Rising (Anderson Special Ops #2) - Melody Anne Page 0,100

heaved. She was hardly able to smile while she took orders and served customers before she’d have to go into the back and sit. She’d called in one of her employees who was on her way, but Erin had another hour before she got there. She rarely took a day off — she had a feeling she was going to be taking a lot more in the coming months.

Moving to the back of the diner, she gathered the five tests she’d taken over the past two days into her hands and looked at them again, disbelief washing over her. Each of the tests had two lines on them, and not light lines, they were bold and glaring. There was no doubt about it — she was pregnant.

Erin groaned as the door dinged. She’d just stepped into the back. She desperately wanted to sit. Brackish had been working for the past three days, often sending texts and calling her, but they hadn’t been able to see each other. That was a good thing, because she needed time to think about what she was going to do next.

She took a deep breath and set the tests down, then pushed through the kitchen door and out to the floor, stopping in her tracks at the sight of Brackish sitting at her counter, a huge smile on his lips and a stunning bouquet of flowers next to him, along with a long black box.

“I wanted to surprise you,” Brackish said. “It looks like I have.” His smile slowly faded, and she wondered what expression she was wearing.

She forced herself to move forward, but instead of walking around the counter she stood on the inside and moved up close to him. “Sorry, I’m not feeling well. I hate that you have to see me like this,” she told him. She wasn’t ready to talk to him about the pregnancy yet. She had no idea where they were in their relationship, and she certainly didn’t want him with her because she was going to have their baby. Many relationships had failed because they’d tried to make it work for only that reason — it rarely ever ended on a good note.

He instantly showed concern. “What’s wrong? he asked. “If you’re sick why are you here?”

“It’s nothing,” she said, not liking to hide that from him. “I called one of the girls in. She’ll be here in about fifty minutes.”

“Good, I’ll do your job for you, and you can lie down,” he told her.

For the first time in three days, Erin gave a real smile as a chuckle escaped. He looked confused.

“Have you ever worked in a restaurant in your life?” she asked. He shifted on his stool.

“No, but I’m a quick learner,” he said.

“I appreciate the offer, Steve, but I can handle another hour. We’ve been slow tonight.”

“Well, I’m not going anywhere,” he said. “And I’m going to practice my skills right now.” He reached over the counter and grabbed her order pad from her apron. She leaned against the counter as he took a pen and wrote down cheeseburger, extra onions, extra sauce, large order of fries and onion rings, extra crispy, large order of mozzarella sticks. He then stood and moved behind the counter and hung the order up on the wheel between them and the cook, who was laughing at Brackish.

“Coming right up,” the cook said. “And you just ignore Erin, I think you’d make a fine employee here.”

“Thanks, Tom. I think so too,” Brackish told the large man in the kitchen who made damn fine food.

“Now come here,” Brackish said as he tugged Erin into his arms and gently hugged her, his hand rubbing the back of her head. She stiffened for just a second and then melted against him. She instantly felt better being in his arms. The two of them stood like that for a long moment before he let her go, pulling back a bit, and looking her in the eyes.

“Sit down. Let me make you a milkshake,” he said.

She laughed again. “Will a milkshake cure me?” she asked. She surprised herself when she moved to the counter and sat. She kept one stool on that side of the counter for when the place was dead, and she wanted to sit and read, but still keep an eye on the front of the place.

“Oreo?” he asked as he pulled out vanilla ice cream, cookies, a snickers mix, and chocolate syrup. He’d been in there enough to know where everything