11. Rob
11 ROB
“No, that can’t be right. You need to check everything again. And then one more time after that.” My voice was panicked and high-pitched. My hands shook as they reached out and gripped Kayla’s arms. “Please.”
Kayla looked at me with sympathy in her eyes, the kind of sympathy that says she knew I was reeling. “Okay, Rob, I’ll run the tests again if you want me to, but I’m certain of the results.” She folded her arms and kept a kind expression on her face.
“It’s not possible, Kay! I can’t be pregnant.” I whispered the last part just in case someone was eavesdropping outside the exam room.
She arched one brow in my direction, and I grunted.
“Yeah, okay, fine. It is possible, technically, but I just can’t. You know?” Obviously, Levi and I had been getting naked together regularly, but I wasn’t ready to accept the results yet. “We just started seeing each other.” Last night, I let Levi take me home from the hospital. He’d been so worried about me that I didn’t have the heart to tell him the news Kayla had given me already. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it, so I let him pamper me in all the ways I’d always wanted a man to. He ordered dinner and joined me in the shower, soaping me up and rinsing me off, making me crazy with nothing but the whisper-soft kisses he placed all over my skin. After dinner, we both fell asleep in front of the television, but somehow, I’d woken up this morning with his big, strong body wrapped around mine.
It was perfect.
It was heaven.
And when this all shook out, it would be over.
Kayla nodded and took my hand, acting as my friend rather than a doctor in the moment. “You’re worried he’ll react badly?”
“Yes. No. I mean, yeah, obviously, but there’s nothing to react to. Unless, wait, do you think he’s going to think I’m sleeping with other people?” I didn’t even wait for Kayla to reply. “He’s the only person I’ve been with, the first person I’ve had an orgasm with in more than a year.” Sleeping with other models had gotten old quickly, the same was true of other people even remotely in the industry.
“Wow, that’s shocking.”
“I know,” I laughed. “Everybody thinks it’s just one giant orgy, but trust me, it’s not. After bad relationships and long strings of even worse dates, I decided to snuggle up with a battery-operated boyfriend. Or two.”
She studied me for a long time, gathering her thoughts as she often did before saying something I wouldn’t want to hear. “I ran the test multiple times, and your blood results are here.” She sighed. “You’re pregnant, Rob, but you have some time to decide what you want to do.”
What I wanted to do was pull the sheet over my head and pretend that today stopped at that killer kiss against a tree, but that wasn’t an option. I hadn’t buried my head in the sand since high school algebra, and I wouldn’t start now. “Decide?”
Kayla nodded. “You have options, Rob.”
I knew that. Of course, I did. You couldn’t be a woman in this century and not know, but it didn’t take long to decide what I wanted in that regard. I want this baby. “Shit,” I whispered, more to myself than to Kayla. “I’m about to blow my life up, but Kay, I want this baby.”
She smiled. “You’ll be a great mom. Stylish and wise.”
Her words sent a charge of warmth through me, soothing the doubts before they even rose up within me. “I still have to talk to Levi, and I’m probably going to screw that up too. Things have been good between us, but this,” I pointed at my still-flat stomach, “will decimate it. Right?”
“Give him a chance,” she challenged me. “Levi might surprise you.”
Yeah, there was always the possibility that he would flash that heart-stopping smile in my direction and tell me that he would be there for me and the baby. The chance was too small to be measured by any piece of equipment known to man, but it was still there like a fleck of dust on a ray of sunlight. But I lived in the real world where he would politely tell me that he wasn’t ready for kids or that things were moving too fast. He might offer child support, but that was about it.
“Wow, that was a lot of emotions in just a few seconds.” Kayla laughed, her eyes wide with surprise. “Give him a chance. You said he’s a good guy.”
“He is, but instant fatherhood isn’t what he signed up for.”
“It’s not what you signed up for either, but here we are.”
“Good point, but I’m the one growing the baby and making the decision.” I shook my head to rid myself of the negative thoughts. “I can’t freak myself out over how he’s going to react. I’ll tell him and go from there, but either way, I need to get ready for the next chapter in my life.”
“That’s a good mindset, Rob.” Kayla stood and offered me a referral sheet and a gift bag.
“What’s in the bag?”
“Open it and see,” she answered with a gentle grin.
