14. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

J esse walked over closer to the recliner Rascal had helped Cannon into, handed him the remote to her television, and then headed into her kitchen. She'd already heated up some chicken noodle soup Regina had dropped by, along with fresh rolls. Regina had said she wanted to make sure Jesse had good food that didn't bother her stomach.

Liar. Sure she did but she'd also dropped it by for Cannon. When Jesse had protested to Regina that it was too much soup and rolls, Regina had told her to freeze it for leftovers. Jesse knew they all meant well.

She was proud of how calm, cool, and collected she'd been when she saw Cannon. When her dad had walked in with Cannon's bags and informed her that Cannon would be staying with her, she considered walking out the door and going to stay at Beth's. They needed to mend this somehow, but she was laying down a couple ground rules.

She filled Cannon's bowl and buttered the two rolls and put them on a tray. She'd come back and grab hers after she carried Cannon's in. She lifted the tray, took a deep breath, and reminded herself that she was a Franks woman who was fierce and badass. She could do this.

Walking in, she studied Cannon. His eyes were closed, and his head was leaning back against the chair. His mouth was tense. She wondered if it was time for his pain pill. The recliner was laid back and his leg was propped up. She might need to grab a pillow for him to put under his arm.

She hoped she could survive them living together. It was bad enough sleeping in her bed where every night she remembered his body above her, moving in and out. His eyes staring into hers.

"Cannon, I have your soup."

His eyes opened, and he moved a little bit so she could put the tray across him. She waited until he had it steady and then she left to get her supper. When she walked back in, he wasn't eating.

"You didn't have to wait on me."

"I wanted to. Jesse…"

She held up her hand. "I have a couple of requirements for you to live in my house."

He nodded.

"I know you're in a lot of pain. Until you're well enough that you're not having to take the pain pills round the clock, I don't want us to discuss what happened at lunch that day or why you didn't know."

"You mean we won't discuss the baby at all?"

She shook her head. "No, I'll answer any questions you have about the baby and pregnancy. Until you have all your faculties, I don't want us discussing anything from before, custody, or what happens after the birth."

Cannon stared at her, and Jesse waited to see if he'd agree.

"Okay. It's not fair to you and me to have a discussion when I feel this bad."

Now that he'd conceded, she could relax a little.

"Now, eat your supper. Do you want to watch a show?"

Cannon took a bite and nodded. Jesse settled in her seat and pulled up one of the shows she enjoyed watching and pressed play. She tasted her soup and waited to see how it would sit on her stomach. As long as she didn't let her stomach get too empty, she didn't get nauseous. The soup tasted fantastic. Jesse tried a bite of the roll. Having Cannon here wasn't even remotely what she wanted because when he left, how would she get the memories of him in her house to leave? But she also knew her dad had a point, even if he'd treated them like children with the surprise drop off. She'd make the best of this, and thank goodness she was still working, so she'd be away from him most days.

They both concentrated on the show and eating. Jesse found the silence wasn't as tense as she'd thought it would be. When her dad had walked in with Cannon's luggage, she'd worried she'd be upset in her house, but although it wasn't what she'd planned, she could deal with this.

Cannon finished his soup and set the tray on the side table.

"Can I ask a question?"

She turned toward him and nodded.

"Have you felt the baby kick?"

His voice gutted her. A mix of hope with a tinge of fear. His eyes had the haze of his pills starting to work. She wondered if he didn't have the medicine in his system, would he have asked this question?

"Yes, a lot at night when I want to go to sleep, but Sparky's kind of active right now." Jesse stood up and walked closer. "Do you want to feel?"

Cannon raised his hand and then paused about three inches away as if he didn't know what to do. She clasped his hand and slid it under her top to where Sparky was drumming against her stomach.

"Sparky? Do you know if it's a boy or girl?"

"I don't."

She didn't say any more because she had to abide by the rules just as he did. She hadn't wanted to find out because Cannon hadn't been with her but that was in the past.

Cannon's mouth quirked up as Sparky landed a hard kick.

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"Not unless I have a full bladder, and then it's uncomfortable to have Sparky playing the drums on it."

He left his hand there until a couple minutes had passed without any more kicks.

"What happened?"

"Who knows? There'll be long periods of time where Sparky won't be active, and then it will feel like someone's playing soccer or maybe breakdancing in there."

Cannon's eyes were on her but were drifting a little closed, then he'd fight to open them again.

"Why don't I take the trays to the kitchen, and we can turn off the TV? You look like you could use a nap."

His eyes popped open. "I'm awake."

"But you don't need to be. Take a nap. I want to look at my calendar and see what's on my schedule. I'll be in the kitchen at the island working on my computer."

She waited a minute to see if he said anything. When he began breathing deeper, she picked up the tray, added her bowl to it, and went to the kitchen.

If they both followed the rules, maybe they could build a little something before they revisited all the reasons he didn't know about them creating a baby last Christmas.