Free What If (Willowbrook Book 2) by Ashlyn Mathews Page B

Her voice trembled and faltered. “I thought you didn’t want your piece any longer.”
    “Emma, love, babe, baby doll.” He swooped in and clamped his mouth over hers.
    He’d never seen Emma so emotional as in the last twenty-four hours. Must be the pregnancy. Their baby . A strong and independent, smart and selfless woman carried his child. Damn . Tearing his mouth away, he cradled her face in his palms. “I’ll always want access to your heart.” He searched her face. Soon . From the tenderness in her eyes and the flush of confidence on her cheeks, he believed she’d tell him soon about their baby. “Let’s get you home.”
    Hand in hand, they walked across the field. He inhaled. The cool air smelled of damp grass and dew-covered leaves. “I take it you asked Chris to be in the gala?”
    “Yes, but he said, no.” She swung their clasped hands. “I’m glad he did. The win-a-date-with-a-hunk isn’t his thing unless he’s the one betting on the hunk.” She laughed.
    Her happiness echoed, and he wanted more happiness for her and the little boy she cared deeply for.
    “I have an idea to make the gala a success.”
    At the edge of the field, before they took the path that would lead them to their place, she came to a stop. “Does it involve a superstar? I promised Chance one.”
    “Not a superstar but superstars , Em. Once we get home, I’ll call Jones. We’ll see if some of my players can make the gala. How about it?”
    She let go of his hand and started to jump up and down, clapping as she did so. Laughing with the happiness he wanted to see more of from her, the mother of his unborn child, she jumped into his arms. “Oh my gosh, Drew. You are my perfect guy.”
    Touchdown!
     
    * * * *
     
    When they got back to their place, Drew insisted she get comfortable while he made the phone call to Jones. The conversation from the kitchen had been hush-hush. Sitting on the couch in her PJs, Emma twirled a strand of hair between her fingers and waited.
    Her stomach gurgled. She let go of her hair and slipping her hand under her shirt, patted her belly. A quickening deep inside sent tingles through her. She sat straight from her slouched position. The quickening, like the fluttering wings of a hummingbird, came again. She shot to her feet and almost called out to Drew to come now. The baby had moved. Or maybe not.
    Maybe, she had bad gas. Argh . She wished she had one of her pregnancy books with her. Instead, the stack of resources were hidden in a drawer on her nightstand. Since she’d offered to help with the gala, Eve and Asa had dropped by Emma’s place several times to brainstorm. No way could they know she was pregnant. So she had stashed the books away.
    But she suspected Eve had known her secret since Emma had chosen clunky boots over bling-bling high heels. Sighing, she gave up on the idea of wearing them again for a long time.
    Her sight dropped to her belly. But he was so worth it.
    He? Yes, she had a gut feeling the baby growing inside her was a boy. In three weeks, she’d know. Her doctor planned an ultrasound. She smoothed a palm over her barely there baby bump.
    When she and Drew had made love last night, she cherished the way he coasted his lips over her bump, lingering ever so slightly to let her know he was onto her. Soon . Soon, she’d tell him of their pregnancy. However, there was one more thing she needed to do.
    “Hey, babe, you doing okay?” he asked.
    Startled at where her thoughts went, she spun on the couch and faced him. He quirked a brow. There was no curiosity on his face, just concern. She exhaled a quiet breath.
    “I’ve got a bad craving for Stew’s veggie omelet. Can you call Eve and see if she can bring me some?”
    “Sure,” he said with his phone in his hand. “When she gets here, we’ll run the plan by her. Jones will make a few phone calls then get back to me.”
    Good .
    He dialed and began to pace the room as he waited for Eve to pick up.
    “Um, Drew?”
    He