Free Pulled by Amy Lichtenhan Page B

laughed into the phone, her sarcasm evident.
    I told her I loved her and hung up, counting the hours until I could leave.
    I woke up early. I planned to be at my parents by ten so I could spend an hour with them before Melanie and I left.
    When I arrived, I found Mom standing on the porch waiting for me.
    “Hey, Mom!” I called out to her as I got out of the car.
    “She’s going to love it, Daniel.” She beamed at me. She had put a lot of effort into this whole thing, and she was almost as eager for Melanie’s reaction as I was.
    “You think she will?” I wanted her to love everything and was sure she would, but I also didn’t want her to be disappointed because she hadn’t been a part of it.
    “Of course she will, sweetheart. Don’t worry, you’ll see.” That was all I needed to hear.
    My parents and I spent the hour having a late breakfast.
    “Thanks, Mom. That was great,” I smiled at her.
    My baby girl was going to have the best grandparents. Sure, they would spoil her like crazy, but they’d also give her the same kind of selfless love they’d given me my whole life.
    I jumped up when I heard Melanie’s old car coming up the road. I flashed an excited smile at my parents before darting out the door. My heart burned with desire to hold her. The magnetism we shared was always there but grew stronger the nearer we were. I felt her spirit surge as she came into sight.
    She pulled up behind where I’d parked, her face filled with disbelief as she looked between me and the car.
    She got out giggling. “You didn’t.”
    I descended the three steps to stand in front of her. “Do you like it?”
    “Daniel, seriously, you bought a new car?”
    “Did you think I was going to let my baby girl ride in that old thing?” I laughed as I pulled Melanie into my arms, feeling the peace that her touch brought.
    Melanie’s car was so old. It broke down constantly, so I bought a new car for our family. The four-door sedan was white and nothing fancy, but it was reliable and safe.
    She hugged me. “Thank you for taking care of us.”
    I stood with her in my arms, swaying as I cherished her in our embrace. I grinned as I felt her stomach press against me, our baby now prominent between us. I never wanted to let her go. She was my home.
    “Do you have any idea how much I love you?” She grasped my hand from her side and brought it to her face, making me cup her cheek in my hand, hers covering mine. My whole arm burned with the fire that she set in me. “Yes, because I feel it, Daniel, every time you touch me.” She pressed her cheek further into my hand to demonstrate the power that held the two of us together, the energy flowing soundly between us.
    A low ahem from behind caused me to pull away.
    “We wanted to say hi to Melanie before you guys took off for the weekend.” Dad brought Melanie into a hug and kissed her on the temple. “How are my girls?” Melanie grinned. “We’re great, Patrick.” She rubbed her belly. “Growing every day.” We loaded her bag into the trunk, and said our goodbyes to Mom and Dad, promising we’d be back early enough on Sunday to spend some time with them.
    The ride back to Boulder went quickly. We talked the whole way about our little girl, the plans we’d made, and how anxious we were for them to all come to pass.
    We’d decided a couple of months ago to get married as soon as Melanie turned eighteen, which was next month. Mom and Erin had planned a small wedding in our backyard, just family and a few friends. Melanie had never dreamed of the big wedding and neither had I.
    Her parents still didn’t know. I’d been pushing her for months to tell them. She was just over six-months pregnant, and there would be no hiding this much longer.
    Rumors had already started, and Steve was either going to have to find out from us soon, or he was going to hear it from someone else. As it was, the man was blind if he hadn’t noticed that Melanie was showing.
    I didn’t bring it