19. Ellie

Ellie

T he rage leached from Grey's face like water seeping from a hole in a cup.

"What?" he croaked.

Frank grinned. "I'm gay. I find you far more attractive than I do Ellie. Sorry to disappoint, but she and I are not screwing each other."

Grey's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. "Oh…I see." His eyes flicked to me briefly. "I, er…"

"Owe us both a sincere apology," I snapped. "I hope you're feeling really stupid right now."

"You really are gay?" he asked Frank.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Take me to bed and find out. Look, I get the jealousy part, I do. If I saw my boyfriend hanging with another dude, I might react the same way."

"You better not be homophobic," I warned Grey, catching his gaze. "If you are, you can get the hell out of here right now."

For the first time, Grey smiled, looking both ashamed and amused. "I'm not. I don't get all pissed and defensive if a dude makes a pass at me. You two just caught me out, that's all."

"I am tempted to make a pass at you," Frank commented. "But I do not want to make Ellie mad."

"Are you gonna apologize or not?" I demanded, not mollified enough.

Grey held his hand out to Frank, who shook it. "I'm sorry I busted in here hot. Not being able to get a hold of Ellie, then seeing you together, I thought…bad things."

"Sure," I grumbled. "Victim blame."

Grey leaned toward me to plant a kiss to my mouth. "You're so cute when you're mad."

I shoved him away, unable to stay mad at him any longer. "You're buying breakfast, you toad."

"I sure am. So, what's the big secret you can't talk to me about?" I met Frank's kind blue eyes.

"Go on," he said. "Just tell him."

I sighed. "I hadn't had a chance to tell Frank I'm pregnant until a short while ago. I wanted to talk to him so I could sort through my feelings." I looked into Grey's green gaze. "I'm…falling in love with you."

Frank slapped his palm on the table. "See? Now that wasn't so hard. Let's talk about the baby. How far along are you?"

Grey chuckled. "So, why couldn't you talk to me? I thought I was a good listener."

"You are." I scraped my hair back. "I'm still scared, Grey. Not knowing who the baby's father is, what I'm going to do, what happens when Colton finds out."

"He's bound to, you know," Frank added.

"Yeah." Grey took my hand under the table. "I suppose he is. Has he called you?"

"All the damn time." I snorted. "I don't answer him. I bet it's pissing him off."

"Probably," Grey agreed. "You need to be checked out by a doctor, Ellie."

"I know."

"After breakfast?"

"I guess so," I replied with another sigh. "If I can get in without an appointment."

The waitress returned to take our orders. We each quickly scanned the menus, made rapid decisions, and handed the menus back. After she departed, none of us said anything for what seemed like a long time. I caught Grey and Frank looking at one another as though seizing each other up before the fistfight.

My alarm grew.

Then, without warning, Frank winked at Grey.

Grey laughed.

"You know," Frank commented, "you should try me, sweet buns. You might find out you like it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Grey replied. He eyed me sidelong. "Then I might not go back to Ellie's delectable body."

Blushing, my face hot, I looked around for anyone close enough to hear.

"Knock it off," I hissed. "We're in public."

"We could have a threesome," Frank said, much too loud for my comfort. "You satisfy Ellie while I satisfy you."

"Don't tempt me," Grey chuckled.

I covered my face with my hands. "Stoppit!"

Both idiots laughed like hyenas.

I scowled at each of them in turn. "Don't I have a say in this? No threesome. That's it, end of discussion."

I did my best to ignore them as they started talking hockey and speculations regarding the baby. Outside the big window that faced the street, the snowfall had thickened, coming down in sheets rather than swirling eddies. I briefly worried about another blizzard, the power going out, and this time no Grey to hold me through my fears.

He'll be there if I need him.

As he talked of the upcoming playoffs, the hope the Vipers get a chance at the Stanley Cup, I watched Grey's profile. I loved the play of his skin over his cheekbones and jawline, his animated grin, the way his shaggy hair tumbled to his shoulders like black silk. If we hadn't been in public, I would have dragged my fingers through that hair, kissed his sensual lips, and hauled him off to bed.

I am falling in love. His anger, his jealousy, tells me more about his feelings than any words. Can we have a future together? I caressed my stomach under my sweater. I'll never be free of Colton if he's the father. Please, God, if you're there, let this baby be Grey's.

***

"You're approximately eight weeks along," Janet, the nurse practitioner informed us. "Congratulations."

I held Grey's hand as she wiped the ultrasound lubricant from my bared belly. "Can you tell the baby's gender?"

"Sorry, no, not for a while yet. Do you want pictures?"

Grey grinned. "Yes, please."

Janet tore off the printed version of the baby inside me, not much more than gray and black blots. She traced a light circle around the fetus, which didn't look much like a baby to me. Grey folded it carefully and put the paper in his wallet.

"I'm going to give you a folder, Ellie," Janet continued as I sat up. "All the dos and don'ts you need to follow. You don't smoke, do you?"

"No."

