Expect Me (Rivers Edge Book 3)

by Lacey Black

  “Well, I was thinking of inviting Erin and Holly, too. Make it kind of a girl’s trip. Is that okay with you?”

  “Of course. Absolutely,” I respond, excited to be spending the day with the girls.

  “Well, how about I pick you up at eleven. I’ll bring Maddox’s truck so we can all fit comfortably, and we’ll grab lunch before we hit the mall.”

  “Sounds wonderful. Thank you, Avery.”

  “No problem. See you tomorrow at eleven then,” she says before she signs off.

  I’m glad that I don’t work weekends at the diner. I work three days a week - Monday, Wednesday, and Friday - from ten am to four pm. Really, it’s not too busy during my shift. I help restock everything from breakfast and then spend the afternoon helping get everything ready for dinner. The lunch hour is usually pretty busy, though, and the tips have been very good. Travis has even stopped by a few times with a couple of his workers and had a quick bite to eat.

  At nine forty-five, as I’m parking my car in the parking lot behind the diner, my cell phone rings. I glance down. Travis.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey. Are you heading to work?”

  “Just pulling in,” I reply.

  “Well, I won’t keep you. I just have a question for you.”

  “What’s up?” I ask as I gather up my belongings and open the driver’s door on my Camry.

  “After our appointment tonight, I was wondering…if…I was hoping that maybe you would want to go have dinner with me.”

  “Travis, we have dinner together every night,” I say as I lock my doors and turn towards the diner.

  “No. I mean like a date,” he says with a little uncertainty and uneasiness in his voice. He sounds just like Pete Jefferies who asked me out to the junior prom.

  I stop dead in my tracks in the middle of the parking lot. “A date?” I ask.

  “Yeah, like I pick you up and we go have dinner somewhere. We talk and get to know each other a little better, and then I return you home. Maybe, if I’m lucky, I score a good night kiss,” he adds with a smile in his voice.

  I smile at the thought. “So, you want us to go on a date? A real date?”

  “Yeah. That is, if you want to.”

  It doesn’t take me but a nanosecond to realize my answer. “Yes.”

  “Yes? Okay, great. So, I’ll see you after work at the doctor’s office and then we’ll swing home so I can shower.”

  “Sounds good,” I tell him.

  “See you later then. Have a great day, Joss.”

  “Thanks. You too, Travis,” I respond and then click off my phone. I head inside the diner with an uncontrollable smile spread across my face. Travis asked me out on a date. We’re having a baby and we’re going on our first date. I can’t wait.

  At four-thirty, I walk into Dr. Freeman’s office for my appointment. After registering with the receptionist, I find an empty seat in the semi-crowded waiting area. The chairs are almost considered comfortable in their soft, leather-like material. The walls are a pale yellow color that makes the room look bright and cheery, and the images of newborn babies remind you that you’re in the office of an obstetrician and gynecologist. Thank goodness it’s newborn babies out here. The exam rooms are filled with uteruses and vajayjays.

  Fifteen minutes later, and just as the nurse walks through the door and says my name, Travis hurries in through the front door. His face lights up as soon as he sees me. I stand up from the chair, throw him a quick smile, and start to walk towards the nurse, Travis hot on my heels.

  “You know the drill, Josselyn. Step up on the scale,” the nurse tells me. She moves the little indicated to my weight from last month, but the bar is still firmly positioned downward. She moves it a little to the right until the bar is balancing in the middle. “Two pounds,” she says as she notes the weight gain in my chart.

  Two pounds? Great. I’m going to weigh elephant-size by the time November gets here. Two pounds? In a month? I’m barely even showing. This can’t be good. I make mental note to lay off the late night cookies.

  After a quick check of my blood pressure - which thank you Jesus is considered normal - the nurse hands me the little plastic cup for my urine sample. Travis heads into the exam room while I finish in the bathroom, bladder ready to explode with the urge to pee.

