KAT
As I got dressed, Maria worked out her irritation.
Rowdy calling me a bitch had set her off.
I reminded her that I’d lied and ghosted him.
She reminded me how his feelings were the least important consideration right now.
I should be focused on my health and the babies.
I agreed to keep my crush on Rowdy from distracting me from my priorities. That was the end of the conversation.
On the ride home, I talked middle names and wondered aloud about how our cats would react to the babies.
In my head, though, I was thinking about Rowdy. His icy blue eyes were hypnotic. When Rowdy first kissed me at the Fire Hooch, I’d felt the emptiness inside me grow warm.
That kiss had inspired me to ask Rowdy to join me in my back seat. For most of my life, I’d only had Maria to soothe what others had broken. Rowdy proved to be more than my high school crush. He was a tonic against my loneliness.
Maria pulled my new minivan next to her SUV in the townhome’s two-car garage. We bought this place more than five years ago after selling our grandmother’s house and splitting the proceeds with other family members. That was the last time Maria and I had spoken to the Darville family.
My sister walked around to the passenger side to help me out. I’d struggled with dizziness for weeks. Before stepping out of the minivan, I cradled her face in my hands and smiled.
“Thank you,” I said, knowing no one in the world loved me like Maria did.
Her life had been turned upside down once I announced I was pregnant. She became solely focused on our future. Her boyfriend broke up with her when she couldn’t make more time for him. Maria hadn’t even seemed to notice his absence.
All our lives, people had come and gone. We switched families several times. No one ever stuck. It was always Maria and me alone in the world with few allies.
Maria hugged me after I exited the minivan. She stroked my hair with the tenderness I had rarely gotten from anyone else. I caressed her back, wanting her to know everything would be okay.
I’d been impulsive and chased a dream by hooking up with Rowdy. That led to the pregnancy. Now, we were a week away from welcoming two new people into our lives.
“Should I park on the driveway or the curb?” Rowdy asked, interrupting the embrace.
Standing outside the garage, he made a striking yet dangerous impression.
“The driveway,” Maria answered when I stared dumbfounded by Rowdy’s beauty. “We’ll have you move it before we head out tomorrow.”
Rowdy stepped into the garage and smiled at us. “I like how you know I’m not leaving tonight.”
“You can sleep on the couch.”
“Don’t you have an inflatable bed that I can stick on Kat’s floor? I want to stay close to my baby mama.”
His words made me smile, but Maria sighed exasperated. She’d long given up on trying to talk sense into me regarding Rowdy Reed.
I was thinking about high school again as I changed into my nightgown and readied for bed.
We had moved in with our aunt and uncle after our second parents divorced.
Blairsville, referred to as Little Memphis by the locals, was a decent place and the school was top notch.
I hoped to fit in and stay put for a while.
Instead, I stuck close to Maria while nursing a crush on a handsome bully. Less than a year later, our aunt and uncle had divorced and sent us to live with her mother in Little Rock.
Now, that handsome bully strutted into my bedroom. Rowdy looked around, taking in the sight of my three cream walls and the sage green accent wall. His gaze lingered on the crib next to my bed. A second one was waiting in my closet to be put together when the boys grew too big to share.
“Why didn’t you tell me who you were?” Rowdy asked, standing at the foot of my bed while I got comfortable under my yam-colored plush blanket.
Too tired to lie, I admitted, “You bullied me in high school, but I still had a crush on you.”
“No, no, don’t be a dum-dum,” Rowdy said as he looked around. “I would never bully such a lovely fox. You must be confusing me with someone else.”
Sticking to silence, I only smirked at his bullshit. Rowdy unlaced his black riding boots and set them at the door before crawling onto my bed. He rested on his elbows next to my belly. His icy gaze focused on me, stealing my ability to shield myself from his desire.
“You laughed at me,” I reminded him.
“I don’t remember that,” he said and nuzzled his bearded jaw against my belly. “I do remember asking you out more than once, only for my heart to be brutally denied.”
I tightened my lips and inhaled sharply. “You were messing with me.”
“No. I thought you were gorgeous. I still do. That’s why I wasn’t careful during our sweaty fun in the back seat of your SUV.”
I lifted my hand gingerly and struggled with whether to give into my desire. Finally, I let my fingers skim across his forehead and down his cheek before cupping his jaw.
“I liked you for real. It wasn’t a joke.”
“Why do you think it was a joke for me?”
“Because you laughed.”
