You bet your ass I can.
Chapter thirty-seven
Lark
There’s no one but myself to blame for my exhaustion the next day. Not even pregnancy hormones. This is solely the result of Dan and I getting very little sleep. Next to none, actually.
He sneaks out before I’m even out of bed for a run with some of the other players. When the door to the hotel room opens an hour later, I smell the gift he’s brought me even before I open my eyes.
“Coffee?” I croak, blinking against the light streaming in from the open curtains. I’m still wearing one of his T-shirts and nothing else, and as he walks over, there’s no ignoring the way his eyes zero in on my boobs.
He settles beside me, handing me the cup. “Before you get too excited, you need to know it’s decaf.”
I pout, even as I take a sip. “I know, it sucks. No caffeine, no wine, no sushi. Women get the shit end of the deal with this whole pregnancy thing.”
“To say nothing of giving birth at the end of it,” he adds. That earns him a glare. “What?”
“I’m trying not to think about that part quite yet.”
He has the decency to look remorseful. “Sorry, Birdie. But I tell you what. I’ll suffer with you. No caffeine, alcohol, or sushi for me, either. I can’t do much about the other stuff you’re gonna have to deal with, but I can do this.”
I pat his arm and look at his very likely caffeinated coffee. “Oh yeah? You’re going to do that with me? Starting when?”
His face falls. “Oh. Shit.”
I’m about to reassure him it doesn’t matter and he can drink the damn coffee when he stands up and goes to the bathroom. I hear him dump the contents of his cup down the sink. When he comes back, he takes my cup from me and takes a large sip.
“You’re gonna have to share.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I say, blinking furiously and trying not to cry.
Dan just fixes me with a strangely affectionate look. “Yeah, I did. We’re in this together, I told you.”
Crap. The first tear falls, followed by another. “Stop being so wonderful,” I wail as he pulls me into his warm chest with a chuckle.
“Sorry, my love. No can do.”
I sniffle and sip my coffee. “Fine. I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.”
“Guess so. Hey, did you ever hear about your internship?”
I push myself up to sit, staring down at my coffee. “I did. I got accepted.”
Dan nudges me slightly. “That’s awesome, Birdie. So why don’t you seem excited?”
My gaze lifts to look at him. “Because it starts in the fall, Dan. And news flash, this baby is coming in the fall. Internships don’texactly mix well with newborns.”
“Hmm.”
His casual response annoys me a little. I bite my tongue and drink my coffee.
“Why don’t you explain the situation and ask if you can start in the new year instead? You said the research study is ongoing, maybe they’ll let you delay your placement.”
I climb out of bed and set my coffee cup down on the dresser after draining the last few sips. “I don’t want to sound all negative, but do you really think that would work? They must have tons of applicants. Why would they wait for me?”
Dan stands up and walks over to me, running his hands down my arms. “Because you’re Lark Miller, and you’re incredible. You’re worth waiting for. Trust me.”
“Now you’re gonna make me cry again.”
