Mountain Man's Accidental Surprise - K.C. Crowne Page 0,38

she was in good hands, that I was sure of.

And we’d talk later about whatever it was she was trying to tell me. I’d make sure no one interrupted us again.

Emilia

“Wow, this smells amazing,” I announced, slipping into a seat at the kitchen table.

Sam was finishing up at the stove while Mason joined me at the table. “Sam takes after our mother in the cooking department,” he told me with a big grin.

“It’s just biscuits and gravy. Anybody can do that,” Sam said.

“Yeah, but not the way you do, brother,” he said.

“You’re just too damn lazy to cook,” he quipped.

“Lazy? Or busy?”

Sam placed a plate in front of me, and the smells coming off it caused my mouth to water. A heaping pile of biscuits smothered in country gravy with a side of bacon that was perfectly crispy. This pregnant woman’s dream breakfast.

Sam took a seat across from me, and it hit me. I’d only met these guys the day before, and already, I felt welcomed into their household. It wasn’t awkward for me to be sitting there with them eating breakfast without Graham.

In fact, it felt natural.

The guys continued bantering, and I couldn’t help but laugh at their taunts. It was clear the two of them loved each other. They shared inside jokes and nicknames. It made me wish I had a sibling.

I thought about my child. I wanted to have more children one day, to give them siblings to grow up with. That way if something were to ever happen to me, they’d have each other.

They’d never be alone like I was.

If I had sons, I would be proud if they grew up like the Harveys.

It was a shame that my child would likely not know any of them.

Unless, of course… I knew in my heart it was the right thing to do, and I trusted Graham.

My phone buzzed, and I reached inside my pocket to shut it off. As soon as I did, it started buzzing again. I checked the name. It was from my dad. Or at least someone with his phone. I thought about answering, but Sam’s eyes were on me and it made me re-think it. I clicked to cancel the call. A few moments later, I got a notification for a voicemail.

“Maybe we should talk to them,” Sam suggested.

“No.”

He watched me closely, but he didn’t argue and nodded his head.

What if I’d put these people in danger? They might be able to take Antonio down, but the Lombardo family was powerful, and what if one of them - or more - got hurt or killed because of me? What if I ruined their perfect family?

A lump formed in my throat.

“Is everything okay?” Sam asked from across the table, clearly reading my expression.

“Yeah, everything’s fine.” I feigned a smile and piled the last forkful of biscuits and gravy into my mouth. “Better than fine actually. This is delicious.”

“Thanks. You know, Graham can cook pretty well himself,” Sam said with a wink in my direction. “Maybe he’ll cook for you sometime.”

“Maybe so,” I said wistfully.

As soon as my plate was clean, I stood up to walk it into the kitchen, but Mason grabbed it off the table.

“No need, I’ll take care of it,” he said.

“Oh, no, it’s the least I can do after everything you’ve done for me.”

Mason shook his head and sauntered into the kitchen with his and Sam’s plates as well.

“We’re all pretty damned stubborn,” Sam said.

“Yeah, I can tell,” I chuckled. I remained standing as if I didn’t know what to do with myself.

“So you were woken up pretty early,” Sam commented. “If you need to rest some more, I can take up guard outside the door while Mason keeps an eye on the security system.”

“How long do you think Graham will be gone?”

“Knowing him, he’ll get his ass back here as soon as he can. He really didn’t want to leave, from what Mason told me.” He sat back, watching me as he said, “You know, I’ve never seen him act this way with any woman before. Hell, I can’t remember him ever bringing a woman home before.”

“It’s not like that.”

“It’s not?” Sam asked, lifting a single eyebrow.

“No, we’re not serious,” I confided. “In fact, we hardly know each other.”

He nodded, snorting a laugh as he said, “Well, I know my brother, and I’d say he’s pretty smitten with you already.”

I averted my gaze, unable to look him in the eyes. I didn’t want him to see that I was smitten