“Well, telling her at the Tire Depot Customer Comfort Center seemed a little tacky.” I stretch back and adjust my flowy black top that hangs off my shoulders. I selected this shirt specifically to take attention away from my stomach. I’m definitely not pregnant-looking yet, but I’m now rocking a pie belly to match my pie butt. “And there’s no way she’s not going to notice I’m fake drinking. She has a freaky Spidey sense for that stuff.”
“It’s true.” Dean nods. “And she can sniff out when I’ve had sex recently too.”
This comment has me turning my full attention to Dean. “Speaking of which…” I lift my brows. “I heard some peculiar high-pitched sounds coming from upstairs when I got home the other night.”
Dean shoots me a flirtatious wink. “You were busy with Dr. Dick or those could have been your noises, Lyns.”
A laugh bursts from me, assuming Dean’s just being a flirt. “So, who was the girl?”
“No one you know,” he replies flatly.
“So, you just brought some random girl home?”
“Don’t act like you haven’t done the same.” He pointedly directs his attention to my belly. “At least I had the sense to check the expiration date on my condom.”
“Too soon,” I grumble and cross my arms over my chest in a mock pout.
Dean laughs. “Look, I’m sorry for the noise, okay? But since you’re clearly not giving it up to me, I have to get it somewhere.”
A sinking feeling weighs heavily in my belly over that candid response. I never expected Dean to turn celibate after I moved in with him. But considering I’ve only been there a couple of weeks and he’s already brought a girl home, I wonder how long this arrangement can really last.
The thought of being eight months pregnant and woken in the middle of the night by a strange woman’s cries of passion just seems…wrong. Or even breastfeeding in the living room when Dean comes back from working at the bakery. This isn’t a true long-term option for me.
“So, are you going to see whoever that was again?” I ask, watching Dean curiously for his reaction.
“No!” He laughs as though it’s the most ridiculous question in the world. “It was just a hookup to help me get over my obsession with the owner of Rise and Shine Bakery. Fuck, that woman Norah is all I can think about lately. You’ve seen her, right? She’s the stunning blonde who’s always wearing a bandana over her hair. We’ve been doing this weird non-flirting thing ever since I started going there for my lunch breaks, and it’s making me insane. She either wants me or hates me, either of which could make for some great sex.”
I smile at Dean’s little crush. “What’s holding you back? You’re usually one to go for it no matter what.”
“Well, Rise and Shine is the bakery Max wants me to invest in for a franchise opportunity. I have this rule about not shitting where I eat.”
My nose wrinkles. “That’s a disgusting phrase.”
“We’re roommates now. You’re going to hear this and a lot more. But don’t worry, I’ll cool it after the peanut’s born.” He shoots me a smirk, and then his face falls, probably because of my lack of amusement. “Unless you’re actually considering moving in with Dr. Dick now that you two are getting to know each other?”
I pull my lip into my mouth and chew. It’s been a week since our therapy session, and Josh and I have spent a few nights together. He’s taken me out for a couple of dinners. And we even went bowling like actual humans. Although, he got all snappy when I picked up an eight-pound ball and he downgraded me to a four-pounder that I think was meant for children. I laughed it off, but I’m getting the sense that Josh is paranoid about me hurting myself. He is overprotective to the extreme.
Which is probably why he keeps asking me to move in with him every time he drops me off at Dean’s. Every. Single. Time. It’s weird but sort of cute. He’s very serious about wanting to watch over me, and I guess that’s comforting. I appreciate the fact that he’s invested in the life growing inside me. It makes me less alone in this whole process. And there’s been no sign of the original dickholeitis ailment he had when we first met. He’s not Mr. Warm and Fuzzy by any means, but he’s at least not calling me crazy anymore.
Plus, we have had some seriously intense moments when I think he wants to kiss me, or devour me, or lay me out naked in a public setting. And I find myself encouraging those moments. I don’t know if it’s the pregnancy hormones or just the Josh-effect, but dammit, his scowly demeanor is even occupying my dreams as of late. And they aren’t PG-13 kind of dreams.
“Josh is definitely still pushing for me to move in.” I shrug. “I think a part of that is because he just doesn’t want me living with you.”
“Me?” Dean asks, shooting me wide, innocent eyes. “What’s his problem with me? Is he offended by the fact that I bought you those baby books and booked you a prenatal massage? Man, I’m such a dick.”
I hit him with a flat look. “Obviously none of that, but you could be a little nicer when he comes to pick me up. You stand at the door like you’re my bodyguard or something.”
Dean smiles, clearly pleased. “I’m just not sure he’s worthy of you, Lyns.”
“I’m more interested in knowing if he’s worthy of this baby we’re going to have together.” I rub my hands over my jeans-clad thighs. “I’m still not sure if he’s even interested in me beyond sexual attraction, or if I’m interested in him for something more.”
Dean glances at me for a moment before turning his eyes back to the road. He goes quiet, his bearded jaw sliding back and forth as he chews on a thought. “If you want my advice…my parents’ divorce was messy and dramatic, and they gave no fucks that I was smack dab in the middle of it at twelve years old.” Dean’s jaw tightens. “But if you’re going to try to figure out how you feel about each other, you need to do it before the kid is old enough to know how miserable you make each other.”
I frown at Dean’s very candid reply. He’s normally not much of a sharer, choosing to be Mr. Fun instead of Mr. Real most of the time. But his parents’ divorce is a big reason he’s not good with relationships. In fact, a psychologist might say it’s why he only tries to date his close friends. He can only attempt to settle down with people who he feels safe with before he eventually sabotages the relationship.
He’s jaded against commitment, which is why he gets into heated arguments with Kate over her happily-ever-after romance novels. He says that’s not real life, and one of these days, she needs to write a messy, sad ending because that’s how it works out for most people.
Yet deep down, he has a huge heart, and he cares about his friends. I mean, he was willing to let me move in after finding out I was pregnant without hesitation. He could definitely be a happily-ever-after kind of guy if he just truly let someone in.
However, he’s not exactly the most eligible bachelor with a pregnant girl sleeping under his roof. I hadn’t really considered that until this conversation. Dean’s life shouldn’t be on hold because of my situation.