for saying it, but I couldn’t stop. It was as if I was standing on the edge of my emotions, looking down into a swirling black abyss. “It gets hard and you leave. Typical.”
He paused in the doorway, his back rigid beneath a green Henley. “Got an appointment with a therapist I’m seeing.”
“Oh.” Guilt slammed into every nerve ending, stiffening and rendering me breathless.
He hesitated a moment, rapped his knuckles on the doorframe, then disappeared.
The sun dipped below the horizon, sending shadows swaying on the walls before I finally wiped away the tears, made a sandwich, and ran a bath.
Steam clouded the air, my eyes tracing its billowing path to the ceiling while my toe reached for the faucet, turning it off.
“They say it’s not so great to sit in a hot bath while you’re pregnant.” His voice startled me, water splashing as I scrambled to cover myself. “I’ve adored, licked, sucked, rubbed, pinched, and dreamed about those tits. Hide if you want, but it’s a wasted effort.”
Heat painted me pinker than the water, and I folded my arms over my chest. It was covered in water and leftover bubbles, but still. “You haven’t seen them like this.” I hated how insecure I sounded, yet I wanted to smear the salt on a little harder. “They’ve changed.” I cleared the edge in my throat. “A lot.”
When Everett didn’t respond, I let my eyes meet his, and what I found there, the longing and heat, caused my thighs to clench. “You’re carrying my child, any change that causes would be nothing short of breathtaking.”
Fuck him and his way with words.
I turned away, my feet sliding over the lip of the tub as I sank lower into the water. “You’re back.”
“Evidently.” His smile could be heard in his voice, and I clamped my teeth together.
“Your appointment went well?”
“About as well as those things can go.” He sighed, and my eyes bulged, stomach flipping, when he entered the room and took a seat beside the tub.
“Don’t worry about my privacy or anything, will you.”
“You left the door open, and like I said”—he lifted a muscled arm, finger skimming the water—“it’s not good to take hot baths while you’re pregnant.”
“A girl needs to have some form of relaxation while carrying a squirming human around every day.” His smirk drew my gaze. “Besides, it’s not that hot.”
“I know.”
“Since when did you become an expert on pregnancy anyway?”
He leaned back against the wall, rubbing his wet fingers together between his jean-clad knees, still staring at me. “I had some free time in rehab and wanted to use it wisely. You also need to quit eating those fish sticks.”
I tossed my head to the side. “Oh, come on.”
“I’ll find you a sufficient alternative.”
My brows shot up. “You will, will you?”
“Yep. I’ve got a meeting with Jack tomorrow, but I’m heading to the grocery store afterward. Sick of the microwaved bullshit Graham eats.”
I wanted to ask about Jack, about why they were still talking when Everett was no longer part of the band. I wanted to ask why he was here, pushing all my buttons. I wanted to ask so many things, yet I didn’t. “You used to eat that microwaved bullshit all the time when you stayed at the bar.”
“That was before I got used to three cooked meals a day.”
“How’d you pay for it?”
“Rehab?” I nodded, and he dropped his eyes to the green tiled floor. “Jack. I paid back half of my advance. When I left the facility, I went to set up one of their payment plans, only to find out the sneaky bastard had already taken care of it.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. “What kind of label executive does that?”
Everett shook his head, a small laugh escaping. “That’s exactly what I said. I owe him, so we’re meeting to talk about some things.”
“You’re going solo?”
“No,” he said, stern and instant, then scratched at the whiskered shadows lining his jaw. “I think he wants to buy more songs. Have me write for some of his artists.”
“Holy shit,” I breathed out, forgetting for just a moment how upset he’d made me as happiness, bright and overpowering, bloomed for him.
I saw him try to tame his disbelief, the smile, but he lost the battle. It transformed his face, lightened his eyes, loosened his shoulders, and had him shaking his head again. “Yeah, but we’ll see.”
The baby stole my smile and my breath, elbowing or kneeing me in the ribs.