“Did you get sick today?”
“Yeah.” Her lip went between her teeth and her eyes drifted out the front window of the diner. “Lach asked me if I wanted fried fish for lunch. It didn’t go well.”
“Shit,” he cringed.
“I kind of spilled the baby beans to him.”
Hawk stopped wiping down the table. He tossed the rag down next to the cleaner and made his way over to her. It only took a second to sit down in the chair, pulling hers out and turning it, so that they were sitting knee to knee.
“Are you okay? I know you didn’t want to tell anyone yet.”
She nodded, her fingers coming up to massage her temple. “I love all my brothers, but Lach and I have always been the closest. Growing up, he was the one brother I could count on not to tattle on me. And I never ratted him out either.”
Hawk sat back. “So, Lach knows now.”
“But he doesn’t know…” She went back to nibbling on her lip.
“What?”
“That you’re… that it’s yours. I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me saying anything yet, and I didn’t want him doing anything silly, like trying to defend my honor.”
Hawk stood, grabbing the cleaning cloth before tossing itover his shoulder as he rested his hip against the nearest booth. “Jess, I’m fucking thrilled that the baby is mine. Don’t doubt that for a second. Tell Lach. Tell your whole family. I’m ready to shout it out in front of the whole town.”
She wrapped her arms around her stomach and groaned. “God, no.”
He smiled, turning back to the table to clean. “I know you’re not ready for that. All I’m saying is, I am. Whenever you are. So tell whoever you need to, or don’t. It’s all good.”
She leaned forward, her elbows resting on the table top as her head fell into her hands. “I’m being a brat over everything.”
“You’re not being a brat. You’re exhausted and you don’t feel good. You’re allowed to be frustrated with that.”
She smiled. “I knew you’d say something sweet.”
And fuck, if her admitting that didn’t make him feel like he was floating in the clouds. But his next thought brought him right back down to Earth. “Were you sick again? After you told your brother?”
“No. I made sure I snacked on a few of the crackers I shoved in my pocket this morning before I came here.”
His chest rumbled at that. A few fucking crackers. That wasn’t enough. Hawk reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. She was sick in the morning, but only after the thought of food triggered it. Maybe there was something there?
“What are you doing?” Her question brought him out of his head.
“I’m writing down everything to see if we can identify a pattern. Certain foods that you absolutely can’t tolerate. Or smells. If it’s a certain time of day you feel bad. We’ll get to the bottom of it and figure it out. We can come up with a plan to mitigate all the things that trigger it.”
Jessie nodded, her hand resting over her stomach. “I can’t wait to just feel hungry again.”
“Is there anything that sounds good to you? Something that you think about eating that doesn’t make you feel nauseous?”
Her eyes glazed over and she licked her lips. “It’s silly.”
“Tell me.”
“Dressing.”
“Like ranch? Or Thousand Island?” He’d never heard of someone craving salad dressing during their pregnancies, but it probably wasn’t the craziest request out there.
“No,” she smiled. “Thanksgiving dressing. All the cornbread soaked in butter and herbs. My mom’s is always so warm and salty and really crisp on the top but soft on the inside. Oh god. Yeah. That sounds incredible. And I’ve been thinking about her making it for me for days.”
“Maybe that’s a sign we should tell her about the baby. So she can help take care of you.”
