by Maya Banks
. The woman could pry a steel trap open with her teeth. Her eyes gleamed in excitement at the prospect of
juicy gossip. Well Toni wasn’t going to be fodder for the ladies group at the Baptist Church.
“Couldn’t be better,” Toni said with a smile. “If you’ll bring the dogs back, Doc will see them now.”
The look of disappointment on the older woman’s face was priceless. She’d have enough to gossip about when Toni started showing. Which shouldn’t be too far in the distant future.
Shortly after four, Toni saw the last scheduled appointment out the door and began closing up. Exhaustion permeated every pore in her body. It would be a miracle if she could stay awake enough to drive home.
She trudged out to the parking lot and slipped into the seat of her Jeep. God, it felt good to sit down. It had been a crazy day in the office, and breaks had been few and far between.
Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up to the house and turned off the ignition. All the guys were home judging by the trucks parked in the driveway. Why did she feel so awkward about facing them now? Taking a deep breath, she got out and trekked toward the door. She needed her bed in the worst way.
Matt and A.J. were watching TV, and Simon was in the kitchen cooking. She walked by with a small wave. Honestly, it was all she could muster. Speaking would have sapped whatever remaining energy she had left. She ignored Simon’s inquisitive stare.
She didn’t even bother undressing once she got to her room. She tossed her purse down and crawled into the covers.
“Toni? Everything okay?” Simon’s voice reached her just as she felt him sit on the bed beside her.
“Tired.” It was all she could manage.
His hand rubbed her back, and she moaned softly. “That feels good.”
“Is she okay?” Matt asked from the door.
He and A.J. crowded into the room and stood beside the bed where Simon sat.
“I’m fine,” she said, looking up at them. “Just exhausted.”
“Should you go to the doctor?” A.J. asked.
“It’s normal,” Simon said.
“How would you know?” Matt demanded.
“I’ve been reading this.” He held up a book. “I bought it for Toni. Has all you ever want to know about being pregnant in it. According to it, she will feel overwhelming fatigue in the early stages and it will taper off by the second trimester.”
Toni looked at him in shock.
“I thought you might want to read it,” he said smiling at her. “C’mon guys. Let’s leave her to rest.” He dropped the book beside her on the bed and bent over to drop a kiss on her forehead. “I’ll call you when supper is ready.”
“Thanks,” she whispered.
When they left, she buried her head in the pillow once more. She couldn’t do this. It was torture. Yes, she’d done something terrible, but even that didn’t deserve such torment as this. Every gesture, every touch from Simon had her wanting, aching to curl herself into his arms and tell him she loved him. But now, she’d placed an insurmountable barrier between them.
She shoved the book aside and slapped a pillow over her head. How much different would this be if she and Simon were in a relationship? Simon would make such a wonderful father. They could have read pregnancy books together. Cuddle on the couch. His tendency to be overprotective would be endearing.
Her tears wet the sheets beneath her and she closed her eyes wearily. She wondered what the preggo book would have to say about her weepy fits.
A warm hand shook her awake, and she slowly climbed from the comfort of her dreams.
“It’s time to eat,” Simon whispered close to her ear.
She yawned broadly and lay there blinking at his face, so close to hers. It would be easy to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him to her lips.
He extended a hand to her and pulled her up to a sitting position.
“Thanks,” she mumbled.
“I’ll see you in a sec.” He turned and eased out the door leaving her to temper her raging hormones.
She was going to have to get it together. She couldn’t continue like this. Not only was she setting herself up for major disappointment, but if she didn’t cool it, she could wreck the friendships of four people.
That had a sobering affect.
Smoothing her unruly hair, she padded into the kitchen where the guys already sat at the bar. Matt patted the stool beside him and she slid onto the seat.
“How you feeling?”
“Much better,” she replied.
Simon set a plate in front of her, and she sniffed appreciatively. Her stomach growled in response, and she didn’t spare any time digging into
the baked chicken. For once, the thought of food didn’t make her nauseous and she was going to take full advantage.
“The guys and I have been talking,” Simon spoke up.
“Uh oh.” She set her fork down and eyed them suspiciously. “Anytime a sentence begins with ‘the guys and I have been talking,’ it usually means you’ve hatched some hare-brained scheme, and it usually involves me.”
They laughed.
“Well, it does involve you, but I don’t think it’s hare-brained,” A.J. volunteered.
“Do tell.”
“We don’t want you to move out,” Matt said.
Simon crossed his arms over his chest and nodded in agreement. “We’ve talked it over, and we want you to stay here where we can help out. You’ve been there for all three of us, and we aren’t dropping the ball on you. Moving out right now doesn’t make sense. We don’t want you to have to go through this alone. Besides, this is your house.”
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Ahh shit, Simon, she’s going to cry again,” A.J. said with a frown.
Matt quickly handed her a napkin.
“It’s normal,” Simon said matter-of-factly.
“Let me guess, you read it in the preggo book,” A.J. said rolling his eyes.
“As a matter of fact, I did,” he replied. “You can also expect her to be moody, prone to tears, easily fatigued, and nauseous for the first trimester.”
“Gee thanks,” Toni muttered. “Nothing like kicking a girl when she’s down.”
“The good news is that all changes with the second trimester. See, then—”
“Simon,” Matt interrupted.
“What?”
“Shut up!”
He grinned. “Fascinating stuff. You should read it sometime.”
