Ellie rubbed her back as she left the ER after her shift. Three days had passed since she’d seen Liam and she missed him. Ever since he found out about the babies a few weeks ago, they had been spending more time together. But talking over the phone wasn’t the same. She stretched her neck, trying to work out the kinks. If she was this tired and sore now, what was going to happen over the next few months? The exhaustion should ease up in the second trimester but carrying twins had to be tiring, regardless of the month. What did she have at home to make for supper? She had to eat and she had to eat right, but sometimes she was too tired to go home and do much more than make a peanut-butter-and-Marshmallow-Fluff sandwich.
She and Liam had spoken every night since he’d left. They made small talk, and every night she stopped short of admitting her love. If she said the words, put them out there, would he use them to get her to move to Boston? Would he think she said them to wrangle a proposal or him uprooting his life? She didn’t know the answer so she bit her tongue and didn’t say anything.
In the corridor, she looked up and saw Liam leaning against the nurses’ station. Surprise had her halting mid-stride. He was chatting up the nurses, who looked enraptured by whatever story he was telling. Before she could decide if she should be jealous, he glanced over and a huge grin split his face when he spotted her. The smile, the glint in his eyes, were for her and that knowledge filled her. She felt lighter in spite of her exhaustion.
“Sorry, ladies, but it looks like my date has arrived,” he said, and stepped toward her.
Ellie said goodbye to the nurses and fell into step beside Liam as they left the hospital.
“What’s this about me being your date?” She asked, torn between the prospect of going out with Liam or putting her feet up in front of the television. At this time of year it was dark when she left the ER, and going home suited her.
“I was talking about feeding you,” he said, and stopped under a humming sodium vapor lamp near her car.
She looked up at him in the yellowish glow from the lights. “That sounds lovely but I confess I was looking forward to going home and not moving for at least twenty-four hours.”
Would he take that as a rejection? She shivered and pulled her light jacket closer around her. The temperature had dropped along with the sun.
He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. “No problem. I brought things with me. We can go to your place and I’ll cook while you put your feet up.”
“I can’t tell you how amazing that sounds.” She burrowed closer to his warmth and rubbed her cheek against the soft cotton of his sweatshirt. He smelled like clean laundry.
“What were you planning on having if I hadn’t shown up?” he asked, his voice rumbling in his chest.
“My old standby. A Fluffernutter,” she said, referring to her craving for a peanut-butter-and-marshmallow sandwich. She pulled away enough to look up at him.
He quirked an eyebrow and his lips twitched. “On the appropriate whole-grain bread?”
“Um...” She stared at her feet.
He clicked his tongue against his teeth. “Shame on you, Ellie Harding. After all that grief you gave me.”
She shrugged. “I know, but it’s not the same if it’s not on white bread.”
“Well, if you can see your way clear to eat healthy, I brought stuff to make a stir-fry.”
“That sounds wonderful. Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me until you taste it.” He cleared his throat. “And I brought something special but you gotta eat the healthier stuff first.”
“What? Are you practicing saying dad stuff?”
He laughed. “I have to start somewhere.”
“About this dessert. Did you buy it or—”
He held up a finger. “I’m not saying anything except maybe a certain bakery might be involved.”
She cuffed him on the shoulder. “Don’t tease if you can’t deliver.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He kissed the top of her head. “And believe me when I say I can deliver.”
She rubbed her slightly rounded stomach. “I know you can.”
“C’mon. Let’s get you home so you can relax while I make supper.”
“You must be tired, too, if you just came off shift.”
“Yeah, but I wasn’t on my feet the entire time like you and I’m not carrying around two extra people.”
“But at the moment your turnout gear weighs more than these two.” She pointed to her stomach.
“True, but I get to take it off at some point.”
“You got me there.” She laughed and rubbed her belly. “If they’re wearing me out now, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like once they’re born. I watch Mary’s Elliott running around and I can’t imagine two doing that at the same time.”
“Just remember, you’re not in this alone.” He met her gaze. “You know that right?”
“Yes, I know that.” She did, but part of the time he’d be nearly two hundred miles away. She didn’t voice her thoughts. A lot of women had it worse. Meg had been alone until Riley returned from Afghanistan, and Mary had been a single mother with no help until she’d met Brody and they fell in love. Unlike Riley, who hadn’t even known about his daughter for years, or Roger, who had rejected Mary and his son, Liam was willing to be involved. Sure, she’d vowed to live her life out loud, but there was that sticky thing called pride. Their children would tie her to Liam for a lifetime, regardless of whether or not they were a couple. If she admitted her feelings and he didn’t return them, he might pity her. She’d had enough of being pitied to last her a lifetime. It was one of those things that eroded self-esteem.