  Inside the room, the nurses asks me a few more questions and makes corresponding notes in my chart. As soon as she heads out, Travis turns towards me with concern in him eyes. “I’m so sorry I’m late. The paychecks weren’t ready at the office and the shipment of re-bar was delayed from the distributor. I got here as soon as I could,” he says and then leans over and places a gentle kiss on my cheek.

  “It’s okay, Travis. You weren’t late. You were just in time.”

  “Well, I still feel bad. I’ll be here early next month, I promise,” he replies, that concerned look still evident on his handsome face.

  I reach over and run my hand along his stubbled cheek. My mind instantly goes to the memory of him running that stubble along my heated sensitive body. I squirm in my chair as the images take root in my mind like an unwanted zit the morning of a job interview. Or are these images unwanted? Hell, I don’t know anymore.

  Dr. Freeman knocks on the door a few minutes later and steps inside the room. “Hi, Josselyn. How are you feeling today?”

  “Pretty good, actually.”

  “Good, glad to hear it. How’s the morning sickness?” she asks with a small smile as she sits down on the little stool.

  “I haven’t thrown up in a week.”

  “Excellent.” Dr. Freeman consults the chart in her hand. “All of your blood work came back fine. I see you gained two pounds this week. That’s to be expected now that you’re not getting sick. We’ll monitor the weight gain and act accordingly if necessary. Right now, though, I think you’re doing just fine.”

  Thank goodness. I look over at Travis out of the corner of my eye to see if he has any concerns about the talks of me gaining weight. I mean, I know I’m going to gain weight, but the thought of getting big and fat doesn’t exactly present an attractive image where Travis is concerned.

  “Any concerns this month?” Dr. Freeman asks as she charts.

  “Actually, I’ve felt a tightening, almost cramping feeling off and on for the past couple of weeks in my abdomen,” I tell her. Travis whips his head towards me and I hesitate to meet his eyes. When I finally do, they are laced with concern.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispers under his breath.

  Before I can reply, Dr. Freeman says, “That’s actually normal, Josselyn. Your ligaments and stomach muscles are stretching and they aren’t used to it yet. So, a mild cramping sensation is actually okay. If the cramps get worse and or you start to experience spotting or bleeding, then call my office right away. Okay?”

  “Okay,” I reply, content that the cramping is normal.

  “Okay, then. Hop on up on the exam table and we’ll see if we can hear your baby’s heartbeat.”

  I hop up on the padded, paper covered table. Dr. Freeman rolls my shirt up and tucks a paper towel in the waist of my pants. She squirts a small amount of warm gel on my stomach and sets the little do-ma-thingy on my belly. She gives it a gentle push as she starts to move it around. Instantly, the sounds of my insides fill the room. It doesn’t take her long before the room is filled with the beautiful sound of our baby’s heartbeat. It seems so fast. Fast but strong.

  I look over at Travis to gauge his reaction to the sound of the heartbeat. His crystal blue eyes are locked firmly on mine. He stares deeply into my eyes, and I swear he can read my soul. A beautiful smiles spreads across his face that seems to light up his entire face, his eyes.

  Dr. Freeman watches the monitor in her hand for a few moments. “One thirty-eight. Everything sounds great, Josselyn.”

  Dr. Freeman uses the paper towel to wipe up the goo on my belly and offers me a hand to sit up. “So, next month will be a gender appointment if you want to kno
w the sex of the baby. We’ll conduct an ultrasound and take lots of measurements of the baby. Do you have any questions?”

  “No, I don’t think so,” I respond.

  “Okay, then we’ll see you in a month,” Dr. Freeman says as she stands and shakes my hand and then Travis’s.

  After stopping off at the receptionist desk again and making my next appointment, Travis writing another check, we head outside into the June heat. I don’t know if it’s the fact that I’m pregnant or not, but this weather already feels stifling, suffocating. Come on November.

  “So, I’ll meet you at home, and we can get ready to go,” Travis says shyly.

  “Yep,” I reply with a smile and head towards my car. Date night. Date night with Travis. Our first official date. I can’t wait.

