He nodded, approaching her again. “I’m not far away from retirement. I’m not sure I’ll be able to complete after next year.”
She stood and eased her body up against his. “Then what’re you going to do?”
“Maybe I’ll be a bartender.” His eyebrows bounced with a teasing look. “I’ve heard that wine bar in town is a nice place to work.”
She played along with a frown. “I’ve heard the owner can be difficult sometimes.”
“I’ve always liked a challenge,” he insisted. “Speaking of challenges, do I get to help you get dressed?”
“In a minute.” Darla pressed her palms into his chest and backed him up against the wall. “Do you remember how you kissed me the day of the calendar shoot?”
Ty slipped his arms around her. “Oh, I remember.”
“Do it again. Only this time don’t walk away so soon.”
* * *
Hospital gowns weren’t supposed to be sexy, but Darla had a knack for making everything sexy. Ty eased back, breaking off the kiss before it was too late. “Is there a reason you’re trying to seduce me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to be seduced, but this tiny little hospital room can’t accommodate all the things I want to do to you.” And then there was the whole no-lock-on-the-door thing…
Darla kept her arms around him and gave him a repentant grin. “I might be stalling. It sounds like there’re a lot of people out there in the waiting room.”
Yeah, he’d thought about that too. Only a few of those people had known she was pregnant before now. “But they’re all people who care.” He brought her in closer, fastening his hands together at the small of her back. “My family. Not to mention Levi and Charity and whoever else they dragged along with them.” His friends never let friends go to the hospital alone.
Darla inhaled deeply, her shoulders rising. “They probably all know I’m pregnant now, huh?”
“I’m guessing they do.” He gazed down into Darla’s eyes. “Are you okay with that?”
She didn’t answer right away. As she continued to stare up at him, her smile grew until it finally reached her eyes. “Yeah. I just don’t want to steal Mateo and Everly’s thunder. They haven’t told anyone they’re expecting a baby yet. We could’ve kept it a secret longer.”
“Well, given the hospital run, it might be a little late for that.” In some ways that was a relief. Hell, he wasn’t sure he could have kept it a secret. “Knowing our friends, everyone’ll be ecstatic.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’m ecstatic.”
“Me too.” Darla pressed her lips into his, taking the kiss deep enough to ignite his body.
Ty let his arms fall to his sides. “We’d better leave before I start kissing you again.” He dragged his gaze down her body. “Then we might never get out of here.”
“I suppose.” She stepped away from him and reached around her back to untie the string on the gown before letting it slip off her shoulders.
He took in the sight of her naked body, of her rounded breasts, the small swell of her stomach beneath her belly button, of the sexy curve of her hips. “On second thought, we don’t have to rush out. I could brace a chair against the door.”
Darla laughed as she slipped on her underwear and bra. “No, you’re right. This isn’t the time or the place.”
“I’m never right,” Ty said, moving in closer. He had to touch her. He rested his hands on her hips. “Everyone else can wait.”
Shaking her head at him, Darla slipped on a pair of leggings that had been neatly folded on the chair. She tossed Ty her sweater. “You said you’d help me get dressed.”
He was tempted to toss the sweater in the trash can. “I like helping you get undressed better. That’s more my skill set.”
“You’re very good at it.” Swaying her hips like she wanted to torture him, Darla approached and held her arms up, with her eyebrows raised in a silent command. Put on the sweater.
Ty pouted with a sigh, but he pulled it over her head. “Shame to cover up all those perfect curves,” he muttered.
Darla tugged the sweater into place. “You can uncover them later. Maybe you should stay at my place tonight.”
“I’m planning on it.” After what had just happened, it would be hard for him to let her out of his sight. “Since you’re getting out of the hospital, we should probably go straight home.” If it were up to him they’d skip all the inevitable conversations in the waiting room and break every traffic law they could on the way to her place.
“I don’t know. I’m pretty hungry,” she teased as they walked out the door together.
“Takeout doesn’t require clothes.” He draped an arm around her shoulders so he could nestle her against his side. “We’ll stop for food—whatever you want—on the way home. Then we’re not gonna leave your place for a real long time.”
“Well at least not until the big party tomorrow night,” she reminded him.
They walked through the doors and into a whole crowd of people. Whoa. Not only his parents and brother and Sierra, but also Charity and her husband Dev, Levi and Cassidy, and Mateo and Everly. Everyone swarmed them.
“Are you okay?” his mother asked, crying.
“Come on, Maureen,” his dad said softly. “Give the kids a little space.”
“I can’t help it! I was so worried.” She pressed a fisted Kleenex against her nose. “I mean, I know Everly said things were okay, but I had to see you for myself.”
“We’re okay, Mom.” Ty gave her a hug. “All of us are okay. The baby looks great.”
“Oh thank god!” His mother wriggled away from him and threw her arms around Darla.
As she hugged his mom back, Ty noticed a few tears in Darla’s eyes too. “Thank you for coming, Maureen.”
