bus together in a blizzard with Lindsey and her friend. Things got out of hand. I honestly don’t remember much about it. I do know that I never have sex without a condom, but I was completely trashed that night. So like I said, I’m pretty sure it’s not mine, but I can’t guarantee that it’s not.”
Melanie was too stunned to form a response. Should she berate him or console him? She couldn’t decide.
After a long tense moment, he reached for her hand. “If it is mine, will you turn your back on me?” he asked.
Would she? That was a pretty big question to ask so early in their acquaintance.
“Would you want to be with the mother if it’s your baby?” she forced herself to ask, not sure if she could handle his response. She liked him so much. She didn’t want anything to come between them.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “No,” he said. “I want to be with you, but I can’t lie. I would feel an obligation toward the child. Not just financially. Emotionally.”
And she wouldn’t want him to feel any other way.
“I want to be with you too,” she said. “I want this to work even if…” She took a deep breath. “Even if the baby is yours.”
He smiled. She saw the flash of his white teeth in the headlights of a passing car. “But I’m pretty sure it’s not.”
And secretly she really hoped it wasn’t. She wasn’t thinking about marriage and having a family just yet, but if she did fall in love with this man and have his children, she selfishly wanted all of his babies to be hers.
“ I can’t help but wonder why Lindsey’s convinced that the baby is Owen’s. Maybe she knows he didn’t use protection or something.”
“ She’s convinced because she likes him and wants it to be his. Owen used protection. He does have his cock pierced though, so if one of us was going to compromise the integrity of a rubber, it would be him. Still, no guarantees that’s what happened either.”
“So we won’t know who the father is until the baby’s born?”
“You planning to stick around that long?” He looked at her and squeezed her hand. His hopeful smile was barely illuminated by the dashboard lights.
“I’d like to.”
“So we cross that bridge when we come to it.”
She paused to reflect on his suggestion and then nodded. “Agreed.”
There was nothing they could do about the situation now anyway. Best to not let the slim possibility that Gabe was an expectant father ruin their time together. Her shoulders sagged as the tension drained from them. If they were still together in three months, they would get through this together. She could handle that. She was used to dealing with other people’s drama.
They turned off the highway and travelled almost a mile on a bumpy gravel road. When the truck entered a driveway and Gabe’s house loomed out of the darkness, Melanie’s breath caught. A spectacular A-framed log cabin sat at the end of the long, paved lane. The entire front of the house was an expanse of windows, blocked only by a huge porch and a smaller deck on the second level.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It’s not as big as Jacob’s place, but I like it.”
If she’d have tried to guess what his house would be like, a log cabin in the country would not have been her first guess or even her twentieth but now that she’d seen it, she knew that it fit him perfectly.
“You’re a country boy at heart,” she accused.
“What?” he said. “ Naw, I’m pure metal, baby.”
He turned on the truck stereo and blasted her ears with loud music. He banged his head and roared with the vocalist. She knew he was metal ; she’d watched him punish a set of skins before an audience of thousands not five hours ago. It was the country part that she’d completely misidentified.
He turned off the stereo and leaned across the truck cabin to steal a kiss. “Would you prefer if I was all country?”
“I prefer you to be exactly who you are.” And
Melanie was too stunned to form a response. Should she berate him or console him? She couldn’t decide.
After a long tense moment, he reached for her hand. “If it is mine, will you turn your back on me?” he asked.
Would she? That was a pretty big question to ask so early in their acquaintance.
“Would you want to be with the mother if it’s your baby?” she forced herself to ask, not sure if she could handle his response. She liked him so much. She didn’t want anything to come between them.
He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “No,” he said. “I want to be with you, but I can’t lie. I would feel an obligation toward the child. Not just financially. Emotionally.”
And she wouldn’t want him to feel any other way.
“I want to be with you too,” she said. “I want this to work even if…” She took a deep breath. “Even if the baby is yours.”
He smiled. She saw the flash of his white teeth in the headlights of a passing car. “But I’m pretty sure it’s not.”
And secretly she really hoped it wasn’t. She wasn’t thinking about marriage and having a family just yet, but if she did fall in love with this man and have his children, she selfishly wanted all of his babies to be hers.
“ I can’t help but wonder why Lindsey’s convinced that the baby is Owen’s. Maybe she knows he didn’t use protection or something.”
“ She’s convinced because she likes him and wants it to be his. Owen used protection. He does have his cock pierced though, so if one of us was going to compromise the integrity of a rubber, it would be him. Still, no guarantees that’s what happened either.”
“So we won’t know who the father is until the baby’s born?”
“You planning to stick around that long?” He looked at her and squeezed her hand. His hopeful smile was barely illuminated by the dashboard lights.
“I’d like to.”
“So we cross that bridge when we come to it.”
She paused to reflect on his suggestion and then nodded. “Agreed.”
There was nothing they could do about the situation now anyway. Best to not let the slim possibility that Gabe was an expectant father ruin their time together. Her shoulders sagged as the tension drained from them. If they were still together in three months, they would get through this together. She could handle that. She was used to dealing with other people’s drama.
They turned off the highway and travelled almost a mile on a bumpy gravel road. When the truck entered a driveway and Gabe’s house loomed out of the darkness, Melanie’s breath caught. A spectacular A-framed log cabin sat at the end of the long, paved lane. The entire front of the house was an expanse of windows, blocked only by a huge porch and a smaller deck on the second level.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It’s not as big as Jacob’s place, but I like it.”
If she’d have tried to guess what his house would be like, a log cabin in the country would not have been her first guess or even her twentieth but now that she’d seen it, she knew that it fit him perfectly.
“You’re a country boy at heart,” she accused.
“What?” he said. “ Naw, I’m pure metal, baby.”
He turned on the truck stereo and blasted her ears with loud music. He banged his head and roared with the vocalist. She knew he was metal ; she’d watched him punish a set of skins before an audience of thousands not five hours ago. It was the country part that she’d completely misidentified.
He turned off the stereo and leaned across the truck cabin to steal a kiss. “Would you prefer if I was all country?”
“I prefer you to be exactly who you are.” And
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