Between You and Me

“I want her to have what she wants,” he blurted. “She deserves it more than anyone. I just . . . don’t think I should be the person to give this particular thing to her.”

“Damn, you’re cryptic tonight.”

“I don’t want to betray her trust.”

Annmarie nodded. “I can understand that. You’re always honorable. One of the things I’m proudest of. So I’ll just ask you one thing.” Her tired eyes held his intently. “If you give her this . . . thing. Do you have anything to lose?”

That made him pause. “Truthfully? No, if I give her what she asked for, even on her terms, I have nothing to lose.”

“Well, then.” Annmarie grasped the woven blanket and spread it over her legs. “I’d say it warrants further consideration, don’t you?”

Something hummed in his core. “Maybe it does,” he murmured.

Chapter Thirteen

Tess stroked Bubbles’s soft fur as they curled together on the couch. With her other hand, she held her e-reader as she read. The fire crackled in the hearth . . . and her stomach growled. She glanced at the clock, then out the window. It was dark outside; she’d missed dinner altogether. Getting lost in a good book had helped make a few hours fly by. And even though she was hungry, she felt serene too. For the first time in three days.

It was nice to have had those few sweet hours without thinking of the ovulation cycle she was wasting, or the profiles of the potential donors she’d combed through again, or most of all, Logan Carter.

While their talk had gone pretty much how she’d suspected it would, she hadn’t been prepared for his total abandonment. Three days now, and not so much as a word. She’d gone through the gamut of emotions: upset, sad, angry, disappointed, offended, heartsick. She was starting to wonder if he’d ever speak to her again, or if he was just going to completely avoid her from now on.

Didn’t he have any idea how hard it’d been for her to even ask that of him in the first place? She hadn’t been that nervous in a long time. She grunted as she thought of the look on his face as he’d bolted from the restaurant. Sheer panic. And nothing since. Well, if that was his stance, he may as well stay away, for a hundred reasons.

Today, she’d called the clinic and made an appointment for the following afternoon. Time to forge ahead. Narrowing it down to three possible donor choices based on their bios, she intended to have a choice made and the process started by the time she left Dr. Fuller’s office. Being proactive in the face of resistance or a setback always made her feel better. There was no more time to waste. She wanted her baby, dammit, more and more with each passing day.

She put the e-reader down and sat up. As soon as she did, Bubbles jumped off the couch and barked as her tail wagged faster.

“You need to go out?” Tess asked.

Bubbles ran for the side door and barked again.

“I’ll take that as a hell yes, Mama, I need to go.” Tess smiled and rose from the couch. She pulled on her coat, shoved her feet into her Uggs, and grabbed the leash from its hook on the wall. It was freezing out, so Tess didn’t linger—and thankfully, Bubbles didn’t want to either. She did her thing and they were back inside within three minutes. As soon as Tess was out of her coat and boots, she went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea. She filled the silver kettle with water and put it on to boil. Her cell phone dinged with a text. She glanced at the screen to see Pierce had written: Hey, big sis. How’s it going? Miss you.

“Awww,” she cooed aloud before typing back, Hi! Miss you too. I’m fine. Enjoying the mountain air, and the peace and quiet.

Good, glad to hear it. Do any skiing?

Yup. Went several times. It was great.

Atta girl.

How’s Abby feeling? Tess couldn’t help but smile, thinking of Abby being pregnant . . . and that Pierce would be a father. That still amazed her.

Sick as a dog, he answered. Every damn morning. It’s awful. She throws her guts up here, then again when she gets to school. I feel so bad for her.

Ugh! Tess wrote, wincing for her sweet sister-in-law. Me too. I’m sure it’ll pass in a few more weeks. Give her a big hug for me.