When the Bough Breaks (Rose Gardner Investigations #6) - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,3
sucked in a breath, telling myself it was a reflex, nothing more, but there was no denying I felt an unexpected yearning. It was sexual to be sure, but it was more than that. It was a soul-deep ache.
Joe’s hand was gone, and he sounded strangled when he said, “I’ll go check on that discharge paperwork.”
He bolted out the door, leaving me to wonder if he’d run because he was horrified by my reaction or because he dared to hope it meant something.
Our relationship had changed since he’d offered to be the baby’s father. We’d spent a lot of time alone together, especially over the last few months as we prepared for the baby’s arrival, and I’d noticed subtle signs that his feelings were shifting. A soft smile. The way he tenderly cradled my arm—or wrapped his around my back—when he worried about where I was walking. The way he brought me things—decaffeinated coffee drinks or a bouquet of flowers to brighten my day. Then for Easter, he’d built multiple raised gardening beds so I could plant the vegetable garden I had mentioned in casual conversation. The effort he’d gone to had made me choke up with tears—they were decorative in addition to functional, and he’d even thought to wrap chicken wire around the sides to keep out wild animals. He was still working on the chicken coop he’d designed to look like the farmhouse.
Joe hadn’t told me that he’d fallen in love with me again, but I knew. I could read it on his face as easily as if it had been printed across his forehead. While part of me thought I should have nipped it in the bud weeks ago, I wasn’t so sure I wanted to nip it in the bud. I could see parts of the Joe I’d fallen in love with nearly two years ago—the fun-loving, carefree man—and parts of the man he’d always wanted to be—strong, loyal, and in charge of his own destiny.
That man was sexy and desirable and exactly the type of partner I’d always wanted, because despite my reckless fling with a wild and lawless man, I wanted stability for my children. I wanted a man who would be there when I needed him, not when he felt like showing up.
Joe deserved to be with a woman who truly loved him for everything he was worth. He deserved more than someone who was settling.
Only the more I thought about Joe, the more I wondered if having him permanently in my life would be settling after all.
Chapter 2
When I walked into the hallway, Joe greeted me with an easy smile, as though nothing had happened, but I was having a harder time pretending. How had I forgotten how handsome he was? He was tall, with dark hair and brown eyes, and had the look of a man who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. But then I realized I hadn’t forgotten—I’d just been too lost in myself over the past six months to notice.
“Why don’t we get you a snack? How about some cheesy fries from the Burger Shack?” he asked.
I narrowed my eyes. “You must really be pityin’ me if you’re willin’ to go to the Burger Shack. You hate that place.”
“I know you’ve been cravin’ ’em,” he said, wrapping an arm around my back and steering me toward the exit. “That and peanut butter toast. Since I can’t get you the latter, I’m willin’ to make the sacrifice.”
“I’m not cravin’ cheesy fries anymore. I’ve moved on to Chuck and Cluck’s coleslaw.”
He laughed. “Random, but who am I to argue? Chuck and Cluck it is.”
We headed to Chuck and Cluck, and Joe ordered my slaw through the drive-thru. I ate it in his car as he drove to the landscaping office. By the time he pulled into the parking space next to my truck, my contractions had completely stopped, making me feel like an even bigger fool. When I confessed what I was feeling, he said, “Just think of the stories we’ll have to tell the baby years from now. Every kid loves to hear about when they were born.”
“Not me,” I said. “My momma never said nothin’.” Then I added, “Only I guess she would have been lyin’ since she wasn’t my birth mother.”
He picked up my hand and squeezed. “We’ll make sure our baby has plenty of stories. Happy ones.”
“Yeah,” I said, squeezing back. “We will.”
Joe got Muffy out of the office through the back door, and then