done his part.
“Honorable isn’t a word I’d use to describe myself.” And it drops into place for me.
He felt guilty for touching me yesterday.
He felt guilty for the way he’s treated women. I just know this. I feel it in my bones.
“Saving a child and a woman isn’t honorable?” I steer the subject in a different direction. “I doubt that child’s mother would agree with you. Or the woman’s family.”
He waves a hand in the air. “Anybody would have done it.”
But I’m shaking my head. “You risk falling in yourself when you pull a person into a raft. And besides. Not just anybody did. You did.”
For such a cocky bastard, this man sure can be self-deprecating.
“Aside from Devil’s Hole, what did you think of it?”
He’s nodding. “Kick ass fun.” And then he grins at me. “Do you raft a lot?”
“Not now, obviously.” I have one hand on the top of Squirt’s bump.
“Obviously,” he agrees.
“I like my SUP, stand-up paddle board,” I explain. “nothing higher than a class three, of course. But you’re right there with the water. And you have more control. I’ve kayaked, but I get claustrophobic. Never felt comfortable with the roll.”
Colt asks me more questions about stand-up paddle boarding, and then we talk about other water sports we both enjoy. I don’t realize how quickly the drive is passing until we’re turning into a parking lot. It’s an upscale restaurant. Brent brought me here a few times. I dismiss the thought, eager to spend an evening focused on this amazing man.
So much about him excites me, but at the same time I feel like I’ve known him forever.
And, honorable or not, Colt assists me out of his truck. When we walk toward the entrance of La Maison, his hand falls naturally onto my back. I shiver at his touch and he slides a sideways glance at me. He knows he affects me.
The atmosphere inside the restaurant hasn’t changed. Soft, low lighting. A little pretentious. We’re led to a corner booth and I’m pleasantly surprised when Colt slides in beside me.
Brent liked to sit across from me. Even when we were first dating.
The waiter, a middle-aged man with attitude, arrives and asks what we’d like to drink. He offers Colt a beer or wine but only suggests water, tea, or soda to me.
“Do you want some wine, Charlie?” Colt asks me pointedly. My doctor did give me permission to indulge in a glass of wine since I’m in the third trimester, but I shake my head. I appreciate that he asks, but I feel weird. So many people don’t know the latest research and get all judgy. We both settle on water and find ourselves alone together again.
My body sings at his nearness.
It hits a high soprano note when he settles his arm behind me. I’m in his orbit; his gravity has me edging closer. “Tell me about Charlie Richards.”
“I’ll tell you something, then you tell me.” I’m not comfortable talking about myself.
“Always negotiating.” But he’s smiling. “Tell me about your parents.”
Wow. He would ask this. “Only child. Normal family life until mom found out my dad was having an affair. He traveled a lot with his job. He had, like, a completely separate family. So…” I don’t want to dwell on this. But, like it or not, it’s a part of me. “I was seventeen at the time and Mom kind of fell apart after that. Nervous breakdown. She’s been in a mental hospital for six years now.” I shrug a little.
He furrows his brows. “Shit. Is she stable?”
I swallow hard. “She knows me. She knows who I am. I think she’s lost track of time, though.” I wish we weren’t talking about this.
He’s taken hold of my hand and is drawing little lines along the back of my wrist. It’s comforting and intimate at the same time.
“They tried releasing her, but she… she’s a danger to herself.” I’m quick to change the subject. “Your turn. Tell me something about Colt Forrester. Brothers? Sisters?” I would have loved to have had a sister.