His mom finally let go, so Darla looked around. “Thank you all for coming. I know you’re probably surprised—”
“Shocked,” Charity corrected. “I can’t believe Ty didn’t spill the beans. He usually sucks at keeping secrets.”
“Well, we didn’t want to overshadow anyone else.” He snuck a glance at Mateo and Everly, trying not to be too obvious. They both simply smiled and shook their heads. “We’re so happy for you,” Everly said, moving in to give them hugs.
“You had everyone pretty worried.” His brother moved in next while Sierra politely congratulated Darla: “Glad everything turned out okay.”
“Me too.” Ty embraced his brother. Why the hell not? He was gonna be a dad. He’d hug just about anyone right now.
“The mayor was pretty pissed you weren’t there to accept your award,” Rhett told him.
“I couldn’t care less about the award.” Any award. “Darla and the baby are all that matter.”
“That may be true, but you were great out there. I couldn’t do what you do.” Coming from Rhett, the statement was the equivalent of an Academy Award.
“Thanks. That means a lot.”
“Oh, look at you two!” Their mother swooped in and snapped a picture. “It makes my heart happy to see you getting along.”
Ty shot Rhett a smirk. “Yeah, well, I think you’ll be seeing it a lot more.”
His brother nodded, then moved off to talk to Sierra. Ty was looking for Darla when his mother snagged his elbow. “I need to talk to you.”
Before he could respond, she was dragging him around the corner where no one could see them. “I know you two say you’re not together, but—”
“That’s changed. We’re definitely together.”
“Really?” A look of hope flared in her eyes. “You’re engaged?”
“We’re not engaged.” Not yet anyway. “But we’re going to give things a shot.”
“Oh! I knew it! I knew she had feelings for you too!”
“It’ll take time,” he said before his mother got too carried away. “Maybe a really long time. We still have some stuff to work through, but there’s hope.”
“Of course there’s hope! You two are meant to be! Everyone thinks so.
I knew it the minute I saw her.”
Ty gave her a look. “Easy. You have to keep this quiet. Let us do this our own way. On our own time.”
She pressed her lips firmly together and gave him a solemn nod.
Before they walked back to the crowd, Ty gave his mom a hug “Thanks for coming to the hospital. It means a lot to her. That you’re all here. That you were worried.”
“She’s part of our family now.” His mom got all misty-eyed again. “No matter what happens between you and Darla. She and the baby will always be part of our family.”
He’d forgotten that about his parents, how accepting they were, how they’d always opened their home and their hearts to whoever needed a place. “I’m glad you could come for Christmas.”
“Me too.” His mom stood on her tiptoes and reached up to pat his cheek. “And I’m so proud of you, son. I knew you were tough, but seeing you ride…” A few tears slipped down her cheeks. “It was really something. I only had to turn away twice.”
“It meant a lot to have you there.” It had felt like they were finally becoming part of his world.
“We’d like to come this summer,” she said. “As often as we can.”
“It looks like I’ll be taking the second half of the summer off. The doctor thinks the baby will be due in August.” But he’d change his schedule so he’d be home in July too. There was no way he’d miss the birth of his child.
“I can’t wait.” His mom did a little jig. “I’ll start knitting right when I get home. Don’t you worry, you and Darla won’t have to buy a thing. Just let me know—”
“There you are.” Darla careened around the corner.
“Yeah.” Busted. Ty tugged Darla close. “We were just…Uh…”
“I was telling him how much we enjoyed watching him ride,” his mother offered. “And we were so worried about you.” She looked Darla over carefully. “Are you sure everything’s all right?”
“I’m sure.” Darla looked embarrassed. “It was only cramping. I probably overreacted.”
“Pshaw.” His mom waved her hand. “I had the same thing with both of my pregnancies. It’s always a good idea to get it checked out. And you can call me. If you ever have questions about anything.”
The words seemed to touch Darla. “Really?”
“Of course,” his mom insisted. “We want to be there for you. And the baby. Anything you need, honey. You just let us know how we can help.”
“We will,” Darla said, brushing away tears. “Thank you.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Darla sat straight up on the couch. Crap. Had she fallen asleep? She threw off the fuzzy blanket Ty had tucked around her when he told her he was going to clean up the dishes. On the way home from the hospital, they’d picked up takeout and had enjoyed a nice romantic dinner in front of a warm fire in her living room. And then she’d proceeded to zonk out. Leave it to her to nod off when the cowboy of her dreams was within reach.
Across the room, she could see him rummaging around the kitchen, so she took a few seconds to smooth her hair and pinch her cheeks and try to make herself look as sexy as possible. Since he still seemed to be busy, she quietly stood and snuck over to the mirror hanging on the wall by the entryway.
So much for sexy. Sleep lines crisscrossed her right cheek, and her eyes had gotten red and puffy. That meant she’d have to draw the attention away from her face. Darla quickly unbuttoned the top four buttons on her shirt and hiked up her bra to make sure she had as much cleavage visible as possible. There. That should—
“I’d be happy to undo those buttons for you.”