It was several sleeves of salted butter crackers and a six-pack of small ginger ale bottles. I looked up, confused.
“For the morning sickness. As you already know, it doesn’t just strike in the A.M. Nibble a few and take a few sips, it’ll help.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Thank you, Kayla. You are… the best.”
Her professional demeanor dropped, and she stood, circling the desk before she wrapped me in her arms. “You’re having a baby, Rob!”
“I’m having a baby,” I whispered and let those four words sink in. Those four words meant a different path, one I hadn’t expected when I returned to Holiday Grove. A path I now embraced, determined to become the best damn mom I could be.
Kayla pulled back to say more, but the crackle of the PA system sounded loud, calling her name along with a bunch of other words I took to mean there was an emergency. “Gotta go, but Rob, you’re gonna be great, and I’ll be right here to tell you as much when you forget.”
“Thank you, Kay. For everything.” I took my bag of goodies along with the referral to an obstetrician and left the hospital. It was too early to start my shift at the bar, but I knew I wouldn’t get much done at home if I didn’t at least attempt to talk to Levi.
Just tell him. Whatever happens, it’ll be okay. I repeated those words to myself over and over as I stared at the wooden door that would take me to Levi. I knew he was inside prepping for the day, just as I knew we’d have an hour or two alone if I went inside right now. “Just go!” I shouted inside the car before I got my ass in gear, stepping from the car. I took slow, careful steps until I was at the door.
Relief pulsed through me when I found the bar empty, satisfied to have a few more moments to myself before everything went to shit. My legs wobbled as I rounded the bar and stored my purse, shaking even more as I pushed open the door that led to the kitchen. He was such a gorgeous man, kind and caring, so focused on doing whatever he did the best he could.
“Hey.” He looked up with a smile that went all the way up to his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
“Better,” I sighed and offered him a small smile. “How’s it going?”
“Great,” he grinned wide. “Just doing some prep work for the day’s special, St. Nick’s Grilled Sub.” He rattled off some ingredients that made my mouth water and my stomach flip. “What do you think?”
“I think it sounds amazing, and I wish I felt up to being your taste tester.”
His brows dipped. “How about I whip up some soup just for you?”
My heart melted a little more, and I nodded. “That would be nice, but only if you have time. Can’t have you neglecting your customers.”
He wiped his hands on a towel and closed the distance between us before wrapping me in the warmth of his embrace. I inhaled deeply, enjoying the way his masculine scent wrapped around me. “Thanks to you, I have the time to cook for my customers.”
“Thanks to your delicious meals, sales are up. At least they are at the bar, but I assume the bar bill is going up because of the food?”
Levi’s smile was wide and proud. “Sales are definitely up.” He dropped a kiss right on my forehead. “I wouldn’t have done this if you hadn’t forced me into it.”
I laughed at the memory that felt like a lifetime ago. “You’re welcome?” This would’ve been the perfect moment to tell him about the pregnancy, but I chickened out when his lips descended and met mine. I whimpered at the feel of his mouth, gentle yet commanding, against mine.
“Thank you,” he said against my lips before pulling back.
“My pleasure.” Guilt ate at me throughout the shift, but I managed to keep a smile on my face while I assured the good folks of Holiday Grove that my fainting spell was just a blip from skipping too many meals. They all bought it because everyone knew that models, even former models, didn’t eat.
I was dead on my feet by the time the last customer exited the bar, and I wasn’t sure how I would manage to drive home.
“Come on,” Levi insisted, hooking one arm around my waist. “Let’s get you off your feet.” He took me back to his place, showered me—again—and fed me his delicious sandwich, which I ate without sending it back up.
“Damn, that’s really good, Levi.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded and took another bite. “That eggplant and roasted red peppers mixed with the steak isn’t something I would’ve thought about, but it’s incredibly flavorful.”
He beamed a proud smile my way. “Thank you.”
“No,” I sighed heavily, smiling at him softly without any care that he could clearly see my emotions written all over my face. “Thank you, Levi. Your culinary talent is almost as good as your other talents.”
His gaze darkened with desire. “Let’s see if we can get rid of that almost .” He scooped me in his arms and carried me to his bedroom, where he showed me just how talented he was. Twice.
And when I fell asleep in his arms, I smiled and promised myself that tomorrow I would tell him.