Feels Like Summertime(24)

“Yeah, I loved her. Then, even after my feelings for her changed, I loved that baby. I loved the idea of a new life, and I was hopeful that it could fix us.”

“Is there a chance that you’ll reconcile?” she asks. “Have you tried?”

“No, there’s no chance.”

“Are you certain?”

“Positive.” She lifts one hand from behind her head and takes my hand. She places it flat against her stomach. The corners of my lips twitch. “Thank you,” I say.

I really, really wanted to touch her, but I didn’t want to seem like some creeper who gets off on pregnant bellies. I only get off on my pregnant bellies, and in this case, for some reason, Katie feels like an extension of me.

The baby bops my hand, and I lift another palm to lie on the other side of her stomach. I realize that even with my thumbs touching, my hands don’t cover all of her belly. “You really are huge, Katie,” I say.

She chuckles which makes her belly bounce. “There you go again with the flattery.”

I let my hand sweep down her side and she flinches and laughs. “Oh my gosh, you’re still ticklish right here!” Then I do it again. She giggles and when I hear it, it’s like falling back in time. “I remember the first time I ever tickled you,” I say. “Do you?”

“Clear as day,” she says. “You grazed my boob.”

“What little bit of boob there was.” I let my eyes fall on the nice rack she has now, which she definitely didn’t have then, and I lick my lips like a total perv. “Now I’d be hard pressed to miss your boob.”

She yawns, but talks over it. “Are you just about done groping my belly and ogling my boobs? You promised me a back rub.”

I give her belly a little nudge. “Roll over some, you killjoy. I can’t get to your back if you’re lying on it.”

She tips over, and I brush her hair over her shoulder. “That feels nice already.”

“You always did like having your hair stroked. You want me to start there?”

She sucks in a quick breath. “Would you?”

I don’t even hesitate. I brush my hand down the length of Katie’s hair. She relaxes, her eyes closing. “Nobody has done this for me in a long time,” she says quietly. “Not since the last time my husband was home on leave.”

Time stops. It’s like someone scratched a record in my head. “Would he be jealous if he knew you were with me?” I ask.

She yawns. “No. I think he’d be happy.”

My hand stalls in surprise, but only for a moment, because she reaches back and bumps me, like she’s kick-starting my strokes. I rub her scalp, massaging gently, tangling her hair around my fingertips until it pulls tight, and then I untangle it by stroking down again. She yawns and settles a little deeper into the covers.

“Tell me about your husband,” I say.

“Mm,” she mumbles. “Later.”

“You promise?”

She nods into the pillow, and tucks her hands beneath her chin. “I need to go home,” she mutters.

“Okay. Just let me finish this.”

A soft snore breaks from her mouth and I know she’s asleep. She’s soft and curvy and she’s in my bed and my fingers are sliding through her hair and her hips are so round and perfect and she’s full of life and…she’s asleep.

So I continue, like the total perv I am, soaking up all the Katie I can while I have her here, because I know soon enough that it will be over.





23





Katie





I wake up to a dark room and blink my eyes, trying to figure out where I am. I reach behind me, feeling for Jake, but my hand swipes air. The last thing I remember is Jake stroking my hair. I roll to my back and get wrapped up in the blanket someone laid over me.

The hallway light is on, casting a small amount of light in the room. A flash of white on the bed catches my attention. In big, dark letters, there’s a note.

You–sleeping like a really pregnant, debauched angel Me–on your couch, wishing like a total perv that I was in bed with you Your kids–safely tucked in their beds, with Sally guarding them Rest for as long as you want. I’ll watch over your kids.



Oh, my God. I left my kids at home while I fell asleep in Jake’s bed. I turn my wrist over so I can see my watch. It’s two in the morning. Tossing the covers back, I get up and stretch. I can’t believe I fell asleep in Jake’s bed.

My back doesn’t hurt nearly as much as it did before I fell asleep. I make a quick stop in the bathroom and then go to collect my computer.

The kitchen is flooded with light and I find Mr. Jacobson at the kitchen table, where he’s putting together a jigsaw puzzle. “Morning, sunshine,” he says. “Sleep well?”

I smile. “I did, actually.” But I wish I hadn’t fallen asleep.

“Good. You probably needed it,” he says quietly. I close my computer and hitch it under my arm.

His voice is soft and not at all like the Mr. Jacobson I’ve known since I was sixteen. Now he’s different. He stares into my eyes, his blue gaze shiny like oysters in a shell. “Is everything all right?” I ask him. Why is he up at this hour?

He nods slowly. “I’m a little worried about my boy.”