Great. She’d been caught. Darla turned around slowly, but instantly forgot her embarrassment when she laid eyes on Ty. He had that Santa hat on—the one he’d worn for the calendar shoot. The one she’d stuck in a box and stored in the laundry room behind the kitchen. No shirt though. He’d taken that off and had tossed it on a nearby chair. His jeans sat low on his chiseled hips, and he held out a tray with two mugs. And a can of whipped cream.
“Hot chocolate?” he asked with a naughty raise of his eyebrows.
“Yes please,” she nearly whimpered. Desire raced through her hot and fast, pushing her over to him in a desperate rush.
Grinning, he backed to the coffee table and set down the tray. “Whipped cream?”
“Mm-hmm.” She swiped the can off the tray and popped the lid. “But not on the hot chocolate.” She pointed the spout at his chest and drew a long line of white foamy cream down to his waist. Then she lowered her head and followed the trail with her tongue. When she reached his stomach, Ty stole the can out of her hand. “Not so fast.” He backed to the light switch and turned them off, darkening the room into a romantic glow from the fire and the white Christmas lights draped over the mantel.
Taking her hand, he snatched the plush blanket off the couch and laid it down on the floor in front of the fireplace. He set the whipped cream can on the mantel and slowly undressed her, taking his time with each of the remaining buttons on her shirt. Finally, he slipped it off her shoulders and touched his lips to the lace edge of her bra, tracing the lines while he reached around her back and unhooked the clasp.
Hunger and energy and a deep well of emotions all converged inside her with a force she hadn’t experienced in a long time.
Moving his lips down to cover her shoulder with kisses, Ty slid off her bra and let it drop to the floor. He straightened back up, running his gaze over her body with a scorching heat. “You’ve never looked more beautiful than you do right now.”
“And I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you right now.” There was so much power in this connection between them. It seemed to hold all of her—her heart, her body. She pulled him against her and they lowered to the floor that way, arms tangled around each other while his tongue explored her mouth, teasing, making her ache for his touch everywhere.
“I’ll always be here for you, Darla. As long as you’ll let me.” Ty lay on his side next to her, his hand tugging her leggings and underwear down over her hip.
“I know.” The promise had settled in her heart and she believed him. “And I’ll be there for you too. Every time you ride. I’ll be there to cheer you on.” She shimmied her legs, working her pants and underwear the rest of the way off, then sat up so she could undo his belt and the buttons on his jeans.
Ty took over, pushing off the rest of his clothes before reaching up to snag the whipped cream off the mantel. Hovering over her, he pointed the can down and drew a heart over the lower half of her stomach. Right where their baby would be. “I meant what I said that night at the cookie exchange,” he murmured, kissing away the whipped cream. “You make me happier. And I’ll do everything I can to bring you and our child happiness every day.”
Tears snuck out of the corners of her eyes and flowed down over her temples. She ran her hands lovingly through his hair while he kissed that heart-shaped pattern on her stomach. “I don’t think I could be any happier than I am right now.” Having him, having the baby.
A profound hope swelled through her. She and Ty were building the family she’d always desired.
* * *
Ty couldn’t say he’d ever been to a fancy Christmas party. Judging from the monkey suit Darla had laid out for him to wear, it was the kind of event that went way above his pay grade.
A tux? He hadn’t worn one of those since one of his friends had forced him into being a groomsman a few years ago. And he definitely hadn’t been a fan. Still, if Darla wanted him in a tux, she would get him in a tux. He quickly dressed, though he decided to forego the tie and left the top few buttons of the crisp white shirt undone for good measure. A cowboy was a cowboy whether he wore a tux or jeans.
It was a shame Darla wasn’t there to approve of his take on black tie. She’d gone over to Everly’s to get ready, and probably to eat chocolate and giggle a lot or something, but she’d be back to meet him any minute and he wanted to be ready. He found his black cowboy boots in his close
t and shoved them on his feet before walking out to the living room.
Rhett and Sierra were having a pregame drink at the dining room table while his dad paced the floor. “I swear, your mother has been in there getting ready for the last two hours and now she’s saying she can’t find the right lipstick.”
“Oh! Take her this one.” Sierra opened her little handheld purse thing and produced a tube of lipstick. “It’ll go with anything—and it’s perfect for every complexion.”
“I sure hope so,” his dad muttered, already heading up the stairs.
Just when Ty looked at his watch to check the time, Darla walked in, and he swore the entire universe tilted on its axis. The woman was so smoking hot she seemed to suck all the gravity out of a room. “That dress should be outlawed.” It was long and sleek and black with a plunging neckline and a slight shimmer to it. It showed off every curve. And somehow the fire-engine red heels she wore made the whole ensemble even more appealing.
He walked over to her.
“I like what you did with the tux.” Darla reached out and fingered the buttons at his collar.
“I really like what you did with that dress.” She’d taken a simple black number and kicked it up about five hundred notches.
“It’s getting tight already.” She pressed a hand into her abdomen.
“No. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.” He leaned down to kiss her.
“Darla!” His mother always had impeccable timing. She hurried down the stairs as though she was afraid they’d leave before she could get out her camera. “You look lovely. Let me snap a picture.”
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