Love You, Baby

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  It seemed stupid sometimes. He hadn’t given her any reason to worry, and yet having gone through her first pregnancy without a man by her side, she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect and couldn’t seem to quiet the insecurities.

  But there was a reverence in the image before her. Reverence, appreciation, and love. Each elegant, sweeping brushstroke conveyed a depth of emotion that brought on a rush of hormonal tears.

  Merit’s hands gripped her hips to pull her back against him, then he slid them around to her belly. He rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek rough against her neck. “Do you mind? I will get rid of them if you do.”

  She linked her fingers with his and squeezed. “Don’t you dare. They’re beautiful. And…tasteful. I never in my life would’ve imagined I’d say that about something like this of me, but…Merit…I…” She swallowed hard before managing a whispered, “Thank you.”

  He pressed his lips to her neck, then turned her around to cup one cheek. “You are beautiful, Mae,” he whispered before dipping his head to cover her mouth with his.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her mouth to his questing tongue. He kissed her good and breathless, hands roaming over every inch of her body he could reach, until she was hot, and needy, and ready to hike up her dress and strip off her panties right there.

  “Any other secrets you haven’t told me about?” she panted.

  “I’ve fantasized of having you here many times.”

  “Of having me here, or having me here?”

  He answered by hiking up her dress and hooking his fingers in the waistband of her underwear. She clenched her fingers in his hair and moaned her approval in his ear. Next thing she knew, he’d lowered her down onto a leather couch she hadn’t even been aware was in the room. He knelt in front of her, pulled her bottom to the edge of the cushion, and stripped her panties all the way off.

  She lay back, chest heaving as he kissed his way up her inner thigh, his darkened gaze locked with hers.

  A loud buzzing sound jolted her pulse and made her jump.

  “Pizza.” He muttered the word like a curse as he pushed to his feet. Leaning over her, he ordered, “Don’t you dare move.”

  The moment he was out the door, she ignored his order. But as she’d guessed, he didn’t complain one bit when he returned to find her waiting for him, stripped of not only her panties, but dress and bra, too.

  His step faltered, and he stopped and stared, nostrils flared. “I’d give just about anything to paint you right now.”

  She shook her head. “Another time. Right now, you need to get over here and finish what you started.”

  His mouth crooked in a grin as he tossed the pizza box onto the end table next to the couch and advanced with a lascivious gleam in his eye. “I’m not so sure I could work for you.”

  She frowned at the unexpected musing. “Why not?”

  “Because if you were my boss and said that to me on the job, I’d be in so much trouble. Or you would be.”

  She laughed, but it faded quickly when he dropped to his knees in front of her. He started back up where he’d left off, and she couldn’t help imagining him coming into her trailer office and locking the door behind him. By now, he knew exactly how to make her explode with pleasure, and without a doubt she’d be having hot, vivid daydreams at work for months to come.

  Chapter 29

  Mae walked into Must Love Frosting on a rainy Monday morning to find Honor finishing decorating the front windows of the bakery for the last week before Halloween. They were both about twenty-seven weeks along, but her best friend had a cute little basketball belly compared to her bigger beach ball. Then again, she’d had the cute basketball when she was pregnant with Ian.

  She waved hello to the other employees, and Roxanna over at the register in Lift Your Spirit, just as Honor turned around from the window. “Did you decide if you’re going to the Diamonds’ Halloween fundraiser yet?”

  “Merit and I are taking Ian trick-or-treating first, then we’ll head over a bit later.”

  “Good. What are you going as?”

  “Ian’s going as a zombie, and he wants me to be his pregnant zombie mom, but I’m leaning away from gross and gory. I thought about pregnant nun, but that seems a little cliché.”

  Honor laughed. “The irony of Merit dressed as a priest next to you would be so worth it.”

  “True,” she agreed with a grin, thankful she was now secure enough in their relationship to joke about his past. “But since it’s a children’s hospital fundraiser, I’ll probably go with kitty and my stomach as a ball of yarn.”

