She wiggled her way off of the bench, her belly stretching forward in an obvious soon-to-be-mom proclamation.
Then she pushed right past the hand he offered and slid against his chest, squeezing her arms around him as she burst into tears.
Shit. Mark wasn’t quite sure what to do for a moment, but Trevor was there, one hand on Becky’s back while the other rested on Mark’s shoulder. Calm and reassuring. Making it clear that if what Becky wanted was a hug, that’s what Becky got.
So, Mark cradled the girl, patting her softly as she cried. Oblivious to the attention they were drawing from curious onlookers.
Trevor leaned in and lowered his voice. “Rodeo, you’re gonna have to let the man go so we can actually say hello.”
She nodded briskly, stepping back and wiping at her tears. She met Mark’s gaze with big brown eyes filled with emotion. “Sorry about that. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” And as they settled back down at the table, Mark checked himself and realized it was true.
None of this was going to be easy, but it would be worth it. This was where he was supposed to be. It hadn’t happened before because the time hadn’t been right, but everything felt different now.
Trevor draped an arm around Becky’s shoulders and kept her tucked up tight against him. He met Mark’s gaze firmly. “I sure the hell never expected this, but like Becky, I’m glad you’re here.”
Mark glanced across at Becky, who was smiling even as she worked to pull herself back together. “I got your Christmas letter, and it got me thinking. We can talk about that more later. For now, I wanted to say hello to you first and see how things were going.”
“You going to be in town for long?” Trevor asked. “We’ve got room in the house if you want it.”
Mark had considered it, but settling back into Rocky was another thing he needed to do right. He shook his head. “I want plenty of talking time with Becky, and with you, but the house is yours the same as always. I’m not here to change that.”
Becky tilted her head, wonder shining out of her eyes. “Sounds as if you’re here for more than a visit.”
He nodded slowly. “Still working on my final plans, but yeah. I hope to stay.”
Trevor looked a little dazed. “Wow.”
“I think that’s—” Becky’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit.”
Mark had never heard the girl swear. Not even once during the months that he’d taken care of her while she recovered after running away from a terrible situation.
And from Trevor’s instant reaction, spine stiffening, head snapping to attention, her cussing still wasn’t a common thing. “Rodeo?”
Becky caught hold of Trevor’s hand. “My water broke. I am so sorry. Can you get me a towel or something—?”
Trevor was out of the seat, darting two steps toward the door, then two steps back. “Screw the towel. You need the hospital. Uncle Mark—” Trevor didn’t finish the sentence. He ran five steps toward the door this time before returning. “I’m starting the truck. I’ll be right back.”
It appeared his nephew was going to be one of those type of fathers.
Mark glanced across the table at Becky. “You feeling any contractions?”
Becky shrugged, wiggling her way toward the edge of the bench seat. “Some. Nothing too dire.”
“Okay. Then we’ll get Trevor to drive you to the hospital.”
He offered a hand, and she took it, standing up easily. She glanced over her shoulder then back at him. “I feel terrible about the mess.”
“Not any worse than someone accidentally tipping over a pop.” He pushed a few napkins off the table and onto the bench. “That’s why they make the place wash and wear, sweetheart. Come on.”
He’d barely had time to wrap an arm gently around Becky’s waist, when the door of the café flew open, the bells going off as if being shaken by a tornado.
Trevor stood in the doorway, his eyes wild. “Someone took my truck.”
Unexpected, a snicker escaped Becky. “Really? I wonder how that happened.”
“They’re not supposed to take my truck today.” Trevor all but shouted the words. “That’s not how this works. I have to get you to the hospital.”
A dozen set of keys were lifted in the air from all of the excited onlookers in the café.
“You can use mine, Trev.”
“Mine’s parked right outside.”
“Don’t even need to gas her up when you’re done,” someone else offered.
Becky was full-on laughing at this point, even as Trevor came to take over, his arm sliding around her waist. She lifted bright eyes to meet Mark’s gaze. “Could I bother you for another ride?”
The beauty of the moment just about floored him. “I would be honoured.”
10
Becky walked the hall with her fingers tangled with Trevor’s. Inside, she was so filled with emotion that it was difficult to keep from bouncing. Of course, when a moment later tears threatened to burst free, it wasn’t quite as much fun.
Glancing at Trevor’s concerned face, she tried to explain. “I’m like a yo-yo right now. Scared, then thrilled, sad then delighted, all at the same time.”
Trevor pulled her into his arms, one hand cradling the back of her head as he held her. “I’m right there with you.”
Seeing Mark had brought back sad memories, but oddly that wasn’t the part affecting her the hardest. “When I ran away from Paradise Colony, I had no idea where I was going. What I would do.”
A shiver shook him, and his arms momentarily curled tighter around her. Trevor pressed a kiss to her temple. “You’re safe, Rodeo. Nothing from there can touch you.”
She shook her head, peeling back far enough to be held yet meet his eyes. “I know. I know that to the complete innermost part of me. It’s just, thinking back to how Mark took me in that day? He gave me a ride then took care of me. Not knowing who I really was, he trusted me and ended up giving me a future.”
A contraction hit, and she paused, hands braced on her knees in the middle of the hallway they’d been pacing. Trevor rubbed her back and breathed with her until she was able to stand again.
This time she knew what she wanted to say. Becky cupped Trevor’s face in her hands. “Mark gave me a future where I found you. Falling in love with you and having you love me back has been beyond anything I could’ve ever imagined when I was living in Paradise.”
Trevor leaned in and kissed her. Sweet and intense. “We live somewhere better than paradise. We have a home.” He slipped a hand over her belly. “We’re building a family.”
“We are, and I’m so glad.” It’d taken a while, but between therapy and Trevor being his sweet, unendingly patient self, their physical relationship had changed. Sex no longer traumatized her. It was something that—with Trevor—made her hot and ache and truly feel alive to the center of her being.
Just the thought of getting tangled up with Trevor in bed sometime in the future made her heart skip a beat.
Trevor grinned. “You’re blushing. Thinking dirty thoughts?”