Chapter Twenty

MY STOMACH WAS GETTING LARGE AND IN THE WAY. “Dammit.”

“Let me get that for you.” Bauer ran to my side and picked up the pen I dropped.

“Soon, I won’t be able to bend anymore. This is getting more than annoying.” I cradled my stomach in my hands.

“Only a couple months to go.” He put his hands on either side of my belly and kissed it.

I frowned. “Two long months.”

“But my God, look at you. I can’t wait to get you pregnant all over again.”

“Oh, hell no,” he said, his eyes wide.

“This time, we’ll know. I’ll know I’m impregnating you for real, and we’ll know you’re pregnant from the start.” He nodded with a huge grin on his face.

“Did you not hear me when I said this was getting more than annoying?”

He kissed the tip of my nose. “I’m sorry if I was insensitive.”

“Okay, when’s the but coming?”

“But ….” He shook his head and laughed. “You getting pregnant again will be your choice.”

“As it should be.”

“You hungry? What about you, little one?” he asked my belly

“Always. I really want a hot dog.”

He gave me a big toothy smile. “Mine?”

“No, perv.” I laughed and shoved his shoulder. “Like with ketchup and mustard and horse radish and pickles, so many pickles.”

“The man who likes to eat farm fresh and organic wants a hot dog?”

“I don’t care right now. I want a hot dog.” My stomach grumbled, demanding one.

“Okay. Okay, I will get you as many hot dogs as you want. Oh, and Charles was asking about you.”

I gulped. “Oh, no.”

“Don’t worry. It was just the two of us. No one heard.”

“Okay, good,” I said, but my heart was still beating fast.

“I told him you were doing great, but he would like to check your blood pressure.”

I chewed on the corner of my lip.

“Lots of pregnant people get high blood pressure, and it’s not good for you when giving birth.”

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah, like it can kill you.”

“Well, I guess we don’t want that.”

“Most definitely not.”

***

I sat on the couch, bouncing my knee and holding the underside of my belly.

“You okay?” Bauer asked.

“Nervous, so nervous.” I blew out a breath, trying my best to stay calm because I knew my blood pressure was probably sky high at the moment from nerves.

“If you have high blood pressure, I’m sure he can do something for it.”

“It’s not that. I’m just so pregnant now .…”

“He’s not going to tell anybody,” Bauer said so sweetly.

“He’s a midwife, and he’s coming to my house.”

“You’ll be okay. I promise,” he said as the doorbell rang. “Want me to let him in?”

“Please. I don’t want to risk anyone else seeing me. Plus, getting up might be too much effort.”

Bauer let Charles in, and they came into the living room, smiling and laughing about something.

“Looking great, Max,” Charles said, placing his messenger bag on the coffee table.

I held onto the arm of the couch and attempted to stand.

“Sit. Sit.” He waved his hand at me.

“You sure?”

“Yes, unless you want me to do a more extensive exam?”

“Just a quick one, please.”

***

I checked out just fine. He didn’t measure or listen to anything because I was trying to keep things vague, I guess you could say. The less stuff recorded about my pregnancy, the better. I was happy we were having a baby, but I knew if my dad found out, he’d have a coronary. I didn’t know why he’d be looking at my medical records, but things could get leaked, so I wanted to be safe. Charles said my stomach looked to be on track size-wise. That’s all he did was look at it. He said since I could feel the baby moving, I was just fine.

After Charles left, I finished up some classwork, and Bauer tidied up around the house.

“Hey, Bauer,” I said later that evening as he put on his coat to leave.

“Yes?”

“Maybe you should move in here.” I figured I’d finally take him up on his offer.

His face lit up. “Really? You mean it?”

“It makes sense. We’re fated, you’re the father of this baby, and you come every day to help me out. I know it’s like you basically live here already, but maybe when you go back to your place sometimes .…”

“I can stop doing that,” he said quickly.

“And live with me?” I asked.

He kneeled on the floor in front of me. “Of course, yes.”

“I miss you when you’re gone,” I said, threading my fingers through his thick hair.

“I miss you, too. I’ve missed you since that first night we were together.”

“But ….” I let out a long exhale.

“There’s always a but, and if I have to stay secret, so be it.”

“You don’t. I want people to know we’re together.”

“You do?” He put his hands on my thighs and smiled up at me.

“Yeah, I want people to know who the man I’m falling in love with is.”

“But your pregnancy.”

“That’s the thing ….” I didn’t want to keep putting him in such a position, but I was a coward and couldn’t stand up to my dad.

“But no one can know you’re pregnant. You’re my not pregnant boyfriend.” He threw his arms around my hips and lay his head in my lap.

“I don’t think we’ve ever said that aloud, boyfriend.” That and the fact that I said I was falling in love with him.

“Is me proposing right now too quick?” He quirked up an eyebrow and smiled.

We needed to do it one thing at a time. “Probably.”

“Tomorrow then.”

“Maybe a little longer.”

“When you officially say I love you, I will propose. You did say you were falling in love with me.”

“Okay, but what if it’s years?” I asked, stroking his hair.

“I know you can’t resist me. You know you love me. You practically admitted it.”

“Hmm.”

“That counts.” He straightened up and took my hand. “Max, make me the luckiest man in the world and marry me.”

“Bauer ….”

“Okay. Fine, too soon. Live in boyfriend.”

“There are many advantages to us officially living together now.”

“There are?” He cocked his head to the side.

I started to unbutton my flannel.

He kissed my neck and began unzipping my jeans. “Oh, yes, there are.”