Matt waved me off. “Ye worry too much, lass. The only one who’s getting arrested is that lying fake.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I did a little research. Found out where he lives.” He held up his hand. “Not so I could go beat him up, even though he deserves it. I went to his house to stake it out.” Matt’s face hardened. “Just as ye suspected, he’s been faking everything.”
“I knew it!” I slapped my palm on the table. It felt great to be right and actually have someone believe me. “Do you have proof?”
“Not yet. But I did see him with me own two eyes. He wasn’t wearing a neck brace, and for someone with a bad back who can’t work, he looked pretty limber to me climbing a tree. It looked like he was getting a cat down for some woman.”
Disgust filled me. “Probably his new girlfriend. The one I saw running to his car the day my spa was set on fire.”
“I wasn’t prepared the first day and my pictures all came out blurry.” Matt set his jaw. “I’ve been back every day since, following him all over town, waiting for him to slip up again.”
“Good.” My face matched his.
He blinked. “Ye approve?”
“As long as you don’t do anything to get arrested, then yes. I’m tired of fighting this battle alone and getting nowhere.” My shoulders drooped. “I just don’t have the energy anymore.”
“I’ve got enough energy for the both of us, love. Ye leave the weasel to me.” He stood up and carried his dishes to the kitchen sink.
I walked over to refill my teacup, not expecting him to turn around at that moment. We collided, and his arms instantly wrapped around me to steady me. Our bodies were pressed together, and I sucked in a breath, surprised.
“Easy, love.” He looked down at me but didn’t move away. “Yer carrying precious cargo.” His eyes sprang wide. “What was that?”
I was twenty-two weeks, but the timing had never been right until now. “That was your precious cargo telling you you’re squishing them, Daddy.”
His entire face filled with wonder and then melted. He slid his hands down my arms, pausing just before touching my belly. “May I?”
I laughed softly. He’d touched every inch of me not that long ago, yet this somehow felt far more intimate. “Of course.”
His huge palms cradled both sides of my rounded stomach, and I could feel the comforting warmth. I felt a foot kick, possibly more than one foot, and I gasped. “That was a big one.”
“Aye, strong and full of life. This is incredible,” he said in barely more than a whisper, his face one big beaming smile with perfect white teeth. He looked up from my belly with moisture shining in his sparkling blue eyes. “Ye are incredible.”
“And you’re going to make me cry.” I laughed past the lump in my throat as I stepped away to refill my teacup to go. He was an open book. At any given moment, you knew what Matthew McGinnis was thinking. He didn’t hide his feelings and wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable. I envied that. What it must be like to be so carefree.
“Ye don’t take compliments very well, do ye,” he said quietly.
I startled for a moment, realizing he must have read my face for a change. “Trust me, doll, I’m used to compliments.” I brushed him off like it was no big deal, sliding my mask back into place.
“I’m sure ye are. Ye are a beautiful woman, love.” His tone filled with tenderness. “I’m talking about yer inner beauty. You’re glowing, lass. Motherhood suits ye. And I know ye don’t think ye’ll be any good at it, but ye already are. Ye just need to believe it like I do. So, I repeat…ye are incredible.”
“And late.” I inhaled a shaky breath and pasted on a smile. “I should probably head to work.”
It didn’t matter how many rules we set in place. He saw through my bullshit, straight to my vulnerable soul. Damnit! How had I let this happen? I was falling hard, and it scared the hell out of me. No more trying to check out his clover tattoo. It was too risky. I had to pull back. Put some distance between us…
Before I suffered a loss I couldn’t recover from.
With that thought, I grabbed my bag and headed out the door before I did something stupid, like fall in love with him.
Over the next two weeks, I did my best to do exactly that, but it was pointless. Matt was more present than ever. He hired a private investigator to tail Bud and gave his cousin Aidan more duties at the bar while Finn kept an eye on everything as he performed. That freed up Matt’s time to spend with me.
I got used to having him around.
He hadn’t brought up romance or vulnerability or anything that made me uncomfortable. It was as if he knew I might bail if things got to be too much. Instead, he acted like a perfect gentleman. A housemate. A friend. He cooked and cleaned and contributed just as much as I did. We decorated both nurseries, as well as the rest of our ranch together.
The babies had made it to twenty-four weeks gestation. That was considered severely premature, but there was a chance they could survive at that age if I went into premature labor. A big sigh of relief for us both. Twins were usually born early, but I was hoping to make it as long as possible.
Our vehicles both had car seats installed and double strollers loaded in the trunks. He’d even packed a diaper bag with outfits to go home in, as well as newborn diapers, wet wipes, burp cloths, pacifiers, and even toys. He’d thought of everything, even me, but I refused to let him pack my bag, but he had inspired me to do so myself. Zoe was right. My clothes were definitely comfy these days, but…
No one was getting a look at my granny preggo panties.
I glanced at my watch. Where were they?
I sat at a table in Lolita’s Restaurant, waiting for Tabatha and Rita to join me. My sister and I had lunch once before alone, with a new understanding and appreciation for each other and the unusual circumstances that had torn us apart and now brought us back together. It had gone well, so we decided to do it once more.
Only this time, she’d talked me into letting Rita join us.
“Sorry we’re late,” Tabatha said, as they approached my table.
I jumped because I hadn’t seen them coming. “It’s okay,” I said, because I couldn’t think of anything else to say. I glanced at Rita, who looked like a wounded bird again, and I still felt uncomfortable.
“Yes, sorry.” Rita smiled tentatively, staring intensely at me as if terrified of what my reaction would be.
“It’s my fault,” Tabatha interjected. “My meeting with an author I’m working with took longer than I expected.”
