I crossed my arms. And flexed my big muscles. Shedefinitelywas noticing. “I’m a man of action. And I have a great idea. Just say yes.”
“Tell me what it is.”
“I can’t. Because…it’s a little nuclear.”
She blinked. I held her by the shoulders. It was all I could do not to pull her into me and just hold her for a minute until she calmed down. Except that would have the opposite effect on me. I stepped back and said, “Give me an hour. I’ll get back with you. Please.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Yes, great question. Why was I here, involved, helping, when I knew that once that little baby came, I would not be able to stay?
But I had a secret weapon in my pocket, and I couldn’t not use it. “Because you complimented my muscles,” I said. “Now go…make some lists.” I waved her off. “And send your mom on an errand. She wants to be useful. I can tell.”
She opened her mouth to protest (also predictable), but I lightly held my finger over her lips. Which was a little forward and veered a little from the friend vibe. But I was on a fiery roll, I guess.
She blinked. And I…well, I froze, tangled up in her gaze, and realized that I was touching her lips. Her beautiful, soft, full lips. Heat rushed through me. I leaned forward without even thinking about it, needing to place my lips on hers.
The dog barked. I caught my breath. Tore my gaze away. Quickly dropped my hand.
I looked down to see him next to Ani, barking at me as if to say,She’s mine.I know when someone’s in competition for a woman. But in this case, maybe Arnie saved me from a big mistake.
Before Ani could utter a protest, I walked away, Arnie in tow. We’d missed our jog, but I felt certain that a ride in the car would pump him right up. Somewhat recovered, I called over my shoulder, “Be back soon.” I winked at her as I pulled my pickup out of her drive. “Oh, and have fun with your mom.”
Chapter Twelve
Ani
“Who is he, Ani?” my mom asked.
She was rummaging through my fridge. I slid in front of her and closed the door before she could examine the contents in full detail. “Adam? Just a friend. His…his wife died. And he moved here to be nearer to his mom.”
“That’s sad.” She folded her arms. “Just a friend?”
“Just a friend,” I confirmed. But my insides told me otherwise. My heart was pounding, and my lips were still tingling from his touch.He’d touched me on the lips.And it was full-on erotic. It had directed my mind away from the fact that I was losing it, upset with my mom, upset with Pottery Barn, and upset with myself for this predicament.
Adam was here, giving me his calm presence and his support. Again.
What did I do for him? I felt like he was always bailing me out, rescuing me.
Minutes earlier I’d been starving, but now it felt as if there was a roller coaster full of screaming riders with their hands high in the air, zipping around the circumference of my stomach.
“You’re flushed,” my mom said.
My hands flew to my cheeks. “I am not.”
Her lips turned up in her I-know-you-better-than-you-know-yourself smile. “Okay, well, I know Daria is helping you.” She opened the fridge again and pulled out a jar of pickles. “I wish you’d told me all of this.” She placed it in the sink. “Instead of me having to find out at the hospital. You hate pickles.”
“They’re Mia’s from when we made grilled cheese. I left you a voicemail,” I said weakly. “You never called me back.”
The pickles went down the disposer with a harsh grinding noise. “The voicemail said, ‘Call me sometime,’ not ‘I’m adopting a baby and becoming a single mom.’”
“Okay, fine. I’m sorry, Mom. The truth is that I didn’t know how to tell you.”
She spun around. “Ani, I’m your mother. Why do you feel that you can’t tell me?”
All this remorse I had over not handling my relationships well—I had to fix this, starting with my mom. I didn’t know how to say things, important things that were difficult to say. This terrible flaw had led me to the altar with the wrong man, seconds away from a giant mistake.
I stood up straight. I’d made this scary decision, and now it was time to stick to my guns. “I know how this looks, especially after what happened with the wedding. But Mom, I’ve never felt so sure of anything. That tiny baby—so helpless.” I closed my eyes, feeling the tug even now. “I just felt something. Something big. I—I can’t explain it otherwise.”