"Good. Stay away from secondhand smoke as much as possible. Watch your alcohol and caffeine intake, no recreational drugs. You don't do meth, coke, or heroin, right?"

"Never."

"Most excellent. Eat plenty, don't worry about weight gain, you're young and slender, you'll drop the baby weight in no time. Do you have any questions?"

"When should I come back?"

"Once a month, honey, make an appointment with the receptionist. If you have any concerns, call right away. Agreed?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Janet smiled and patted my arm. "Your baby is healthy, Ellie. But don't hesitate to call if you feel there's a problem."

I liked Janet, liked her kind way of making me feel comfortable. If she recognized Grey, she made no comment. Nor did she appear to judge our difference in ages. I suspected that here at Planned Parenthood, she'd seen it all. She shook my hand, then Grey's while smiling warmly.

"The snow's really coming down," she commented, leading the way from the clinic's exam room. "You be careful out there."

Nor was she kidding. In the time since we'd arrived and now departed, the storm had dropped at least two inches. With threatening skies above, I expected more snow to follow.

I gripped Grey's hand as we crossed the parking lot to his car. "I guess you'll drop me off at my place then go to practice?"

Grey opened the car door for me, snow sliding from the window to plop onto his boots. "Didn't you hear? Hell froze over."

I sent him a quizzical glance and observed his grin.

"Practice is cancelled due to the storm," he explained. "City authorities are insisting people stay off the streets."

"This is Vermont," I commented as he shut the door to walk around the car to his side. I finished as he climbed in. "Snow is like the best thing ever around here."

"Not when the plows can't keep up. What we're having here is a fairly hard winter."

And Grey wasn't wrong. Traffic had become nearly nonexistent as he maneuvered the car through the rapidly falling snow. Despite the all-wheel drive, snow tires, and Grey's knowledgeable driving, we nearly got stuck twice. I held my breath, fearing the car would slide into a telephone pole and crush me.

We made it back to my apartment, thankfully. Grey walked me up to my place, and as I was searching my mind for the words to invite him to stay without sounding scared and needy, he said, "I think I should stay over. I'll sleep on the couch, though."

Seizing his coat's collar, I pulled him inside with me and slammed the door closed. "No. You won't."

Bending, Grey settled his mouth over mine in a long, promising and passionate kiss. "I was hoping I'd sleep in the bed with you."

Fixing us a quick dinner of pork chops, baked potatoes, and green beans wasn't easy. Grey hooked his arms around my waist, nibbled on my neck while I tried to bake the chops. Of course, his antics aroused me, my crotch warming as my imagination roamed to bed sports.

"We need to eat," I insisted, "in case the lights go out."

"I am eating," he murmured while nipping my neck.

"I meant food, dummy."

"You are delicious, my love."

Laughing, I shoved him away. "Set the table, Romeo."

We ate dinner without saying much, smiling at one another across the table. Outside, the wind whipped up the snow in an ominous howl, blowing past my windows. Yet, inside, we were warm, fed, and safe. We washed the dishes together in domestic harmony, then sat on the couch with our arms around each other.

I lit a candle and shut the lights off.

"Is this romantic or what?" I murmured, happy and content.

"Sure is," he replied. "What flavor are you hoping for? Boy or girl?"

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about that."

"Me, I'd like another son. I know I'd spoil a daughter," Grey chuckled.

"You'll make a great dad either way."

"Maybe. I didn't do such a great job with Colton."

I peered into his face in the faint light. "How much of it was you, and how much was his mom running off?"

"I wish I knew. I guess that's something we'll never find out."

"He'll grow up one day, right? Become a responsible adult?"

"I hope so."

I grinned. "What's that old joke? What's the difference between men and government bonds?"

Grey laughed. "Bonds mature."

"Ain't that the truth."

The wind rose to a shriek, rocking the building on its foundations. I clutched Grey harder, watching the snow whip past the window we faced. I hadn't closed the curtains so we witnessed the storm intensify. Screeching like a woman in agony, the wind grated on both my hearing and my nerves.

An irrational fear and paranoia swept over me. What if the building collapses on us?

"You really don't like storms, do you?"

"They scare me."

Grey kissed my head. "We're safe, baby. I'll never let anything happen to you."

"Some things are out of your control." I shivered.

"Will you let me distract you?"

As his right hand rested on my shoulder, I plucked it up, and placed it on my breast. "Yes."

"Oh, baby."

Grey's tongue slipped between my lips even as his hand slid under my sweater to tease my nipples with his thumb. I opened my mouth under his slight pressure, his talented tongue licking my teeth, invading my throat. He pushed his chest against mine, urging me to lie back on the sofa.

"I'm gonna make you forget all about this storm," he muttered thickly.

"Yes, please."

I barely heard the screaming wind as Grey helped me out of my clothes. Standing, silhouetted against the candle, he stripped his own from his muscular body. A mere shadow in the faint illumination, his thick, massive cock stuck straight from his crotch, and pointed directly at me.