  “Ooh, you should pull your shirt up and paint fish on your belly instead.”

  Even though she liked the idea of asking Merit to paint the fish, Mae gave her a mock-glare. “Are you saying I’m big enough to be a fish bowl?”

  Honor widened her eyes with exaggerated innocence. “Of course not.” But then she immediately turned away to gather up the remnants of her decorations and the empty trays that had held the ghost cake and pumpkin cupcakes now gracing the window display. “Your belly is just perfect for my little niece or nephew in there. You guys still waiting to find out?”

  “Yes.” Other than a brief moment of weakness when Honor and Asher revealed they were having a girl, Mae was still content to wait until the baby was born. She loved how excited Ian was about the surprise, and even Merit was cute about it as he went back and forth as to whether he preferred a boy or a girl. She kind of wanted a girl, but suspected Merit leaned toward a boy.

  Following Honor into the kitchen, she asked, “You guys still waiting to tell everyone what name you’ve picked out for my little niece?”

  “Yes.” She passed a chocolate cupcake to Mae, grabbed one for herself, then leaned her hip against the counter out of the way of her employees. “It was nice to have you guys at brunch yesterday. Finally.”

  Mae peeled the paper wrapper off her treat. “That’s part of why I stopped by this morning. I wouldn’t mind going every week like the rest of you, but the only reason Merit suggested it was because he knew his dad is staying in Washington until the fundraiser.”

  “That’s what Asher figured. But he says Merit won’t talk to him about it. I think most of the brothers and sisters have mentioned the rift at some point over the past few months.”

  She hated the thought of him losing what closeness he might have with his father. She knew how much it hurt to lose that connection with parents, and it wasn’t for lack of her trying. Her parents had never gotten past the fact they’d warned her about Ian’s father from the beginning, and when she ended up pregnant and alone, she’d gotten a big fat I told you so.

  Now, they were sour on Merit, too, no matter how many times she told them things were good. They’d never change their views, and now that she’d accepted it was on their shoulders, she was done banging her head against the wall. But at least she had tried. Merit hadn’t even done that, and if he let the distance get too far, she was afraid he’d regret it later on.

  She sighed and finally took a bite of her treat. After licking the silky, chocolate frosting from her lips, she grumbled, “You know, I love the man, but he can be so damn stubborn sometimes. It took me a week to convince him to take the job Becca offered after his interview for Lockhart Construction.”

  “That might have had something to do with Asher and Loyal teasing him about sleeping with the boss.”

  Maybe, but she’d heard Shelby razz him about it, too, and he’d laughed. “No. He joked about that himself. I think the job thing has something to do with his dad still, but anytime I bring up anything remotely connected to the senator, he gets all testy and clams up.”

  “Stubbornness runs in the family,” Honor commiserated. “And persistence. You just have to be more stubborn and persistent than they are.”

  “You know I can be that.”

  “Oh, I know,” her best friend agreed with a grin.

  Roxanna walked in and took the cupcake Ho
nor passed over without a word. She took a bite and mmmed her pleasure. “I love sharing a wall with you. And pretty soon, it’ll be a last name, too.”

  She lifted her left hand and Mae’s jaw dropped at the sight of a diamond solitaire on her ring finger. “Oh my God! Loyal proposed!”

  Their friend’s smile lit up the kitchen. “Last night.”

  After hugs and congratulations, they took a few minutes to admire the ring before Honor cocked her head and narrowed her gaze. “It’s almost ten—how come I didn’t see this the moment you got here this morning?”

  “I was waiting for Mae so I could tell you both at the same time.”

  “Aw, thanks,” Mae said with a grin.

  Honor put a hand on her hip. “And if she hadn’t come in this morning?”

  “I’d have texted her to stop on her way home later.” Roxanna huffed out a sigh. “Relax, already. You guys are the first to know.”

  “All right then. You’re lucky.”

  “I am lucky.”

