The Kissing Season by Rachael Johns Page B

between them for a few long moments as she grappled to understand if those two words meant anything or if he was simply offering understanding. “And?” she said eventually.
    “Well, I suppose your family knows now,” he continued matter-of-factly, “but I’m gathering you’d rather not have them there.” Before she could nod her reply, he added, “Still, this is a monumental milestone in your pregnancy and I’m sure it’ll be full of joy, but what if something isn’t quite right? You shouldn’t be alone at a time like that. I’ll come with you.”
    His offer knocked her sideways and the shock must have been spread across her face because he rushed to add, “That’s if you do want someone with you. I don’t want to overstep the mark.”
    Yes
. Of course she wanted someone with her. And the sensible thing now that her family knew would be to tell Laura and Jayne as well and get one of them to tag along.
    “You’d do that?” she asked instead. “Aren’t you leaving straight after Christmas?” Just the thought of not seeing him for quite some time sparked a cramp in her heart.
    He shook his head. “I’ve extended my stay by a week. I’d like to see Mum settled into the house and I can do my work from anywhere. One of the bonuses of my job.”
    “Well...” She thought about the comfort of having someone like him along at her appointment. At least she wouldn’t stand out as being single and pregnant. As long as she didn’t start getting ideas about Matt being a permanent fixture in her and the baby’s life, it wouldn’t do any harm for people in the waiting room to jump to that conclusion. “Are you sure? My appointment’s in the morning, but I’m told there are sometimes delays.”
    He shrugged. “So we’ll bring snacks and I’ll make sure my phone is loaded with games.”
    She laughed. “I suppose it’ll be good practice for when you meet that special someone and have your own baby one day.”
    “I suppose so.”
    “How’s your mum doing this morning? First Christmas without Tony and all.”
    A hardened expression appeared on his face. “She’ll be fine. She might not realize it, but she’s much better off without that loser.”
    Hannah raised her eyebrows. “You really didn’t like him, did you?”
    “He didn’t give me any reason to.” He rubbed the patch of skin on his elbows and didn’t look at her as he spoke. “He was nice enough when he first met Mum, and I think he tolerated me up until the girls were born, but after that he never let me feel as if I was part of the family.”
    “What a jerk.” She placed a hand on her stomach, feeling suddenly protective of her own little bundle. “People who date or marry parents need to understand they are part of a package. If he wasn’t prepared to accept you, he shouldn’t have married your mother.”
    “I guess so.” Matt sounded resigned. “But Tony was too selfish to think like that. Mum made him feel good about himself; she idolized him.”
    And that made her a little angry with Sarah. “Didn’t she ever see what Tony was like?”
    “He was very careful to make sure she never saw how he really felt about me. I guess that’s why I really couldn’t stand the man. If he’d obviously treated me differently, it would have been one thing, but his deception and lies meant I just had to escape. Although he was a loser and couldn’t save a scrap of money in his life, he loved Mum in his own strange way. I figured he might treat her better if I wasn’t around.”
    Her heart broke for the teenage boy Matt would have been when he had to make that decision. She reached out and took his hand, ignoring the spark that ignited low in her belly, trying simply to offer sympathy and comfort. “And what about your real dad? Was he happy to have you?”
    A smile returned to Matt’s handsome face. “Oh yeah. He was a total womanizer but loved having me around. His many girlfriends thought I was cute—” he shrugged “—go