Tessa Teevan - Inflame

“I think we do our best work in the bedroom, Ms. Dawson, don’t you?” he asks, his voice thick and husky. “Perhaps we’ll get more talking done in here, with no distractions. Now tell me. Why exactly did your last relationship end? You never told me.”

Swallowing hard, I close my eyes, really not wanting to get into this right now. “Kale, it doesn’t matter what happened with Aidan. It just didn’t work.”

Kale shakes his head, and I know he doesn’t believe me. “I don’t think so, Lucy. Something happened. I want to know. If you can’t tell your best friend, then who can you tell? Why did you split up?”

Sighing, I know he won’t stop until I admit it. I sit up and turn towards him. “Fine. You want to know why? You’re why!”

A knowing grin spreads across his face, and I know he just played me. “And how is that? I was seven thousand miles away. How could I have been the reason you two broke up?”

“It was a multitude of things. He was bothered with our relationship from the very beginning, which is why he so passive aggressively did that whole Facebook thing. But it wasn’t until the very end, when I hadn’t heard from you that things came to a head.” I pause, almost unnerved by the way he’s watching me so intently. “Every second I was with him, you were on my mind. I couldn’t get away from my email, and Heaven forbid someone try to take away my phone. I was so scared, so worried about you, and I couldn’t get you off my mind. In the end, he couldn’t compete. He knew it, I knew it, and we parted ways.”

I never thought I’d actually admit that to Kale, but now that I have, it actually feels good to get off my chest. He sits up and rests his back against the wall, his legs bent at the knees with his arms resting on them.

“Why were you scared, Lucy?” he asks as if all the other stuff I said doesn’t matter.

“I was afraid to lose you,” I answer quietly, almost whispering.

He lowers his legs to the bed and spreads them, making room for me. “Come here, Luce,” he requests, and I comply. I settle in with my back against his bare chest, and he wraps his arms around me. “Why were you afraid to lose me?”

Closing my eyes, I draw in a deep breath before answering him. “Because I care about you. More than I’ve cared about anyone in a long time, and the thought of you no longer being in my life was unbearable.”

“You care about me as a friend? Just a friend?”

This is it. Kale’s leaving it up to me to decide where our relationship is going to go. I replay my last few words in my head, and I make my decision. I let him know as I shake my head no, and I feel his chest contract as he lets out the breath I could tell he was holding.

“Then as what, Lucy? I need to hear you say it. To know you feel the same way I do.”

I turn in his arms, needing to see his face, to look into his eyes as I finally admit my feelings to him. “You know when I was joking and said you’ve ruined me for all others? Well, I guess the joke’s on me, because it looks like I was dead serious.”

He lets out a low chuckle and presses his forehead into mine. “Lucy Dawson, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“I don’t know, Kale. I’m a second-grade teacher, not a mind reader,” I tease, almost surprised at the lightness in my tone. I thought admitting my feelings for Kale would have been more epic, but instead, it’s just like us. It’s easy. It’s comfortable. And it feels so right. “And I don’t expect you to be a mind reader either, so let me spell it out for you. I’ve had feelings for you for a long time. I was too scared to admit it to you. Or even to myself. And truth be told, I’m scared as hell now. I love what we are, and it terrifies me that we’ll find some way to mess things up. But you’re right. ‘Whatever’ doesn’t cut it for us. We can be so much more if we just take the plunge. I’m tired of fighting it and I’m tired of being cautious. So, Kale Montgomery, I guess what I’m asking is will you, the father of my unborn child, also like to be my boyfriend?”

I hold my breath as I wait for him to answer, and boy does he make me wait for it. He’s watching me, and I can’t read his expression. Feeling uncomfortable with the silence, I start to scoot off the bed, but he pulls me back, pushing me down on the bed as he hovers over me.

“Way to steal a guy’s thunder, Lucy,” he says, and I wrinkle my brow in confusion. “Seriously, once Charlie and the guys hear that you asked me out, I’ll never hear the end of it. Just know I had every intention of doing it myself. I was just trying to wear you down. I guess I didn’t realize how awesome my own skills were.” He leans down and places a soft kiss on the tip of my nose.

Slipping my arms around his neck, I lean up, giving him a hug before lying back down. “Sorry, babe. You picked the lock, and as soon as the floodgates opened, I couldn’t shut the hell up. If you want to ask, I promise I won’t tell anyone I did it first.”

He grins down at me. “Are you kidding? I don’t give a shit about the guys. I can’t wait to tell our kid that his momma chased me until I couldn’t say no. So, yes, babe. I, as the father to your awesome unborn child, would be honored to also be your boyfriend.”

“You’re such an ass,” I tell him as I turn on my side, trying to pretend that my heart isn’t racing at the thought that just a moment ago Kale Montgomery became my boyfriend. I feel like squealing like I see my students do on a daily basis, but I somehow keep myself calm. He lies down behind me, wraps his arm around my waist, and pulls me in close, but I won’t let him distract me. “We still have a lot to talk about, you know.”

“I know, but for now, let me just bask in the knowledge that I wore you down to the point that you asked me to be your boyfriend.”

Shaking my head, I sigh. “You will never let that go, will you?”

“Not a chance, babe,” he says, chuckling, and I know he means it.

“Watch it. You still have a long way to go. I may like you, but I’m not in love with you,” I tell him, even though I know I’m probably not far off.

“Don’t worry, Lucy. I’m not in love with you either,” he responds. “At least not yet.”

