his friend hadn’t bought it. “You know Kate and I are just friends—”
“Uh -huh, you keep right on telling yourself that and maybe you’ll believe it’s the truth. She says the same thing, by the way.”
“What did Kate tell you?” The question slipped out before he considered how desperate it sounded. Matt realized he’d just walked into one of Denny’s carefully laid traps.
“I’m hanging up now. I have better things to do.”
Matt slammed the receiver down to the annoying sound of his friend’s undaunted laughter.
****
“I was thinking we could go to Denver this weekend. Shop for the nursery before the baby comes. We could leave Friday morning and be back Saturday night. Plenty of time before the service on Sunday. I know you don’t want to miss church.”
Their relationship felt so right that it was hard to keep from telling her the things that were in his heart. He needed to be patient. Some things were worth waiting for.
“Amy and Herman will be okay on their own. I was thinking we could have dinner, maybe even go to a movie if you’d like?” Matt said while trying to gage her reaction. “Unless you think we should leave Sammy’s old room the way it is since we’re having a boy.”
“We’re having a girl,” Kate argued. She'd been touting this claim for weeks now. He suspected that would be the one thing to get her to agree.
“I’ll ask Amy and Herman about it tomorrow. I have lots of ideas for our daughter’s room.”
Matt wasn’t sure how he managed to keep the satisfied grin off his face when she glanced up at him. Somehow, he’d been strong.
****
The spacious two-bedroom suite at one of Denver’s more exclusive hotels was like nothing Kate had ever seen before. When Matt suggested the trip, she hadn’t considered they’d be spending the night.
“You like it?” he asked.
Kate turned and threw her arms around him. “I like it a lot. I’ve never been anywhere quite as fancy as this before. Thank you.”
Matt held her close just a minute longer, his chin resting against the top of her soft hair. He could smell the perfume of her shampoo and he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Kate, before she pulled out of his arms.
All the humor left her as she watched him with that same hesitant expression he’d seen before in the past few weeks.
He tried to smile through her rejection, but it was hard. Silently , he cursed himself for all the things he promised he wouldn’t want from her. If he kept this up, he’d lose her for good. Kate didn’t want his love.
“ Okay, we have dinner reservations at seven so if we’re going to do some shopping, then we’d better get a move on.”
Through the long hours of decisions on just the right color for the baby’s room, which type of border was best, and what comforter was right for the crib, it was all Matt could do not to scream his love to her at least a dozen times.
Over dinner, he was finally able to relax. “You’re falling asleep in your dessert, woman,” he told her, before reaching over to brush aside a crumb from her lips. That didn’t invoke her usual on edge reaction whenever he did something she considered too intimate.
She yawned, nodded her head in agreement, before resting her cheek against her hand. “You’re right, I’m pooped. Shopping's not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Matt laughed. “Well, since we’ve done everything today, I think we should just take it easy tomorrow.”
He glanced up just in time to see that twinkle in Kate’s green eyes that always warned him she was about to give him a hard time. “Oh yeah? What’d you have in mind? Sleeping in, or maybe, breakfast in bed?”
He lowered his glance from hers, his mind silently considering the possibilities she so innocently opened up.
“Sleeping late for sure, and then we could order room service before catching a movie?”
Matt couldn’t help but
“Uh -huh, you keep right on telling yourself that and maybe you’ll believe it’s the truth. She says the same thing, by the way.”
“What did Kate tell you?” The question slipped out before he considered how desperate it sounded. Matt realized he’d just walked into one of Denny’s carefully laid traps.
“I’m hanging up now. I have better things to do.”
Matt slammed the receiver down to the annoying sound of his friend’s undaunted laughter.
****
“I was thinking we could go to Denver this weekend. Shop for the nursery before the baby comes. We could leave Friday morning and be back Saturday night. Plenty of time before the service on Sunday. I know you don’t want to miss church.”
Their relationship felt so right that it was hard to keep from telling her the things that were in his heart. He needed to be patient. Some things were worth waiting for.
“Amy and Herman will be okay on their own. I was thinking we could have dinner, maybe even go to a movie if you’d like?” Matt said while trying to gage her reaction. “Unless you think we should leave Sammy’s old room the way it is since we’re having a boy.”
“We’re having a girl,” Kate argued. She'd been touting this claim for weeks now. He suspected that would be the one thing to get her to agree.
“I’ll ask Amy and Herman about it tomorrow. I have lots of ideas for our daughter’s room.”
Matt wasn’t sure how he managed to keep the satisfied grin off his face when she glanced up at him. Somehow, he’d been strong.
****
The spacious two-bedroom suite at one of Denver’s more exclusive hotels was like nothing Kate had ever seen before. When Matt suggested the trip, she hadn’t considered they’d be spending the night.
“You like it?” he asked.
Kate turned and threw her arms around him. “I like it a lot. I’ve never been anywhere quite as fancy as this before. Thank you.”
Matt held her close just a minute longer, his chin resting against the top of her soft hair. He could smell the perfume of her shampoo and he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of Kate, before she pulled out of his arms.
All the humor left her as she watched him with that same hesitant expression he’d seen before in the past few weeks.
He tried to smile through her rejection, but it was hard. Silently , he cursed himself for all the things he promised he wouldn’t want from her. If he kept this up, he’d lose her for good. Kate didn’t want his love.
“ Okay, we have dinner reservations at seven so if we’re going to do some shopping, then we’d better get a move on.”
Through the long hours of decisions on just the right color for the baby’s room, which type of border was best, and what comforter was right for the crib, it was all Matt could do not to scream his love to her at least a dozen times.
Over dinner, he was finally able to relax. “You’re falling asleep in your dessert, woman,” he told her, before reaching over to brush aside a crumb from her lips. That didn’t invoke her usual on edge reaction whenever he did something she considered too intimate.
She yawned, nodded her head in agreement, before resting her cheek against her hand. “You’re right, I’m pooped. Shopping's not all it’s cracked up to be.”
Matt laughed. “Well, since we’ve done everything today, I think we should just take it easy tomorrow.”
He glanced up just in time to see that twinkle in Kate’s green eyes that always warned him she was about to give him a hard time. “Oh yeah? What’d you have in mind? Sleeping in, or maybe, breakfast in bed?”
He lowered his glance from hers, his mind silently considering the possibilities she so innocently opened up.
“Sleeping late for sure, and then we could order room service before catching a movie?”
Matt couldn’t help but
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