“Okay, let’s get you home, warmed up and fed.”
Liam followed Ellie to her place, the bags from the Pic-N-Save on the passenger seat. Before going to the hospital, he’d stopped at the local supermarket for ingredients. He wasn’t much of a cook but he could do a simple stir-fry and rice. Glancing at the white bakery box with its bright blue lettering on the passenger-side floor, he grinned.
He pulled in behind Ellie’s car and cut the engine. Scooping up the box, he stuck it in one of the bags and got out. His chest tightened as he followed her up the stairs. Being back in Loon Lake with her felt comforting, secure. But that was crazy. Why would he need comforting?
Following her into her kitchen, he set the bags on the counter. “Before I forget, someone named Lorena at the Pic-N-Save said to say hi.”
Ellie laughed. “Did you tell her you were cooking supper for me?”
“She gave me the third degree as she rang up the stuff. I got the feeling if I said I was cooking for someone else, I was going to be in trouble.”
“Small-town life,” she said as she took off her jacket. “Let me go change and I’ll help.”
“Take your time. I got this.” He began pulling things out of the bags.
“There’s beer in the fridge if you want. Help yourself, I can’t drink it,” she said, and disappeared down the hallway.
He pulled the rice cooker off the shelf and dumped in rice and water before plugging it in. Sipping on a longneck, he began chopping the vegetables. He was slicing the beef when she came back into the kitchen area; when he looked up, his breath hitched in his chest. A strange combination of feelings, a confusing mixture of lust and fierce protectiveness, filled him. He’d experienced both before but never at the same time. This was like a punch to the gut.
“Liam?”
He blinked. “Huh?”
“What can I do?” she asked, frowning when he didn’t respond.
“Just stand there and look beautiful.” He winced when the casual, teasing tone he was going for fell short.
She sighed and shook her head. “That’s hardly productive.”
“Then tell me about your day.” He poured oil in a pan and adjusted the burner.
She got dishes down and utensils from the drawer, telling him how the EMTs brought in a man having a psychotic episode. “Luckily, Riley and another deputy came in with him.”
“Damn.” He paused in the middle of adding the vegetables to the pan. He’d heard stories from EMTs about how volatile those situations could get. The thought of Ellie—his Ellie and their babies—caught in the middle of something like that chilled him. “Do you think the ER is the best place for you?”
She set the plates and utensils on the counter with a clatter. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I know how these situations can go bad. You could’ve been hurt trying to defuse it.” He stirred the vegetables and removed them from the pan once they’d started to soften.
She put her hand over her stomach. “These babies are very well protected at the moment.”
“I wasn’t talking about them. I was talking about you. You, Ellie, you.” He pointed at her to emphasize his point, adding the thinly sliced meat to the pan to brown.
“I’m an adult. I don’t need someone hovering.”
“Since when is being concerned about your safety hovering?” He recalled the time Meg told him how Ellie had gotten beaned by a foul ball during a game to raise money for new water and ice rescue equipment for the EMTs. He took a sip of his beer and put the vegetables back in the pan with the meat. “And should you be playing softball?”
“Softball? It’s October. What are you on about it?” She planted her hands on her hips and glared at him. “Oh, wait, I get it. We wouldn’t even be having this conversation if I wasn’t pregnant, would we?”
The rice cooker clicked from Cook to Warm. He shook his head. “I can’t answer that because you are pregnant.”
“I assure you, pregnant or not, I can and do take care of myself. I don’t need you—”
He turned the burner off and put the meat and vegetables on a platter. “Your supper is ready. We should eat before it gets cold.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again. He set the hot pan in the sink where it sizzled when the faucet dripped. With a strangled sound she went to him and put her arms around his waist, pressing her front to his back.
He grabbed her hands in his and turned around, putting her hands back at his waist, and held them there.
She looked up at him. “Why are we arguing?”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry if I worry about you. And I mean you. I’m not saying I’m not concerned over the babies, but it’s you I think about, Ellie.”
“That’s good because I think about you, too, Liam.” She gave him a squeeze. “And I appreciate you making me a healthy supper.”
