Free Baby, Be Mine by Vivian Arend

off. “But we can’t. Not yet.”
    Confusion crowded his expression. “If you want to be with me, and I want to be with you, then why aren’t we getting together, Katy? Why aren’t we facing the future, and your pregnancy, as partners the way we should?”
    A wave of sadness and frustration rolled over her leaving her exhausted. “What if Simon is the dad?”
    Gage all but growled. “First, I’m damn positive he’s not, but more importantly, you don’t want to be with him. You don’t have to be with him just because he said you’d made up.”
    “And you said we fooled around, but I. Don’t. Remember.” Katy’s voice rose higher as she spoke. She shot to her feet, her hands wrapped around a throw pillow that had been passed down from her Gramma, its fine decorative needlework spelling out Bless This House . She squeezed the fabric as she paced the room. “Give me a break. I admitted that I’ve always liked you, Gage, but as far as I know we’ve never even kissed . How on earth can I simply go ‘hey, okay’ and dive headfirst into a long-term relationship with you? None of it makes sense, and not being sure is frustrating me more and more.”
    Anger boiled over, and she whipped the pillow from her hands. It spun across the room, narrowly missing a table lamp. Katy pressed her fists against her temples as she fought to settle down.
    Stupid hormones. Or maybe the “new Katy” had triggered her over-the-top response. The one with far too much vinegar in her blood.
    Gage hadn’t taken his gaze off her. Probably worried she’d flipped out, and might turn on him next, and do crazy things. She dragged a hand over the short mess of hair that had regrown and let out a frustrated grumble.
    Gage was on his feet in an instant, gently rubbing her upper arms as he made soothing noises. He pulled her against his chest, and it wasn’t sexual, just comfort and understanding.
    Katy twisted her face to the side, slipped her arms around him and accepted his hug. Let the warmth of the embrace twine around them. Let the smooth repetitive touch of his hands down her back relax away the tension. She stood there in his arms for a good five minutes before all the frustration and fire had eased off enough that she could finally take a deep breath.
    Gage squeezed her a little tighter. “I’m here for you. Like this, if nothing more. My commitment has no agendas, no deadlines. Just one moment after another until we make it through.”
    Under her cheek his heart pumped out a smooth, even tempo, and Katy clung tight. To the firm support of his body and gentle touch of his hands. While she’d wanted him for a long time in some half-dreamed-of sexual-fantasy world, right now things were still so unsettled. Visions of Simon walking away, and the unknown reactions of her family during the evening ahead loomed over her…
    It was nice to have one solid place to stand. One solid individual she could lean against who helped stop the spinning, even for a moment.
    She stepped away from him reluctantly. As nice as it was to have his support, she wanted one thing clear. “Dinner.”
    “You have any requests other than your usual pineapple chicken balls?”
    It should have been a good sign that her stomach didn’t do a roller-coaster trip at the suggestion of greasy food. “Other than that. Promise me you’ll let me tell them myself.”
    He scowled.
    Oh, hell no. This was not up for debate. “I will tell them that you’ve been nothing but supportive. Just let me do it my way, okay, Gage? They’re my family.”
    Disagreement hovered—she saw it in his eyes.
    Such expressive eyes he had. She’d never noticed quite as much before as in the past couple days. Everything he felt was right there. No secrets for Gage. His emotions were worn on his sleeve.
    But he finally nodded. Gathered his coat and headed out the door, and this time as she watched yet another truck depart down the snowy drive, it was with a faint sense of hope.

Chapter