  Mae knew Honor had been teasing, but Roxanna had replied with all seriousness as she brushed her fingertip across the diamond. “Tell us all about it,” she requested. “How did he ask?”

  “It was exactly a year ago that I accidentally climbed into bed with him upstairs after the fire, so he did this whole romantic scene up there with dinner and wine and candles.” Happiness lit her eyes. “It was amazing.”

  “Is there a save the date yet?”

  “We have to decide that yet, though we both agree sooner than later. If you can believe it, Loyal’s anxious to get in on this grandkid thing you guys started.” She paused before admitting with a soft smile, “Actually, we both are.”

  The baby kicked as if in agreement, and Mae laid her hand against the side of her belly. “Another cousin to play with the two on the way sounds great.”

  “Janine’s going to love planning another wedding so soon,” Honor predicted.

  Roxanna half-smiled, half-grimaced at the mention of her future mother-in-law. “I love Janine, but Loyal’s going to talk to her about not going overboard. Neither of us wants a big wedding, so it’s going to be immediate family only. After his two previous engagements, I’d assumed he wouldn’t even consider marriage and had made my peace with it. I didn’t think I needed a piece of paper to prove we’re committed to each other. And I don’t need it, but the moment he asked, I realized how much I wanted it. Not the paper, but the vows and the family.”

  At that moment, Mae found herself longing for her own engagement story to tell. She tried to force her thoughts in a different direction. She and Merit were fine as they were, and still adjusting to living together. He’d never brought up marriage—other than when Grayson pranked him with the apology advice—and she wasn’t about to bring it up herself. She was a bit old fashioned in the idea that was the man’s step to take.

  Old fashioned? The voice in her head snorted. Sure you are, as you stand here six months pregnant from a one-night-stand at your best friend’s wedding.

  But was it still a one night stand if they were in a relationship and planning a future together with the baby and Ian? And if they were planning a future together, did marriage figure into Merit’s plans? Because they would definitely fit into hers. She didn’t need the piece of paper either, but she already knew she wanted it if he were to ask.

  “Earth to Mae.” Honor waved her hand between them. “Where’d you go?”

  She banished the word marriage from her thoughts. “Sorry. I just remembered something I have to pick up on the way to the job site. I should probably get going.”

  After another congratulatory hug for Roxanna, she left for work. Merit was assigned to the second crew that had been hired so she could commit to the expanded contract with their current client. It was a thrill to catch a glimpse of him during the day, but like her two employees who had husbands employed by the company, Mae kept things between her and Merit strictly professional while on the clock.

  Still, she gave him a warm smile on her way to the office trailer, and again when they met the client, Steve Brennan, inside the lobby of the newly roofed building shortly before lunch to go over some changes Merit had proposed.

  After he explained the adjustments to the inside layout, Mr. Brennan countered with a few of his own ideas. The two poured over the plans, and Mae watched silently as Merit held his own in a position where no one else had been willing to give him a chance. Pride rose up as Brennan shook his hand with appreciation before turning to her.

  “I’m loving the way this is going, Mae. You got a good find in this guy.”

  She grinned at Merit. “I know.”

  “My interior designer will be in touch next week. It’s a little early, but she likes to get started finding local artists to feature in the lobby and common areas.”

  Mae’s heart skipped, and she shot Merit a quick glance. “What exactly are you looking for?”

  “Whatever works in the space. Sculpture, wood work, paintings.”

  “I know a guy who does amazing work with acrylics. His paintings—”

  “Mae.” Merit’s tone held a note of warning. “Let Mr. Brennan’s designer do her own job.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Brennan said. “Shoot me his information and we’ll take a look at what he’s got.”

  She discretely raised her eyebrows at Merit, but he clenched his jaw and remained silent, his gaze furious. She swallowed against a wave of sudden uncertainty. “I’ll talk to him and see what he’s able to offer.”

  “Sounds good. Keep in touch.”