“Better than a peanut-butter sandwich?”
“Much.”
“You haven’t tried it yet.” He wasn’t much of a cook, but stir-fry was pretty easy and healthy.
After eating seated side by side at the breakfast bar, Ellie insisted on cleaning up while he found them something to watch on TV. He decided not to argue with her. Since he didn’t do much of the cooking at the firehouse, the guys usually put him on cleanup.
Taking a seat on the couch, he picked up Ellie’s pregnancy book from the cushion next to him. He opened the book to the place she had bookmarked.
“Ellie?” His voice sounded strained to his own ears.
She had a bookmark on the chapter about engaging in sex during the different stages of pregnancy. Well, well, well. So, did Ellie have this on her mind? Or was she simply reading the book cover to cover and happened to stop there?
“Ellie?”
“Hold your horses. I’m coming.” She came into the living area carrying the bakery box and napkins. Her gaze went to the book in his hand and she stopped short, eyes wide, cheeks pink.
He held up the book. “Interesting reading.”
She put the box of cannoli on the coffee table and sat down next to him on the sofa. “I’ll take that.”
“But I’m not done reading this fascinating chapter yet,” he said, and winked.
She tried to pry the book out of his hands, but he was holding on tight.
“I think it’s important we read this together. You know, share all aspects.”
“That’s because you’re reading the chapter about sex.”
“We could read it together,” he offered.
She narrowed her eyes. “Just this one? Or all of it?”
“I guess if I was there for the good stuff, I should be there for the...uh, other stuff. Huh?” Leaving Ellie alone to handle all of this would be unforgivable and he liked to think he was better than that.
“Well...” She canted her head to one side as she studied him. “We could start with this particular chapter and then move on to some of the others.”
He tossed the book onto the coffee table and jumped up.
She lifted an eyebrow. “No book? Does this mean you’re going to wing it?”
His gaze bounced between her and the book. “Is there something special I should know?”
“Not really. I’m not that far along.”
That was all he needed to know, as he placed his arm behind her knees and swept her high up into his arms.
“Liam! You’re going to hurt yourself.”
He grunted and staggered but kept her close in a firm grip. “Now that you mention it...”
“Hey, I haven’t gained that much weight, especially with all the nausea.”
“If you say so,” he teased. He was enjoying the way her eyes sparkled.
“Brat. Put me down,” she said, then looped her arms around his neck.
He shook his head as he headed toward the bedroom. “Momentum is on my side.”
“Why are you even doing this?” She tightened her hold on him.
“What? You saying you aren’t impressed?”
“Maybe if you weren’t grunting so much.”
He stepped into the bedroom and set her down gently. Straightening up, he put his hands on his back and made an exaggerated groaning sound.
She studied him with a sly smile. “I guess this means you won’t be able to—”
He put his hands around her waist to fit her snugly against him. “Does that seem like I’m incapacitated in any way?”
She put her arms around him and nuzzled his neck. “Hmm... I might need further convincing.” She kissed him. “Just to be sure.”
“Mmm.” He nibbled on her earlobe. “Should we get some of these clothes off?”
“Sounds like a plan,” she said and pulled her sweatshirt over her head.
His gaze went to the small swell of her stomach. His babies were in there. Without conscious thought, he dropped to his knees and pressed his cheek against the taut skin.
Her hands were in his hair, her nails grazing his scalp as he put his arms around her. The moment might have started as sexy teasing but this was suddenly something more. He searched for words, but the tangle of emotions inside him prevented them from forming.
Her fingers tightened in his hair. “Liam?”
He might not have the words but he could show her what she meant to him.
Rising, he took her hand and led her to the bed, where he quickly disposed of the rest of her clothing.
He caressed her breasts and the areas around her nipples. “Have these gotten darker?”
“Yeah, it’s increased pigmentation from...” She swallowed audibly. “Sorry, TMI?”
“You know I’m a sucker for nurse speak.” He grinned, then sobered. “You’re beautiful, Ellie.”
She looked up at him. “And you have too many clothes on.”
He reached around her and pulled the covers back. “Get in and I’ll take care of that.”
He left his clothes in a pile and slipped into bed, taking her into his arms.
Unlike the first time, when they’d both been so eager, he took this slow to demonstrate how much she meant to him. Even if he hadn’t said the words.
Afterward, Liam settled her against him and rested his cheek against her silky hair. They worked as a couple and he dared to think about their future. Together.