Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(38)
As wonderful and understanding as they were, he knew that his parents had been blindsided with the pregnancy announcement. There would be more questions and more explanations to make there. He didn’t really know why he hadn’t told them he was practically living with Beth. Maybe because he knew his father would give him “the talk” if he knew that Nick was dating Suzy’s baby sister.
Everything had happened so fast between them. It still felt like there had been a whirlwind around him since he first met Beth. They had amazing sex—a lot of it—and then, in the blink of an eye, he was practically living with her. On the rare occasions that he had stopped to ponder it, he had been helpless to pull back. Her vulnerability and insecurities were so at odds with her wild, uninhibited abandon in the bedroom. The women he had dated were usually overconfident and had seduction down to an art form. Beth, on the other hand, would lose herself completely in their lovemaking, giving and taking with equal measure. She would purr with pleasure in his arms as he praised her body. Then, the next morning, when their clothes were on, she turned back into reserved Beth. It was like living with two different women. Maybe that was why the usual boredom had never come. He never knew what to expect from her next and he loved it. He walked around with a near constant hard-on at home, wondering when she would turn back into insatiable Beth.
They arrived at Beth’s apartment without either of them saying a word to the other. Nick jogged around and opened the door for her, helping her out of the low-slung car. He entwined his fingers with hers as they made their way up the stairs and into the apartment.
She gave him a tired smile, saying, “I think I’m going to turn in for the night.”
“Beth, I’m sorry if I upset you.”
Suddenly, she started laughing. “Are you kidding? You were great! I have never seen my parents puckered up that tight before. Thank you for interrupting because their fat talks usually go on for much longer.”
Nick felt his relief flow. “So, you’re not mad?”
With another snicker, she said, “No way. It was worth all the misery that it will eventually bring. The good news is that they probably won’t be inviting us to dinner anytime soon.”
With a laugh, he said, “I can live with that. I’m just glad you’re okay with it.”
Waving her hand, she said, “Yeah, I’m fine.” Then with a sigh, she added, “Their delivery method may need some work, but they’re right. I’m not like normal pregnant women. I can’t use this pregnancy as a reason to let go. I have to be more careful than ever.”
Nick felt a ripple of unease as he studied Beth’s determined expression. “Princess, you never let go. I don’t think you have to worry about it. You barely eat enough to survive on now, and remember, you have to eat extra for the babies now, right?”
“I eat more than enough,” she snapped. “The doctor didn’t say anything about tripling the amount of my food to feed three people. If I did that, I would gain too much weight. The average weight of a baby when born is around seven pounds so if I gain eighty pounds, how much of it would actually be the babies?”
Nick could tell by her defensive tone that it was time to shut his mouth and end this conversation. Hadn’t Jason and Gray warned him to avoid talking about her weight? He was worried though that Beth didn’t know when to stop. Was there such a thing as too thin to her anymore? Her parents had scored a direct hit tonight. She may have enjoyed his defense of her, but she quite obviously believed every word they said. But he decided to back off instead of forcing the issue. She had dealt with enough tonight and he knew the stress wasn’t good for her.
Giving her a light kiss on the lips, he turned her toward the bedroom and said, “Go ahead and get some sleep, princess. I’m going to unwind some before I go to bed.”
With a smile of understanding, Beth said, “I can’t imagine why.”
* * *
How could anyone throw up as much as she had in the last week and still have gained five pounds? Hadn’t Suzy, Claire, and Ella tried to warn her against weighing herself on the scales at the mall? Since they had been right there outside the food court, she hadn’t been able to resist. She had been so sure she had lost weight. She had been so careful to watch her portion sizes this week and she had been sick every single morning, but still, her ass continued to expand.
Claire looked at her in sympathy. “It’s just the water weight gain, Beth. I had the same problem. Sometimes I was too sick to eat anything but crackers for days and I would still gain weight. I kept asking Jason where it was all going, but he never had an answer. Of course, he always had to return a call or something when I was venting so he probably wasn’t even listening.”
Shaking her head, Suzy said, “He was just avoiding you, Claire. I finally figured out that every time I say anything about my body other than ‘do me,’ Gray runs as if I’ve got the plague. I thought he had irritable bowel syndrome or something until I finally figured out that the bathroom is his easiest escape route after a difficult question. It’s the one place he is confident I won’t follow him.” With an evil smile, she added, “I’m thinking about testing my theory and going right in there with him the next time. Of course, if I’m wrong, it will probably be the end of our sex life.”
“Ugh,” Claire said, and laughed. “I don’t think it’s worth the risk to find out!”