Jessie shook her head. “I want to get through my appointment first.”
He understood. The bottle sprayed more cleaner out as he squeezed the lever. “Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”
“Absolutely not. It’s going to be quick. I’ll tell you if they say anything about the baby, but I think I’ll probably have to schedule another appointment to count as my first official prenatal one.”
“And then we’ll tell your family.”
She cringed, and the doubts he’d been shoving to the back of his mind came tumbling out of his mouth.
“Jess… I’m all in. But if I’m not what you want,” he swallowed roughly as he stood up straight to look her right in her eyes, “then I need you to tell me straight up, okay? I will still behere for you and the baby, but I won’t hold on to the hope that romantic things are also going to happen for us.”
She stood, closing the distance between them in two steps. Her hand reached over and laid softly on top of his. “That’s not at all what I’m saying, or why I’m delaying telling my family. It’s just… as sweet and lovely as my mom is, my dad is very old school. He’ll be upset that I’m pregnant and not married.”
“There a solution to that?—”
“Don’t you dare ask.” There was no bite to her tone and her eyes sparkled mischievously. “You Montgomery Defense men think everything can be solved with a marriage proposal.”
“It can,” he grumbled under his breath.
“Well, I would like to back up about ten steps if we could. The baby makes that difficult.”
“Ten steps, huh?”
Her eyes dropped to their connected hands. “I just want to be sure I’m not trapping you into something you don’t want.”
“Trapping me?” This woman was a breath away from owning his heart forever and she thought she was trapping him. His free hand moved up to cup her face. “Jessie, in what world?—”
“You have your life together. You’re established. Someone people look up to in the community. You’re safe, and good, and…” Her cheeks suddenly flushed and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.
“Are you okay?” His hand moved to collect the hair off the back of her neck. Hawk blew air across her skin, watching as it pebbled where he touched. “Do you feel sick?”
“No. I’m fine.”
Ah. He understood now. “So what were you going to say that caused you to overheat?”
“We don’t have to talk about that.”
His thumb found the underside of her chin, tipping it so he was looking directly in her eyes.
“Were you about to say I’m sexy?”
She scoffed. “I don’t think that needs to be said out loud.”
“Hunky?”
“Hawk…”
“The catch of a century with my strikingly handsome good looks and rugged strength.”
“Obviously, all those things apply without me even having to voice them,” she laughed.
“But what if I want to hear those words come out of your mouth, Pretty Girl?”
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes and he laughed. “You’re safe, and good, and I’ve never been so attracted to anyone in my life.But?—”
“Nope. No ‘but’. Because you aren’t trapping me. I’m right where I want to be. Right where I’ve wanted to be for a long time now. And I’d like the chance to show you that, before your belly swells with the baby I put in there.” Hawk’s hand hovered above her belly. “May I?”
He waited, his breath caught in his chest as Jessie took a few steps back, sitting down so her hips moved forward slightly as she nodded. And then he was finally doing what he’d been thinking of doing nonstop since she told him about the pregnancy. His whole hand fit right in the space between her hips. Right where their baby was growing.
