Free ONCE IN A BLUE MOON (BLUEBONNET, TEXAS Book 2) by Amie Stuart
Authors: Amie Stuart
gave into the urge to sit as close as I dared. As close as he’d held me earlier.
"Well, yeah."
"I’ve missed a lot of work lately with morning sickness and I just can’t be gone on Saturdays. It’d take an act of God to reschedule my appointments. Sundays are fine. And the shop’s closed on Mondays. We could get married Monday, or a week from Monday."
"What about when you have the baby? How are you gonna work?"
"I have plenty of time to book around when the baby comes, and I’d thought of putting a nursery in here after I have her—"
"Her?"
"Him, her. I don’t know, just guessing." I smiled and squeezed his fingers.
"Oh. Monday would be fine, I guess. Is five days enough time?" His voice grew stronger, as if he were adjusting to the idea of marrying me.
"I suppose, but where? Can you take care of that? Find us a judge and a place for the wedding?"
"Sure—"
"We need a license." I couldn’t seem to stop rambling which wasn’t like me at all. I took a deep breath and gave myself a mini-scolding. "We could go tomorrow about this time?"
"Sure—"
"Great. I can take care of flowers." I took another look at Ty and my voice decided to go on vacation. "Are we really doing this or am I gonna wake up there on the couch?" I didn’t expect an answer to my run-on rhetorical question and didn’t get one. "Are you sure about this, Ty?"
"Sure?"
"We don’t have to get married to be good parents to this baby—"
"I’m sure." He leaned down and kissed me, his lips barely touching mine, then cupped my face and kissed me deeper. His mouth was soft and gentle and very thorough. So much for resistance. I felt as if that kiss had pushed us over some invisible point of no return.
Just then, Cassi came bustling through the door, a whirlwind of brightly colored silks and black and burgundy hair.
"I’m back!" she sang. Smiling, she paused in mid-stride, looked Ty over, then set our lunch on the coffee table. My stomach growled at the heavenly aroma of steamed vegetables and Cashew Chicken.
The baby strikes again.
She’d missed the earlier altercation, so I introduced her. "Oh! You’re the sixth gr...baby’s daddy!"
I wanted to crawl in a hole at her slip-up, but Ty seemed not to notice. He smiled despite his red face. I thought he looked sixteen, not like a grown man of thirty.
Cassi plopped down in the leather executive chair at my desk and rattled on, oblivious to all that Ty and I had left unsaid between us. There was still the matter of our last altercation to settle.
* * *
At his truck, I apologized for Cassi’s verbal vomit.
"That’s okay, really, but Dad’s waiting on me. I need to get going. I have to tell Mom and Dad and—"
So they didn’t know. "Wait till I get off work and we can tell them together."
"No, that’s fine. I can handle it." He opened the truck door, then turned back lightly brushing his lips against mine, almost as an afterthought.
A sweet afterthought. "Do you want to have dinner tonight?"
"Why?" Ty’s fingers danced with the keychain in his hand.
"So we can talk. We’ve got a lot to discuss, if we’re getting married in five days."
"Oh. Like wedding plans. Sorry, this is—" The keys continued to jingle. I wanted to snatch them out of his hand and hide them behind my back.
"My house. Seven-thirty? I can grab some takeout, if you want?"
"Or you can come to my house. We’re gonna be living there anyway. Right?" Ty took a deep breath, as if adjusting to the idea of marriage to me in that one moment. His smile was barely visible, but it was there.
"That’s right. I hadn’t even thought of that," I said, shaking my head at all the changes. "I don’t even know how big your house is."
"Four bedrooms. Think that’ll work?" His smile grew a bit more as if he were warming to the idea. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn he was teasing me. But in the bright sunlight the dark circles under his eyes were more obvious than ever.
"I’m sure that’ll be
"Well, yeah."
"I’ve missed a lot of work lately with morning sickness and I just can’t be gone on Saturdays. It’d take an act of God to reschedule my appointments. Sundays are fine. And the shop’s closed on Mondays. We could get married Monday, or a week from Monday."
"What about when you have the baby? How are you gonna work?"
"I have plenty of time to book around when the baby comes, and I’d thought of putting a nursery in here after I have her—"
"Her?"
"Him, her. I don’t know, just guessing." I smiled and squeezed his fingers.
"Oh. Monday would be fine, I guess. Is five days enough time?" His voice grew stronger, as if he were adjusting to the idea of marrying me.
"I suppose, but where? Can you take care of that? Find us a judge and a place for the wedding?"
"Sure—"
"We need a license." I couldn’t seem to stop rambling which wasn’t like me at all. I took a deep breath and gave myself a mini-scolding. "We could go tomorrow about this time?"
"Sure—"
"Great. I can take care of flowers." I took another look at Ty and my voice decided to go on vacation. "Are we really doing this or am I gonna wake up there on the couch?" I didn’t expect an answer to my run-on rhetorical question and didn’t get one. "Are you sure about this, Ty?"
"Sure?"
"We don’t have to get married to be good parents to this baby—"
"I’m sure." He leaned down and kissed me, his lips barely touching mine, then cupped my face and kissed me deeper. His mouth was soft and gentle and very thorough. So much for resistance. I felt as if that kiss had pushed us over some invisible point of no return.
Just then, Cassi came bustling through the door, a whirlwind of brightly colored silks and black and burgundy hair.
"I’m back!" she sang. Smiling, she paused in mid-stride, looked Ty over, then set our lunch on the coffee table. My stomach growled at the heavenly aroma of steamed vegetables and Cashew Chicken.
The baby strikes again.
She’d missed the earlier altercation, so I introduced her. "Oh! You’re the sixth gr...baby’s daddy!"
I wanted to crawl in a hole at her slip-up, but Ty seemed not to notice. He smiled despite his red face. I thought he looked sixteen, not like a grown man of thirty.
Cassi plopped down in the leather executive chair at my desk and rattled on, oblivious to all that Ty and I had left unsaid between us. There was still the matter of our last altercation to settle.
* * *
At his truck, I apologized for Cassi’s verbal vomit.
"That’s okay, really, but Dad’s waiting on me. I need to get going. I have to tell Mom and Dad and—"
So they didn’t know. "Wait till I get off work and we can tell them together."
"No, that’s fine. I can handle it." He opened the truck door, then turned back lightly brushing his lips against mine, almost as an afterthought.
A sweet afterthought. "Do you want to have dinner tonight?"
"Why?" Ty’s fingers danced with the keychain in his hand.
"So we can talk. We’ve got a lot to discuss, if we’re getting married in five days."
"Oh. Like wedding plans. Sorry, this is—" The keys continued to jingle. I wanted to snatch them out of his hand and hide them behind my back.
"My house. Seven-thirty? I can grab some takeout, if you want?"
"Or you can come to my house. We’re gonna be living there anyway. Right?" Ty took a deep breath, as if adjusting to the idea of marriage to me in that one moment. His smile was barely visible, but it was there.
"That’s right. I hadn’t even thought of that," I said, shaking my head at all the changes. "I don’t even know how big your house is."
"Four bedrooms. Think that’ll work?" His smile grew a bit more as if he were warming to the idea. If I didn’t know better, I’d have sworn he was teasing me. But in the bright sunlight the dark circles under his eyes were more obvious than ever.
"I’m sure that’ll be