Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
S hae
Time was flying and the end of the school year was staring us down.
Kids were testy and so were the teachers who were grading stacks of essays and tests.
My left hand absently rubbed my belly in a circle, a habit I hadn’t been aware of until Lydia called me “sickly adorable” one day during our lunch break at school.
It was strange how quickly my body changed the minute I popped.
It was like each day brought a new change from the one before.
It was miraculous and discombobulating, all at the same time.
I heard Boon walking into the dining room where I had stacks of graded papers in front of me on the table we didn’t use for eating. He put his hand over mine, rubbing my belly with me as he kissed the top of my head.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he murmured. “Can I get you something to eat?”
He came around and leaned against the table, looking hot in a pair of workout shorts and no shirt, all bulky muscle and tanned skin laid out like a buffet in front of me.
Here I was with a beach ball growing in my belly and swollen ankles from wearing heels last night to prom and he looked like he was about to do a photoshoot for some men’s fitness magazine.
“Ugh,” I moaned, shoving my glasses to the top of my head and rubbing my tired eyes. They didn’t like wearing contacts like I had last night, but it was worth it for a formal evening with Boon. “I’m starving but there doesn’t feel like there’s enough room under my ribs for any more food.”
Boon grinned, dimples flashing. He’d been nothing but sweet to me the last few months, dropping everything to help me with the simplest things.
He didn’t want me lifting a finger. It was nice.
It was unexpected. And it was definitely making me wonder what was wrong with me.
The man told me he loved me last night and all I’d replied with was an unintelligible moan.
“Hey,” Boon said softly.
I fluttered open my eyes to see him angling closer, that soft smile making him look like the world’s hottest man had turned into the world’s biggest teddy bear.
“I love you,” he said before kissing my forehead. “I don’t say it to force you to say it back. I just don’t want to withhold that information any longer.”
“Boon—”
He put his finger over my lips, smashing them together. “I’ll just keep showing you for the rest of our lives together.” He winked and backed off, pushing off the table. “You’ll believe me eventually.”
“Mim sharred,” I tried to say.
He took his finger back, letting me speak.
“I’m scared,” I said again, voice so pathetic it made me want to snatch the words back and scoff at them before shoving them so far deep in my chest they’d never see the light of day again.
“Scared of what, lovebug?”
I stared into his concerned eyes, not seeing the smirk or teasing they usually held. “Scared that what I feel right now is just due to pregnancy hormones. They’re making me crazy, so why not try to tell me I’m in love with the guy who’s been the biggest pain in my ass my whole life?”
Boon ran his hand over his chest, like he was rubbing something off his skin. “Wow. Okay. I’ll try not to take offense that I’m higher on that list than your asshole ex-husband.”
I tilted my head. “You’re right. Second biggest pain in my ass.”
Boon waved away the concession. “I can’t settle that worry in your mind, but what I can do, is show you through consistent action that I want you .
With or without Junior. You can trust in my love.
” He held up a finger. “And…I won’t marry you until after the baby’s here.
So you can have time to process your feelings without pregnancy hormones reshaping things. That way you’ll know it’s real.”
I narrowed my eyes, looking for the catch, but knowing there wasn’t one. Boon wouldn’t do that to me. “You seem so confident.” I nearly snorted at my own statement. Of course he was confident. Boon had never been anything but confident in every aspect of his life.
He shrugged. “I just know what I feel and I know already how you feel about me. It’s easy to see for everyone else. You just have to see yourself clearly. What do you say to some scrambled eggs?”
Boon somehow had turned into a man too good for me. When the heck had that happened?
I wrinkled my nose, grateful he turned the subject lighthearted before I had to psychoanalyze myself and find out he was right. “Sounds healthy.”
“You know it!” He was already walking out, determined to feed me protein and make this baby of ours the healthiest little man to ever be delivered.
I was still grading papers when Kinsley came over, hair curly from prom last night, but looking as tired as I felt.
“Hey, Coach.”
“Hey, Kinsley. Come sit with me. Save me from this avalanche of papers.”
She sat down, slumping in the dining chair with a big yawn.
“Have a good time last night? Did your dad and I keep enough distance from you and Tatum?”