Rowdy smirked. “I was surprised you’d want to go to a dance with a guy like me.”
“I was a chubby teenage girl. Let’s not pretend I had the power.”
“You were a curvy temptress toying with a dum-dum teenage boy.”
Shaking my head, I couldn’t help grinning at his words. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree.”
“No way,” Rowdy insisted. “I want to win. You need to admit that I was love starved, and you broke my heart.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Well, can you at least admit that I was the victim over the last year when you wouldn’t respond to my many needy texts?”
“Yes,” I said and sighed. “I wanted to tell you. I considered texting the big news. I even came to Little Memphis more than once to speak to you. But I always chickened out.”
“Why?”
“I was worried you might be angry,” I said as my gaze flashed around the room and avoided him. “I know your world is more complicated than hooking up with random women.”
Rowdy narrowed his gaze and asked, “Did you think I’d hurt you?”
“Not you, but your three sisters might.”
“Did you do this to trap me?” Rowdy asked and nuzzled my belly. “Because you really only needed to respond to my texts if you wanted to keep me. I’ve been hooked on you all along.”
“Is it really that simple?”
“I get what I want, and I want you, Katarina Darville.”
His words made my heart race, and tears pricked at my eyes. Too tired after a dramatic day, I couldn’t think of anything to say that wouldn’t be simply begging him to love me.
Rowdy glanced at the crib before studying my bump hidden under the blanket. “Why only one crib?”
“They’ll be small when they’re born,” I said and shrugged. “Plus, Maria and I got tired after putting together the first one.”
Batting his dark lashes, Rowdy smiled and murmured, “I want you to move to Little Memphis and live with me forever.”
“But I have a life in Little Rock.”
“I have a nice condo. I’ll turn the second bedroom into a badass boys’ room.”
Panicky now, I mumbled, “Maria and I have always lived together.”
“Bring her along.”
“We own this townhome.”
“Sell it.”
Feeling lightheaded, I whispered, “My work is here.”
Rowdy frowned. “Wait, what will you do with the babies when you’re at work?”
“I plan to stay home for the first year.”
“Then, where will my sons go?”
“I planned to leave them here at the house with my cats,” I said and waited for him to stop interrogating me.
Rowdy kissed my belly. “If you moved into my condo, you could stay home with the boys.”
“What if I don’t want to stay home?”
“You absolutely want to stay home. I can tell that about you.”
Sighing, I muttered, “Even if I was willing to move to your town and give up my life here, is there space for Maria in your life?”
“It’ll be tight at my condo, but I have plenty of friends with spare rooms. We’ll stick her in one of them.”
“Just like that?”
“Sure,” Rowdy said and crawled up until his lips were pressed against mine. The kiss was brief, yet enough to leave me craving more. “I’ve always felt you were special. Now, you’re giving birth to my sons. That’s definitely a positive sign.”
His words left me spiraling. Rowdy made everything sound so simple.
“I used to daydream about running off to Little Memphis to be with you, but that fantasy makes no sense outside of my head. This is where I live and work.”
“Do you have a big support system here?” Rowdy asked and nuzzled my breast.
“It’s always been just Maria and me.”
“In Little Memphis, you’d have so many extra hands to help you. My parents have been restless since their foster kids left. Bebe would be at your beck and call.”
“What about your sisters?”
“They’ll probably slap you around a little after the babies are born. Then, they’ll totally pamper you.”
Grinning at his insistent tone, I said, “Stop bribing me.”
“I want to spend time with you, but I don’t think I can move to Little Rock.”
“Well, I want to spend time with you, but I don’t think I can move to Little Memphis.”
“I feel like everything you love about Little Rock can be found in my hometown. But everything I love about my hometown can’t be found in Little Rock.”
“That’s not fair,” I grumbled, even as my mind buzzed with how his fingers stroked my stomach. “Just because you have a bigger family doesn’t mean I should give up everything.”
“It’s not just my family. My job isn’t transferable. I think you could find a good job in Little Memphis. Or you could stay home with our boys until they’re bigger. Whatever you want.”
I admittedly had wished I could stay at home with the babies for more than a year. But financially, I’d need to return to work. Besides, a year was far more than many women got. I was lucky, so complaining felt wrong.
Maria had even offered to work extra shifts to ensure I could stay home longer with the babies. We had always wanted a stable family. Maria was willing to give up anything to make things work for me. I’d do the same for her.
