Anything else would be too messy.
For the sake of our child and our ability to parent amicably, that’sit, and that’s all it ever can be.
Friends, I tell myself again.
The waiter appears right at that moment and I’m certain he must have been watching for her arrival. I surreptitiously adjust myself in my pants while he takes Lucy’s drink order–ginger ale–and promises to return again shortly. Lucy places her large tote bag on the floor beside our table and removes her jacket. I reach over to help her arrange it over the back of her chair and take note of the form-fitting blouse she’s wearing. It’s cream and dips low in the front to provide a tantalizing tease of her cleavage. I remember the sight of her perfect tits springing free in the moonlight as she discarded her bra on the beach and–
For Pete’s sake, cut it out! I can’t help the frown that comes over me and Lucy notices. Her lips turn down in response and she shifts her body, orienting herself slightly away from me.
I want to kick myself.
“So, Luce, how’re you feeling?” Piper asks thankfully distracting us all from my idiotic behavior.
“Like shit,” she sighs, then cringes and glances over at me uncertainly. It takes me a moment to realize she’s worried about swearing around me now, so I offer her a reassuring smile. It’s the right thing to do because her eyes flare and she returns the smile before turning back to Piper. “I haven’t been able to keep anything down today, so I’m starving.”
She drops her hand to her stomach and I follow the movement. I’m irrationally disappointed that her waist remains trim, her belly flat and toned under that tight shirt. Of course I know it’s too soon for her to be showing, but … I’m looking forward to seeing that little bump, I realize. I feel a growl rise in my throat at the thought, but I manage to swallow it before I can embarrass myself. Something about watching her body grow and change while she carries my child is oddly enticing, though, and it brings out a possessiveness that I wasn’t expecting.
“I really hope I’ll be able to keep dinner down,” Lucy continues and it’s then that I clue into what she’s just said.
“So, essentially you’ve had an empty stomach all day?” I ask, concerned.
She just nods, shrugging. “I couldn’t handle breakfast, and then lunch … well, it revisited me.”
My frown is back. “That can’t be good. How are you expected to stay healthy and grow a baby if you can’t retain any nourishment?” Without even thinking about it I reach out and rest a palm against her cheek. “Do you feel faint?” I ask.
She sucks in a breath and her eyes find mine. I wish I could read what I see in them, but the moment passes too swiftly and she drops her gaze. Then she reaches out her hand to rest it on top of mine before quickly pulling away.
“I’m fine.”
I let my hand drop from her face, my skin feeling instantly chilled at the loss of her touch.
“But, you can’t go on like this–”
“I’ll be fine, Noah,” she assures me.
My anxiety is rising the more I think about this. She’s been having morning sickness since I saw her last week, and she said it’s been lasting her most of the day. “Maybe we should get you to a doctor–” I try again, but she shakes her head.
“I mentioned it to my doctor when I was there this morning. It’s perfectly normal at this stage of the pregnancy. It sucks for me, but the baby should be totally fine.”
I must look unconvinced because Lucy drops her hand to rest on my thigh, effectively distracting me from the conversation at hand. It feels really good there.
“Noah?”
“Huh– yeah?”
She leans over into my space to meet my eyes again, my thigh taking some of her weight as she uses the arm to support herself. The press of her warm hand and the depths of her wide eyes …
“I promise, I’m totally fine.”
Oh, right … yeah … good.
“Okaaaay,” I say, slowly.
“Okay,” she nods, pulling away just as the waiter returns, order pad in hand. A chill runs through me once again at the loss of her heat and I feel an unmistakable sense of sorrow. I know I can’t allow myself to develop feelings for Lucy, but …
It might already be too late.
I sit back in my chair with a sigh. Aidan meets my eyes across the table offering me a wry and knowing smirk.