Kinsley grinned, leaning her elbows on the table, eyes suddenly bright. “So much fun. Thanks for leaving early too.”
I laughed. Such a typical teenager. I wouldn’t tell her what her dad and I left early to do, however.
“You bet.”
“Gigi was waiting up for us, eyes on her wristwatch when Tatum brought me home. She’s just like Dad, it’s hilarious.”
I put a hand on her arm. “Your dad and grandmother love you very much. We keep a close eye on things we love.”
Kinsley thought about that for a few quiet moments.
“I came here thinking he didn’t love me, but now I think he actually does.
Maybe he always did, but he was just really bad at showing it.
” Kinsley put her other hand on top of mine.
“I can see he’s changing. He wants to be a good father and that has to mean something. ”
I was nodding, happy she felt comfortable confiding in me.
“He does. You know I saw a meme the other day that kind of hit me between the eyes. It said something about thinking of the person who’s wronged you and realizing it’s their first time on this planet too.
They’re trying to figure things out, just like we are. ”
She smiled. “Yeah, that’s kind of what’s happening for him. He gets to have another baby with you and do it over. Right this time.”
My heart bled for her. To not have a father figure for so long had to shape her in ways we might never fully understand. “But it’s not just about this baby. Your father wants to get things right with you . I’m glad you’re giving him a chance. That says a lot about your maturity.”
Kinsley’s smile grew devious, looking like her father. “Well, I did put some of the grain Gigi feeds the geese on top of Dad’s truck the first week we moved here. They shit all over it and he was so mad.”
I barked out a surprised laugh, and she joined me. I laughed so hard the baby started kicking me and tears ran from the corners of my eyes. When I could manage words, I wiped at my eyes and tried to act stern. It was no use. That prank was genius.
“Oh, Kinsley. Never change.” A surge of love and affection for this teen girl just trying to figure out life had me squeezing her arm. “Seriously. I know you already have a mom, but if you need a bonus mom here in Blueball, you can count on me, kiddo.”
Kinsley’s eyes went misty and so did mine. She stood up and gave me a crushing hug. She let go to hustle out of the room, but I needed a few more moments to collect myself before I could go back to grading papers. These Wolfes were going to be the death of me.
Hattie was sick this weekend, so we couldn’t do our normal HAGS meeting.
Instead, Boon insisted on grilling some food for dinner while I spent a glorious thirty minutes in the massage chair.
Boon practically lived here already, but he was constantly going back and forth between the two houses, usually running to avoid contact with the goats or geese.
“Shit, I forgot the corn. I’ll be right back,” he said, already halfway out the door.
When he came back with three ears of corn, I fought for my life and managed to get out of the massage chair on my own. Getting out of any chair was getting hard these days. I approached him in the kitchen as he tossed a salad and seasoned three steaks.
“Hey.” I took the salad tongs from him and took over that job. “Why don’t you just move in here? Wouldn’t that be easier?”
The salt grinder froze in the air above the steaks. He looked at me, studying my face. “Yeah? You’d want me to move in? Officially?”
I grinned, finally seeing some uncertainty in the unflappable Boon Wolfe.
“Yes, I would. I mean, it makes sense. You’re over here all the time, but never fully in one house.
I keep needing more and more help, and I feel bad that you’re split between two houses.
Kinsley can move in too if she wants. I have enough rooms.”
I left out the fact that this third trimester had made me equally uncomfortable and horny. The man spent half his nights taking care of my orgasms and then sneaking back into the other house like his mother and daughter didn’t know what he’s up to. Living together would just be easier on all of us.
Boon opened his mouth, but got cut off by the slam of the front door.
“Guys?” Kinsley’s voice was practically a squeak.
“In here!” Boon called back.
Kinsley came running around the corner, Boon’s laptop in her hands. “Guess what?”
Boon lifted an eyebrow. “You finally did that English paper that’s due this week?”
Kinsley bit her lip. “Uh, yeah, no. I’ll get to it.” Her face brightened, her gaze shifting between us both. “I just checked my email! Funny story, you’re supposed to check it daily.”
Boon rolled his eyes while I laughed. We’d been hounding her forever to start checking her email. Did these kids think an employer would reach out via Snapchat?