But would she want to live in Little Memphis? She hadn’t been back there since high school. I’d be asking her to give up our home and her job. We enjoyed our work at the endoscopy center.
“I’m glad Maria texted you today, and I’m impressed by how you raced down here,” I told Rowdy. “But you’re making me sad.”
“Why?” he asked in an alluring voice. “I’m only asking you to give me a chance to win your heart.”
“It’s not that simple. I’m supposed to deliver these boys next week.
I really thought I was in labor today. I got scared about them coming too fast. Now, you’re here and trying to convince me to uproot my entire life.
” Sighing, I caressed his jaw as his hypnotic eyes promised everything would be okay.
“Despite making two children together, we’re strangers. ”
“Well, maybe we’ll compromise,” Rowdy said, refusing to give up.
“I’ll stay in Little Rock until you deliver and are ready to travel.
During that time, we’ll get the spare room at my condo fixed up for the boys.
Would you be willing to spend a week or more in Little Memphis? I could get you whatever you needed.”
“You know we can’t have sex until I’m eight weeks postpartum, right?”
“We haven’t had sex in eight months,” Rowdy murmured. “I think I can wait eight weeks.”
Looking around my room, I hadn’t expected Rowdy to put his cards on the table so quickly. I figured he’d be shocked and maybe dubious of paternity. Instead, he talked about me moving to his home town.
“It’ll depend on if Maria can come. She’s given up so much for me. We’re a package deal.”
Rather than get testy over my declaration, Rowdy smiled. “I like how there are two versions of you in the world. I get to keep one, and we’ll find someone for Maria.”
“Someone?”
“I have a lot of club brothers,” Rowdy explained while crawling up higher in the bed. “If Maria is into foxes, I have a lot of club sisters. We’ll find her someone sexy and devoted.”
“Just like that?”
“Sure. Your sister is gorgeous like you. She’s got beautiful eyes and an adorable nose,” Rowdy said and kissed my nose. “She’s got these soft cheeks,” he added, pressing his lips against each of my cheekbones. “Her hair shines nearly as brightly as her smile. Oh, and she’s got a rocking body.”
“I’ll never have a rocking body again,” I said and rubbed my massive belly. “Your sons are well sized despite the cramped space.”
“Have you thought of names?”
“Of course, but I don’t want to tell you since you’ll poop on them and make me cry.”
Rowdy flashed a sexy smile. “I promise to claim they’re great, even if they’re not.”
“What names do you like?”
“No way am I sharing that info. You’ve already chosen the names. I’m not messing with that. Besides, I got to name my dog. I don’t need to name anything else.”
“If I moved in with you, I’d need to bring my cats. How would your tiny dog handle sharing his space?”
Rowdy cocked his eyebrow. “Would your cats bully him?”
“Oh, yeah. They’re twins like Maria and me, but so much more devious than I could ever consider being, and I seduced a biker with a fake name.”
“You gave yourself a name similar to your own,” Rowdy said and tugged my blanket higher as if tucking me in for the night. “Why not name yourself something really different?”
“I wanted to be able to remember the fake name. Besides, I like my name.”
“I like it, too,” Rowdy said and rested his head on the pillow next to mine. “So, what do you plan to name our sons?”
“Earnest and Earl.”
“Aww, that’s sweet. How come you and your sister’s names don’t start with the same letter?”
“My father wouldn’t let my mother give us names with the same letter.”
“He sounds like a shithead,” Rowdy said and wrapped his arm across me. “Tomorrow, you and I will go on a real date.”
“How would that work?” I asked, gesturing at my stomach. “I’ve been on bed rest for months.”
“The date will take place in your room. We’ll introduce ourselves like we’re meeting for the first time.
You’ll tell me about your life. I’ll tell you the same stories I texted you, but you’ll pretend they’re fascinating and new.
It’ll be fun. Every day, we’ll have another date.
By the time the boys are born, we’ll feel like a real couple. ”
“That’s a smart plan, but you can’t sleep in here. Moving around in bed is a massive undertaking for me. Sharing the bed with you won’t work.”
“That’s okay, but I plan to stick around until you doze off. Then, I’ll check my phone and crash on your couch.”
“Thank you for coming tonight,” I whispered as my eyelids grew heavy. “I look forward to our first real date.”
Rowdy turned off my light and returned to bed. I adjusted onto my side and pretended I looked great despite my huge belly, swollen ankles, and exhausted face.
As if sensing I needed help feeling beautiful, Rowdy gave me a kiss and sent me to sleep with a smile.