Page 5 of Honest Boys Don’t Play

I flash him the brightest smile I can muster. “Is that supposed to be a question?”

He smells so fresh and clean that I have to resist the urge to bury my face in that soft looking t-shirt.

“Are you able to keep anything down?” he asks with obvious concern.

He reaches into the car and undoes my seatbelt. “Hey,” I gripe, but he ignores me and takes my empty hand to haul me out. I reach back in the car to toss the toothbrush in the trashcan I’ve taken to keeping in my car.

He peers around me and spots the trashcan, concern etching the corners of his mouth.

He closes my car door and presses a gentle hand to the small of my back. “Bertie, are you eating at all?”

My shoulders droop. “I’m trying, I swear. But everything seems to make me nauseous.”

“Maybe my mom will know how to help.” He mutters it under his breath, so I think the words might be more for him than me.

“She’s not home yet,” I say accusingly as he leads me inside.

“She’ll be here any minute.” He pads over to the fridge and pulls out a bottle of Coke. “Think you can drink some of this?”

“We’ll see.”

He unscrews the top and passes it to me. I take the world’s smallest sip and wait to see if my stomach recoils.

Luke leans back casually and braces his arms behind him on the countertop. His biceps bulge in a way that has my mouthwatering. I’m overwhelmed by him. He’s so big—tall and broad and extremely fit from hockey—but it’s more than just his looks. It’s him. Luke is one of the sweetest men I’ve ever met, and extremely shy, but there’s still this presence about him that sucks me straight into his orbit. I think it’s why I avoided him so steadfastly after we first hooked up freshman year. I knew even then that Luke Covey was a rare, one-of-a-kind man, one I could get lost in forever. I ran far and fast, and yet here I am, pulled back into his gravity. This time, there will be no leaving. We’re stuck together for life thanks to the little nugget growing inside me.

My stomach roils at the thought. Apparently, I am not one of those women who marvels in wonder at being pregnant—no, I am horrified by the idea of it all. I fear I might faint when I feel this baby move. I envy those women who make pregnancy look so wonderful and magical. This whole thing feels like I’ve been invaded by an alien.

“I want to go next time.”

“Huh?” My eyes dart around like I might find writing on the wall for what he’s referring to. Something tells me I missed whatever he said prior.

“To the doctor.” He pulls the sonogram out of his pocket. “I want to be there.”

“Oh.” I go to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear out of habit, but I put my hair back in a ponytail a few hours ago since I kept getting sick. I let my hand fall listlessly to my side. “Yeah. Okay.” Silence descends upon us and I’ve never been one to feel awkward in the quiet until now. “I’ve only been once,” I blurt. “I don’t want you to think I’ve been a bunch of times and didn’t tell you.”

He rubs his hand over the back of his head. “You don’t have to defend yourself to me, B. I can’t imagine as a woman what the past weeks have been like.”

His words should comfort me, and they do somewhat, but seriously does this guy get ruffled by nothing? He seems to take everything in stride. I envy that ability. While he stays calm, cool, and collected I’m a mess.

The front door to the small rancher opens then and I look over my shoulder to find his mom, Jocelyn, coming in. She looks tired but a beaming smile immediately adorns her face when she sees me.

“Bertie,” she crows. “So good to see you. I wondered where you’d disappeared to. Luke said you’ve been busy.”

I glance back at him and he shrugs. Of course, he’d try to make me look good to his mom instead of telling her the truth—that I’ve been avoiding him.

“Yeah, you know just trying to stay on top of things ahead of graduation.”

“I’m going to make dinner after I shower if you’d like to stay.”

She sets her bags down and opens her arms for a hug. My eyes widen in surprise. Open affection is not something I’m used to—and one of my fears now that I’m pregnant. I want to make sure I show this kid how much I love them but considering I didn’t have the best role models in that department it’s a bit terrifying.

I hug her back, watching Luke over her shoulder. His lips tick up slightly on the left side.

“I really should go. I don’t want to impose on you guys.”

“Stay,” Luke says, the one word probably the most demanding he’s ever sounded in all the time I’ve known him.

“Yes, please stay,” she reiterates with a pat on my cheek. “I won’t be long.”