Falling for Trouble by Jenika Snow Page B

doctor had the cold, lubed-up instrument where it
needed to be, she turned her head and watched the small screen. At first all
she saw was black and gray, but then there it was, the tiny flickering on the
monitor. The doctor tapped on some buttons and then the whooshing and thumping
sound of her baby’s heartbeat filled the room. Tears welled in her eyes. She
propped her head up with her arm and watched the screen.
    “Now,
I’m just measuring the baby, making sure the due date is accurate.” More
clicking and tapping from the doctor on the machine. “Here are the little arms
and legs.” She pointed out the areas. “This is the face and right in the center
is the heart.” Sophia focused on that small flicker and didn’t bother wiping
away her steadily flowing tears.
    Her
baby didn’t look much like a baby at all. She could make out the arms and legs,
but she couldn’t see hands, feet, toes, or fingers. None of that mattered,
though, because it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. At that
moment everything that she had gone through, all the pain and heartache, didn’t
matter. The only thing that mattered was the child growing inside of her.
    “Well,
looks like you are right on schedule. You’re still set to deliver in May.”
    The
doctor printed off a few pictures for her and left her to dress. For several
long moments all she did was stare at those five little photos. She dressed
quickly and headed outside. It was already October and the chill in the air was
enough to take her breath away. She couldn’t help but look down at the pictures
again. Her grin widened at the sight of her little bean of a baby. Tucking the
pictures in her pocket, Sophia hustled to her car. She might be going to an
empty house, but after today she didn’t feel so lonely. Before she stepped off
the curb, she glanced up and everything around her stilled. Abe exited the
small bookstore on the corner of the street. His attention was on the bag he
carried, but as if there was an invisible string that pulled him to her, he
lifted his eyes and locked them on her. For a heartbeat all she could do was
stare at him. He looked good, although there was a distinct emptiness that she
caught a glimpse of before he hid it. She missed him horribly. His eyes went to
the building she had just exited, and she could see the realization on his face
right before a look of pain covered his features.
    It
was clear things still weren’t right in his head, so before she did something
that would make her look like a fool, she hurried to her car. When he was ready
to talk, he knew where she would be. As she pulled away she looked in her
rearview mirror and saw him standing in the same spot as he watched her leave.

 
    Chapter
Twelve
     
    Abe
sat at the picnic table in the courtyard of Red’s. His half-eaten sandwich lay
in front of him, but his appetite was gone. All he could think about was early
that morning when he saw Sophia leaving her doctor’s office. A pain in his
chest and stomach the likes of which he had never felt whipped through him. She
had looked so beautiful. She wasn’t showing yet, but he knew in the next couple
of months she would.
      It had been three weeks since he had spoken to
or seen her, and there was no one to blame but himself. He couldn’t count the
times he had picked up his phone, on the verge of calling her and saying how
sorry he was. In the end he had tossed his cell on the counter every time. He
wasn’t ready to face that yet, and he knew damn well he was being a dickless
coward. He grabbed the bag that held his purchase for the day. Looking at the
contents, he knew that he couldn’t stay away from Sophia. She was just too
important to him.
    A
lot had changed in the past three weeks. She no longer worked at Tiny’s. He had
found that out when he had gone there two weeks after their fight. He had done
some investigating and found out she now worked at some dentist’s office
outside of town. He still wanted to