MOVING FROM THE kitchen to the living room, I stop in my tracks, looking at Aubrey asleep on my couch with her head on the armrest, her feet tucked up near her ass, and her hand resting over her belly. Letting out a breath, I move to the couch and stand over her, watching her sleep.
When I picked her up from work, she looked tired but happy to see me. I knew she had to be exhausted, so when I got her to my place, I showed her around then told her to rest while I put in our order for Chinese food and returned a couple phone calls. Apparently, I took longer than I thought. I pull the blanket off the back of the couch and lay it over her then turn on the TV and lower the volume.
Hearing her whimper a few minutes later, I turn to look at her. Whatever she’s dreaming about, it isn’t good. Her body is writhing and her breathing is labored and choppy. “Aubrey.” I reach out and touch her shoulder, and her foot swings out, kicking me in the stomach so hard I grunt.
“No!” she screams, scooting away from me, her eyes wide with fear.
“Jesus,” I whisper, and her eyes focus on me and her hands cover her mouth.
“I’m so…. Oh, God, I’m so sorry.” She whispers, “Did I hurt you?”
“No, are you okay?” I ask, and her face pales as she scoots farther away. “I’d never hurt you,” I tell her, watching her hands clench into fists. “Never,” I repeat.
“I need to go.” She jumps off the couch.
“Sweetheart.” I reach out to grab her, but she dodges my hand.
“I’m so sorry… so, so sorry.” She grabs her sweatshirt, and before I can stop her, she’s gone, slamming the door behind herself.
“Fuck.” I rub my hands down my face then lean forward, wrapping my palm around the back of my neck. My eyes catch on her sneakers in front of my couch as someone knocks on the door. Hoping it’s her, I get up to answer it, but when I swing the door open, disappointment settles in my gut. It’s not her; it’s our dinner. I quickly pay then drop the bag in the kitchen before picking up her shoes.
Knocking on Shelly’s apartment door, I wait only a moment for it to open and am a little surprised when Aubrey pokes her head out.
“You forgot your shoes,” I tell her quietly, holding them out to her.
“Thank you,” she whispers, taking them and starting to shut the door as I hear them hit the floor with a thud.
“Your food is upstairs. Do you want me to bring it to you? Or you could come eat dinner with me.”
“I… I’m not hungry,” she says, looking up at me, and her stomach takes that moment to gurgle loudly. I raise a brow. “Okay, I’m hungry, but I….” Her cheeks get pink and I take a step closer to her, watching her eyes widen.
“Don’t be embarrassed. One day, you can tell me about what happened, but right now, I’d just like it if you had dinner with me.”
“Are you sure? After what happened, I—”
“Don’t think about that,” I cut her off. “Just come up and eat. Please.”
Nodding, she steps out of her apartment and closes the door behind her, and I notice she slipped on a pair of flip-flops. I take her hand, leading her back up the stairs to my place, then settle her on the couch before going to the kitchen to grab the bags of food. When I return to the living room, I can tell she’s still embarrassed about what happened, but I know there’s nothing I can do about that right now. It’s going to take time for her to realize she can trust me.
“Tell me a little about yourself,” I say, handing her the food while setting a glass full of orange juice on the coffee table in front of her.
“There isn’t much to tell.” She shrugs.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, setting my feet on the coffee table, lounging back, and hoping if I’m relaxed, it will help her relax too.
“Just a few months,” she says between bites. “I was just nine-weeks pregnant when I got here, and now I’m almost due.” She rubs her hand over her stomach unconsciously.
“Where’s the father?” I question quietly, and her bottom lip goes between her teeth as her eyes meet mine.
“Hopefully dead,” she whispers, catching me off guard by the fierceness of that statement.
“Does he know about the baby?” I murmur, and her head shakes side to side.
Studying her for a moment, I see there is something there, something ugly, and it takes everything in me not to drag her to my lap and hold her while she tells me about it.
“Eat, baby,” I mutter, nodding toward her bowl. “You can save that story for another day.” Her chin wobbles as she nods. I turn up the volume on the television and sit back, pretending to watch the show on the TV but actually keeping an eye on her as she digs into her food.
“Thank you. That was delicious,” she says, and I turn my head to look at her and smile as she sets her bowl on the coffee table.
“My mom tried to teach me to cook. It never worked out. If I wasn’t able to eat out, I’d probably starve, since the only things I know how to make are mac-and-cheese, hotdogs, and eggs. I suck in the kitchen otherwise,” I tell her, watching as she tucks her feet under her.
“My parents are Irish and they both love to cook. Thankfully, they shared their talent with me.”
“Where are they now?”
“Vegas. Well, all of my family lives there—my mom and dad along with my brothers and a few cousins.”
“You came to Tennessee alone?”
“Yeah, they didn’t want me to keep my baby,” she whispers, placing her hands over her stomach protectively. “I hate her dad, but she’s half of me and innocent. I know it may sound crazy, but when I found out I was pregnant, I knew—regardless of how she was made—I loved her more than anything else in this world. And I’ll never let anyone take her from me.”
“You keep saying she. Are you having a girl?”
“Yeah.” She smiles then reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling it to her stomach. Letting her lead the way, I watch her hand press down on mine and feel movement under her shirt as the baby moves around. Looking up at her, I feel my face go soft as I watch a beautiful smile spread across hers and her eyes light with excitement. Without thinking, I use my free hand to push a piece of hair behind her ear. Her sharp intake of breath has me leaning close enough to feel her exhale against my mouth.
“I really want to kiss you, Aubrey,” I whisper, and her eyes close briefly before she leans forward, resting her lips against mine. I kiss her softly then pull away, sliding my hand behind her neck to drag her head forward so I can touch my mouth to her forehead.
“That was nice.”
I shift back to look down at her. “Only nice?”
Her blue eyes fill with humor as she smiles up at me. “Better than nice.”
“How much better?” I rub the pad of my thumb over her bottom lip, amazed by how soft it is.
She tilts her head to the side and taps her finger against her chin like she’s thinking hard about my question before she answers. “I think it was the best first kiss I’ve ever had.”
I like her answer, but I want more. “I think I should kiss you again, just so you’re sure. You know… so you have something to compare it to.”
“You do?” she asks with a smile. I nod, and she whispers against my lips, “Okay.”
I softly brush my lips against hers. “What do you think now?”
It takes a moment for her lashes to flutter open and for her to focus on me. “I don’t know. I think you should kiss me again.”
“I like the way you think.” I nibble her bottom lip then soothe it with my tongue.
“Oh, that’s nice,” she says then giggles when her stomach moves between us.
I lean back and rest my hand on her belly. “Does she always move so much?”
“Yeah,” she replies softly, and I look up at her. “Especially when she knows it’s time for me to go to sleep.” She scoots back on the couch. “I really should go.”
Fuck, I don’t want her to, but I know she’s right. “I’ll walk you downstairs.”
“It’s not a big deal. I can make it on my own.” She slides her feet into her flip-flops.
“I’ll walk you,” I repeat, standing, and she eyes me for a moment before nodding once. I open the door for her to step out ahead of me then take her hand and walk her downstairs, leaving her at Shelly’s door with one more kiss and fucking hating that she’s not going to sleep where I can keep an eye on her.