  I have my hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail at the nape of my neck, my make-up is done more tonight than it has been in months, and my clothes are casual but nice. I have on a halter-style top that gathers under my girls and then flows nicely down to my waist. I found it at the bottom of one of the boxes - I’m pretty sure I’ve never even worn it - and it conceals the baby bump pretty well. I’m light on pants since most of the ones I wore before are too tight now. I did find a pair of jean carpis that almost fit in the waist, but with the shirt concealing my stomach, no one will know that the pants are actually unbuttoned.

  At six o’clock, there’s a knock at the door. I figure Travis would get it since he got ready first leaving me the room to do all of the things girls do to prepare for a date. When the knock sounds a second time, I start to get concerned as to why Travis isn’t answering the door.

  When I get to the front door and fling it open, I’m surprised to see Travis standing on the other side. Travis is freshly shaven and wearing nice jeans and a short sleeved button-down shirt that fits him to perfection. Instantly, my nostrils are filled with two things. The scent of the beautiful bouquet of roses he’s holding in his hands, and the scent of Travis. Clean. Musky. Hot.

  Travis smiles at me as he hands me the bouquet of fragrant red roses. “Hi,” he says.

  “Hi,” I whisper, unable to get any other words out of my mouth. I can’t help but run an appreciative gaze up and down his tall, toned body. Travis is hot. Damn hot.

  He smiles at me as if he can hear my thoughts. When my eyes meet his, I see him give me an appreciative gaze as well. His eyes stop at the swell of my breasts that seem to be spilling out of the top of my shirt. I never really had much cleavage before, but since I got pregnant, my boobs have seemed to take over my body. They practically have their own zip code.

  “Can I come in?” he asks with another smile.

  “Why are you asking me? This is your place,” I say as I step aside enough to allow Travis to enter the apartment.

  “It might be my place, but this is a date and I will do this accordingly. You look amazing, Joss,” he says as he runs his eyes over my body once more. I feel the heat from each touch of his eyes. It’s like my entire body is branded, tattooed from his intense gaze. “Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes. Just let me put these flowers in water and grab my purse.” I open a few cabinets in the kitchen looking for a vase. “I don’t suppose you have a vase, do you?”

  “Uhhh, no. I’ve never had flowers in this apartment,” Travis replies. “I guess I should have thought of that before I grabbed these, huh?” he asks as he pulls a water pitcher out of the cabinet. He throws me a questioning glance as he holds it up.

  “That’ll work,” I tell him as I arrange the sweet smelling roses in the pitcher. As soon as the water is added and set in the middle of the kitchen table, I head into the living room to grab my purse.

  Once outside, Travis opens the passenger door of his pick-up for me like he always does. He extends his hand out to help me up in the truck. He seriously has the best manners of any man I’ve ever met. He’s the perfect gentleman. Unless he’s naked in the bedroom. My mind is instantly filled with the images of Travis from that night. Naked. Sweaty. Hot. There was nothing gentlemanly about him that night.

  “Where’d you go there? You looked so distant, like you were lost in another world,” he says as he stares at me. He’s standing so close, close enough that I could touch him, pull him into the open door of the truck, and kiss the hell out of him. Hormones. They are totally messing with my mind, turning me into some crazy sex fiend.

  Travis gives me a knowing smile. He knows. He knows exactly where my mind was. I blush slightly but hold his gaze. Travis leans forward and places a tender kiss on the corner of my mouth. I can smell his cologne or aftershave. It makes me want to rip off my clothes and do dirty things right here in the cab of his dusty work truck.

  “You look so fucking amazing. I can’t control where my mind keeps going,” he mumbles against my lips.

  “Where does your mind keep going?” I ask knowing that I’m flirting with fire now.

  “To that night. To you and me. Naked. As soon as you opened the door, I was instantly hard and ready for you. I’ve been hard and ready for you for months. Months, Josselyn. Ever since I woke up alone that morning, I’ve been hard and ready for you. You. Only you. And by the look in your eyes tonight, I think you feel the same way,” he says as he places a kiss firmly on my lips. Not a gentle or tender kiss either. This one is full of passion and promise. This one is a sign of more to come.

