“Jesus Christ, Colt! Are you trying to scare me into labor?”
His eyes went wide as his hands landed on my arms, cautiously holding on as I grunted my way out of my seat. “Can that happen?”
“I’m sure it can! Any sort of stress can set off contractions!”
His hand flew to the back of his neck and he rubbed the skin there while giving me his biggest, most sincere apologetic eyes.
“Fuck, Vi. I’m sorry. I just wanted to open your door and make sure you got up the steps alright.”
“The same steps I have at my parents’ house and can navigate perfectly fine on my own?”
“Yeah, well, this is my house. My rules apply here. And I always get your door.”
“Even if it used to beourhouse?”
I expected him to turn and run, but I should have known better. Instead of bolting like I would have, Colt reached down and took my hand. He helped me stand before leaning so close I could feel the heat radiating off his skin as he lowered his face towards mine.
“You should remember the punishment for not letting me get your door. Always did love the way you sounded panting my name when I bent you over my knee and turned that pretty peach ass of yours beet red.”
I gasped, trying to remind myself I was in no shape to get worked up over a man I hadn’t been near in almost a decade. A man who was so close I could smell him, the rich amberand smokey, charred maple washing over me in nostalgic waves. A man whose arms I desperately wanted wrapped around me, tattoos rippling as his hand tightened its hold. Our son rolled in my belly, as if he, too, wanted to punctuate our closeness.
No.
Notourson.Myson.
My body flushed hot and then cold.
“You okay? I was only trying to tease. I didn’t mean…I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No.” I forced myself to smile as I shut the car door that had been left wide open during our exchange. “I’m fine. Just a lot of memories there I hadn’t really thought about in a while.”
Lies, Violet. You thought about Colt in the shower just before you came over here.
His eyes narrowed on my face, and for a second I thought that maybe Colt had gained the ability to read minds in the time since our divorce. But he just shook his head and gave a little chuckle as his hand landed on the small of my back, guiding me up towards the house.
“Jessie mentioned seeing you at Montgomery Defense. Did you talk to one of the guys about a security system?”
I nodded. “A very nice guy, actually. Stone?”
He smiled. “Good. I can come by when they’re going to install it. Make sure they do it right.”
I stopped, my hands resting on my hips. “You don’t think they’ll do a good job? Isn’t Jessie’s husband a part of that team? You trust him to keep her safe, don’t you?”
“Of course I do. I trust all of them. It’s just…”
“Just what? That you think you could do a better job?”
“That you’re too precious,” he whispered. The wind picked up, a strand of my hair flying free in front of my face. Colt reached out, tucking it back behind my ear. “I know you don’twant me overstepping. But this situation is serious. I’m scared for you, and I really think you should reconsider?—”
I held up my hand.
“I’m not here to discuss that tonight, Colt. I just wanted to meet my nephew.” My eyes drifted over my ex-husband’s shoulder to where my former sister-in-law was busy stirring something together in a big green bowl.
“He’s not?—”
My cheeks burned. “You really seem hellbent on pissing me off today. Your sister has beenmysister since the minute she came into this world, even if the divorce strained things between us. Maybe you’re forgetting the promises we whispered to her together when I came over to meet her after she was born?”
That webothwould always watch over her. That webothwould always love and protect her.
