“It really is. How are Anthony and Sway doing?”
“They’re doing good. Anxious, but excited. They even asked me to come and visit them.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. They’ve always made off-the-cuff comments about me coming to see the baby’s nursery and stuff, but I didn’t really think they were serious until earlier today when they officially invited me.”
“Are you going to go?”
“Am I allowed to? I mean, I don’t know what the proper protocol is.” Batting my lashes, I add, “If only my doctor were around to advise me.”
Ben scratches the scruff on his jaw. “He might have to take a look at your file––”
“Oh, yeah. Of course. No rush––”
“I’m kidding,” he teases, dropping his authoritative tone from seconds before. “I think you’d be fine to travel as long as it was relatively soon. I don’t want you to leave my sight once you reach thirty-two weeks.”
“Maybe I don’t have to leave your sight,” I offer as the hustle and bustle on the street fades away. The comment slips out of me before I can register what it really means, or how he’ll take it.
His head cocks to the side, and I scramble to take it back. “I mean, you definitely don’t have to come because that might be kind of weird since we’re still figuring out this whole, taking it slow with a romantic twist kind of thing, right? I was just thinking it could be fun to take a little weekend trip. But no pressure, ya know?” My mouth snaps shut to cut off my rambling even though it’s easy to see that he heard every single word.
Without hesitation, Ben snakes his arm around my lower waist and pulls me into his chest. Planting the sweetest of kisses against my forehead, he murmurs, “I’d love to come.”
“You sure?” My insecurities lace themselves into my question as I chew on my lower lip and peek up at him. I kind of hate how much I like this guy. How much he makes me happy. How easily he checks off every single box on my perfect guy list. And I’ve already put myself out there once with him and was burned. Bad. Would a vacation away from it all be a good thing? Or would it act like gasoline on an already precarious fire?
His deep laugh rumbles through his chest and into mine, making it tighten in all the right ways as I realize I kind of love how much I like this guy too. Ben Bennett. His smile. His laugh. His need to take care of everyone around him with no regard for himself. He’s the whole package. I just need to figure out if I have a chance of ever stealing his heart the way he’s somehow managed to capture mine. Or if it’ll forever belong to Kate––the girl I will never live up to.
“Positive,” he tells me, brooking no argument while completely oblivious to my inner turmoil. “Besides, I get a much-needed vacation with the woman I can’t stop thinking about. Sounds like a win-win to me. I only have one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“You let me pay for everything.”
“Ben––”
“I’m serious, Marcy. Let me treat you the way you deserve. You’ve spent so long taking care of yourself that I’m not even sure if you know what it feels like to let someone else take care of you instead.”
“You don’t have to do that, though. You didn’t sign up for the job––”
“Maybe I want to sign up. Did you ever think of that, Marcy Holden?” he challenges, getting all up in my grill until I’m positive my brain is going to short circuit, and I’ll give in to whatever he asks of me. “Let me take care of you. It’ll make me feel better if I can. Look at it this way. I’m a doctor. It’s my job to look after everyone else around me.”
“And who’s supposed to look after you?”
He shrugs before leaning down and kissing me. It’s soft. And sweet. With the perfect amount of tongue to lip ratio that has me melting into a puddle. When he pulls away a few seconds later, my heavy lids open, and I find myself pressed against his hard chest.
Damn, he’s good at getting what he wants.
“Okay,” I breathe. “You win. I’ll set it up.”
“Sounds to me like we both win.” He winks. “Now, let’s get you home.”
21
Ben
A few weeks later
“You’re pushing your luck. You know that, right?”
“Why, whatever do you mean?” Marcy asks innocently as I push her carry-on into the luggage compartment above our heads.
“I said you could travel before thirty-two weeks.”
“And I’m exactly thirty-two weeks today. Sounds to me like I’m an excellent travel agent,” she tosses over her shoulder before squeezing into the window seat. The girl has yet to complain about any pregnancy symptoms. Either she’s the biggest trooper I’ve ever seen, or she’s too embarrassed to admit that pregnancy can be a bitch.
Or at least, so I’ve been told.
“Uh, huh. Sure.” I roll my eyes before planting my ass in the seat next to her. With a quick peck to her lips, I buckle up and try not to stare at the girl who loves to drive me nuts and has no idea how much of a turn on it is.
Subtly, I rearrange myself in my jeans but am caught red-handed.
“How you doin’ down there?” A smile tugs at the corner of her sultry lips.
“Fine,” I grumble.
Repeating my comment from ten seconds ago, she says, “Uh, huh. Sure,” then leans a little closer. “Tell me, are you part of the mile-high club?”
As I shake my head back and forth, her eyes widen in surprise. “Really?”
“Why do you look so surprised? Should I be offended right now?”
“I dunno. You just seem like the type, I guess.”
“Sorry to disappoint,” I mutter, my ego taking a small hit.
“Not disappointing. If anything, it’s kind of endearing.”
Perking up in my seat, my curiosity gets the best of me. “And how’s that?”
“Don’t get me wrong, girls like it when they’re with a guy who knows what he’s doing down there, but we also like being the first to experience something with their partner every now and again too.”
“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
She laughs. “Don’t get your hopes up, Ben. My stomach is huge right now. I’m not even sure if I could fit in the bathroom on this plane by myself, let alone with a grown man squished in there too. We’d be like a couple of sardines, so I guess you’ll have to take a rain check.”
“Rain check?” My brow raises, but I try to restrain my grin.
Her cheeks heat as she realizes what she just implied.
“I mean, unless that’s weird for you. I shouldn’t have assumed we’d still be…whatever we are.”
“Whatever we are?” I prod, enjoying the way it makes her squirm beside me. I’ve been under the impression we were an item, but we haven’t had the official talk. The whole thing has felt so natural that we haven’t needed to have one. Still, that doesn’t mean I don’t like teasing her.