My heart flutters at the implications of his words, and apparently they’re enough for the both of us, because we continue to lie there in silence. I smile into the darkness when Kale’s hand settles protectively on my stomach. For the first time since I took that pregnancy test, I feel completely at ease, and I’m more than excited at the prospect of a future with Kale.

Kale

PACING BACK and forth in the room, I’m aware that I’m probably going to burn a hole in the carpet, but holy shit, I’ve never been this nervous before. It was one thing when I saw the positive pregnancy test, but now that I’m in the doctor’s office with Lucy, the whole thing is suddenly becoming so real. Part of me feels like I could pass out, and the other part is bursting with excitement for our first ultrasound.

“Kale, calm down and come here,” Lucy requests, and I stop my pacing. She’s sitting up on the bed, waiting for the doctor. “What is with you? I’ve never seen you so nervous before.”

I swallow hard, knowing that this is something I think we’ll eventually have to talk about, but I try to push the memories out of my mind, not wanting to ruin this day for us. Ever since Lucy asked me out (she’s right—I’ll never let her live that down), things have been more than amazing. We’ve spent every night together, and even though we both know we still have things to discuss, namely about the baby, we’ve been just enjoying being a couple. I figure all the other complications will come soon enough. My past being one of them. There’s no reason to taint what we have this early. I’m sure she has her own secrets that’ll come out along the way. All that matters now is that we’re together and that she, and the baby, stay healthy.

“Not a huge fan of doctor’s offices. And those things scare me. Although, we could probably find a use for them until the doc comes in,” I tell her, giving her a wink as I gesture to the stirrups.

“As much as I’d love that right now, Kale, I don’t think we need to give Dr. Foster a preview of how this baby came to be,” she teases just as the door behind me opens.

“You’re absolutely right, Lucy. While I’m sure it was a most entertaining way to create the miracle of life, it is one mating ritual I do not need to witness,” the doctor says, giving us both a friendly smile. Embarrassment rushes through me, and I quickly hold my hand out to introduce myself.

“Kale Montgomery. Producer of the sperm that knocked her up,” I joke, causing Dr. Foster to laugh.

“Nice to meet you, Kale. That’s certainly an interesting introduction,” she says before sitting down on a stool next to Lucy. “How long have you two been together?

“Over a year,” I respond without hesitation. At the same time, Lucy unashamedly answers, “One week.”

Dr. Foster raises her eyebrows and looks back and forth between the two of us. “That’s quite a variation of time. I do have to say, though, Lucy, if your condition is any indication, it’s been a little longer than a week.”

“Super long story short? We’ve been best friends for over a year and have only recently decided to be together romantically,” Lucy explains without missing a beat.

“Ah, I love a good friends-to-lovers story. Sometimes those are the best ones. All right, let’s get down to business,” she replies, and I check out when they start talking about menstrual cycles and conception dates. I especially don’t listen the moment I hear Lucy ask about hemorrhoids.

I return my attention to the women when I see Lucy slide off the bed. “No ultrasound today?” I ask, wanting more than anything than to see my baby for my own eyes, even if I wouldn’t be able to point out a single thing on the screen.

“I love eager fathers-to-be, but no, not today. It looks like Lucy’s eight weeks pregnant. We’ll wait a couple of weeks and do an ultrasound then, but would you like to know your estimated due date?”

I swallow hard, not sure I’m ready to hear the day, knowing it’ll seem way too far away but will also come all too soon. “Yes, please. We’d love to know,” I tell her as I move to the hospital bed and grab ahold of Lucy’s hand. She gives me an encouraging squeeze as we both wait to hear the date.

“June fifth, 2014.”

My heart constricts, and as much as I thought this felt real before, an overwhelming sense of happiness washes over me from knowing that I now have a real date to look forward to.

Looking down at Lucy, I see a couple of tears spill over onto her cheeks, and I use my thumb to wipe them away. “It’s November, baby. It’ll be June before we know it. I guess we better start preparing for this little guy,” I comment, and she lets out a small laugh.

“What makes you think it’s a boy?”

“I honestly don’t care. I’ll be happy as long as our baby is healthy. But seriously, Lucy? Raising a little girl that looks just like you? That might lead to an early grave for me.”

She shakes her head as she hops off the table. Dr. Foster smiles at us and gives me a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. “Many fathers before you have raised little girls. They may end up gray sooner than most, but I assure you, you’ll do just fine no matter what gender you have. But if I were you, I’d do some reading. You’ll never be fully prepared, but having an arsenal of information in your brain can’t hurt either.”

I nod, thanking her for the tip, making a mental note to head to the bookstore later this afternoon. This is real. Come June next year, I’ll be a father, and seeing as how I never really had one of my own, I need all the help I can get.

Dr. Foster leads us out to reception, where Lucy schedules her next appointment. Once she’s all set, I take hold of Lucy’s hand and intertwine our fingers as we head out into the unusually warm November afternoon. When we settle in the car, I glance over at her.

“I’m on leave the rest of the day, baby. Do you need to go back to school?”

She shakes her head. “I have a sub for the entire day. I’m at your mercy, Kale. Do your worst. Or well, actually your best. Do your best.”

Laughing, I pull the car out of the parking lot and head towards Nashville, ready to take my girl out. “Lucy Dawson, will you do me the honor of going out with me on our first official date? I know I’m supposed to ask days in advance and let you spend hours getting ready while I pace in your living room, but nothing about us has ever been conventional, has it?”