  When he was out the door, she turned back to Merit as he rolled up the plans with jerky motions. “Just hear me ou—”

  “Not here,” he growled, his fingers clenched on the rolled paper. “Your office. Now.”

  He strode out without waiting for her. She glanced toward Becca on the other side of the building, but her forewoman was paying them no attention. Mae drew in a fortifying breath and blew it back out before following him.

  You gotta be more stubborn than him. More persistent.

  Merit’s jaw looked to be set in stone as he held open the office door at the top of the steps. She expected him to lay into her the second they were in private, but all he did was shoulder past her to toss the plans on her drafting table.

  He gripped the edge, shoulders tense as he stared down at the surface. “You had no right.”

  “All I did was mention I knew a guy,” she shot back. “It’s still your decision.”

  “Then I say no.”

  “Why? Because you’re afraid they might not like them? That they won’t be good enough?”

  “It doesn’t matter why. If I say no, the answer is no.”

  “Were you afraid Brennan wouldn’t like the plan changes you proposed?”

  He spun around, then leaned back against the table, arms crossed. “That’s different.”

  And yet he hadn’t denied her accusations. “How exactly? You’re going to have to explain it to me, because I don’t see the difference.”

  His jaw clenched, then released. “There’s nothing personal in those stupid plans. If he doesn’t like it, he tells me what he wants, and I do another one.”

  “And if he doesn’t buy a painting, so what? Does the painting mean any less to you?”

  “No, but—”

  She shook her head to cut him off. “If you’re that afraid they won’t like anything, what if I take some pictures to show them myself? I wouldn’t even give your name.”

  “I’m not afraid,” he bit out.

  “You sure about that?” She moved to stand in front of him and placed her hands on his folded forearms. “The only way you fail here, Merit, is if you refuse to even try. I guarantee you that.”

  His gaze met hers for a split second, then slid away.

  Neither of them spoke in the silence, until at long last he relented. “Fine. Take the pictures.”

  “And if they want to purchase some?” she pressed. “Are you going to
be okay with that?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’re sure?”

  He nodded, his jaw still carved in granite.

  She moved closer, pressing her baby belly against his flat, firm abs. “Are you going to stay mad at me?”

  He stubbornly kept his chin down, head averted toward the door. She leaned in and tilted her head to catch his gaze.

  A corner of his mouth twitched.

  She held back her smile while gently massaging the muscles of his forearms beneath her hands. He let his arms relax, lowering them to brace on the table on either side of him. Their gazes met, and that familiar warmth curled low in her belly while simultaneously heating up her cheeks. They’d been together four months now, and she wanted him as much now as the first night they’d met, and every time since then. Maybe even a bit more with her sex drive increased due to the pregnancy hormones.

  When he remained silent, she slipped her hands under his red Lockhart Construction logo shirt and flattened her palms against the hard muscles of his stomach. The alluring scent of warm male and fresh lumber teased her senses, making her fingers dig into his skin as she fought the urge to strip his shirt over his head.

  His eyes darkened as his gaze lowered to her lips, but he did nothing to close the distance between them. Yes, she was deliberately using seduction to soften his anger, but he damn well knew it the same as her. If he truly was upset, he’d tell her to stop and walk away.

  She contemplated switching direction to undo the button on his jeans. Even though they’d made love the night before, she wanted nothing more than to go lock the door and be very, very unprofessional with him right then and there.

  “Don’t be starting anything you can’t finish,” he warned.

  The low rasp of his voice wrapped around her, setting off a throb of desire deep within. Still, she fought temptation and lowered her hands to rest on his hips. “I know. Sorry.” But then she couldn’t help but sneak the tips of her fingers inside the waistband of his jeans.

  “That doesn’t feel like you’re sorry.”

  She leaned forward to rest her forehead against his chest with a soft whimper. Her belly didn’t let her get as close as she’d like. “It’s the pregnancy thing again. I cry at the drop of a hat, and I can’t get enough of you.”