  After a few moments, Travis pulls away from me. “But, this is our first date. So, I won’t act on my feelings tonight. Tonight, we are going to go to dinner and have a good time. But, I promise you. Soon. Soon I won’t be able to control myself any longer. I won’t be able to hold back, Josselyn.”

  My mind is completely freaking blown as I listen to the unbelievably hot words coming from his sexy lips. The thing is, I don’t want him to hold back. I don’t want him to feel restrained. I want to hear him talk dirty to me more. I want to feel his heat and his mouth against my entire body. I want more.

  Travis gives me another kiss and then backs out of the open door, closing it behind him. As soon as he’s around to the driver’s side and inside the truck, he starts it up and pulls out of the parking lot.

  “So what do you think? Italian or Laverne’s Steakhouse?” Travis asks with a glance over from the driver’s seat.

  “Either. Actually, let’s do the steakhouse. A big slab of beef sounds heavenly right now.”

  Travis laughs. “Whatever baby wants, baby gets,” he replies as he steers the truck towards the steakhouse.

  It’s pretty busy which I’ve come to realized is normal for a Friday night. Travis gives our name to the hostess with the wandering eyes and the too tight shirt. When he turns around to return to me, I see the hostess with the nametag Lauren glance down and smile at Travis’s rear. Back off, bitch. That’s my ass, I scream loud and proud in my head. Of course in my head. I’m not about to start a scene.

  Travis and I make small talk as we wait the thirty minutes it takes to get a table. As soon as Miss Flirty announces Travis’s name, she leads us to the back of the restaurant to our table. She’s smiling at him suggestively and completely inappropriately, if you ask me. Seriously…back off! “Is this table okay?” she asks with a sexy, flirty smile.

  Travis doesn’t even pay any attention to her as he turns to me and raises an eyebrow as if asking for my thoughts.

  “It’s fine,” I tell him.

  Travis pulls a chair out for me, not even giving the hostess any more thought or glance. She seems taken aback by his dismissal. Apparently, she’s not used to being ignored. The hostess slinks off without another word as she heads back to her post at the front of the restaurant. I can’t help but feel completely vindicated by her reaction…and Travis’s.

  “Hey, guys, I’m Keith. What can I get you to drink?” our server asks as he sets a basket of rolls down on the table.

  “Water for me, please?” I say.

  “I’ll take a Budweiser draft,” Travis tells the server.

  “I’ll be right
back with your drinks and to take your order,” Keith says before turning and walking away.

  “So, what looks good?” Travis asks.

  After perusing the menu, I say, “I’m going with the sirloin and steamed vegetables.”

  “The house sirloin is amazing. You won’t be disappointed,” Travis tells me.

  When Keith returns and takes our orders, Travis turns his attention back to me. “So, I’ve been thinking, we have something to talk about and decide on.”

  “What’s that?” I ask as I stuff a slice of delicious bread into my mouth.

  “Dr. Freeman said that the next appointment is a gender appointment. We can find out what we’re having. If you want to know, that is.”

  He’s right. Dr. Freeman did mention that. Do I want to know?

  “Do you want to know?” I ask.

  “Honestly, yes. But it’s up to you. If you don’t want to know, then we don’t have to find out. We can wait and be surprised when the baby is born.”

  Always the gentleman.

  “Actually, knowing would probably be best, don’t you think? This way, we know what to shop for and we can get gender specific stuff, not just neutral colors.”

  “That’s what I was thinking. We can prepare the nursery specifically for a boy or a girl,” Travis says before he bites off a healthy piece of bread.

  “What do you want? Boy or girl?” I ask.

  “Doesn’t matter to me. I know everyone says that. As long as the baby is healthy, that’s all that matters. And that’s true. I don’t care either way. Though, if I had to pick myself, I’d pick a boy. At least for the first one. Then a girl for the second. This way, the girl has an older brother to protect her,” he says so casually, like he didn’t just comment on not only a future, but more children.

  My heart rate spikes dangerously as the thoughts of more kids - more kids with Travis - takes root in my brain. Do I want more kids? I didn’t really expect the first one, but life doesn’t always ask you what you want.