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Alyssa was rendered speechless. How did he make everything sound okay? She had no idea what to say, so she just rested her head on his chest and threw an arm around his waist, nodding.

He kissed her forehead and she tried not to tense. “I’ll be counting down the minutes until I can have you in my arms again.”

Her heart tightened. “Don’t say that,” she said quietly. “You don’t know when you’ll be back.”

“You’re right—but I’ll try my best to come home every weekend. I’ll do what I can for you while I’m away, Alyssa. I promise.”

“Please don’t make promises you can’t keep. I’ve had enough broken promises to last a life time, Johnny.

John didn’t come home the next weekend. Or the weekend after that. Or the next.

In fact, the last time she saw him was when he came home briefly for Christmas, two months ago. At this point she was in her ninth month and ready to pop at any minute.

Alyssa missed John fiercely. She yearned for him on a daily basis, but she learned to live without him even though his absence was all around her. It wasn’t easy being surrounded by his loving parents while living in his room, but what choice did she have? Aside from their daily texting, he wasn’t actively there. Many times he told her he could come home, but she vetoed against it. She could hear the exhaustion in his voice and didn’t want to add to it. Plus, she’d been working at Roxie’s Diner a lot so it’s not like they would get much time together anyway.

Who knew? He probably had a girlfriend now and wasn’t counting down the minutes like he said he would be. And he had every right to have one. He was insanely attractive with a big heart and Southern charm to boot. What’s not to like about John? His green eyes and cute as hell dimples caused a stirring in her belly. Every time she thought about him, her heart kicked up.

Shit. She missed him. So. Fucking. Much.

Lying back on the bed, she rubbed her belly while she elevated her feet. They throbbed from being on them all day long at the diner. She purchased comfortable shoes, but that didn’t seem to be enough. As much as she loved being pregnant, she couldn’t wait to hold her son in her arms. Her stomach was growing every day and her back was bending at an ungodly angle.

Alyssa agreed to not move out once the baby was born. John didn’t like the idea of her being alone, and his parents wanted to help her. They said it would be too much too soon. And honestly, she was worried about being alone with a newborn. As much as she read up on babies, she knew nothing could prepare her for what it would be like.

Seeing someone as tough and sweet as Diane suffer from Multiple Sclerosis made Alyssa feel bad. Some days you’d never guess she was in pain dealing with side effects. Clark was always by her side trying to help and comfort the tiny little woman. He loved Diane something fierce, as it showed in his eyes. Alyssa could only pray for a love like that one day.

After pulling a double at the diner, Alyssa was beyond exhausted. She yawned, closing her eyes for a moment. Her body relaxed on the comfortable bed. Sleep came easy these days. She felt herself sinking away.

Just as she was about to nod off, she felt a tightening in her stomach. Alyssa gasped, holding her belly. It lasted for a couple of seconds and then released. It was something that had never happened before and it scared her. A few more minutes passed without pain and she began nodding off again. A vibration woke her next. Alyssa groaned. She just wanted to sleep.

Reaching for her phone, she read the caller ID–Yours Truly. Alyssa smiled to herself thinking back to when John added the contact name for himself. It felt like many moons ago.

Yawning again, she answered. “Hello?”

“Hey, baby.” Alyssa smiled, hearing the drawl in his voice.

“Hey yourself.”

“Were you sleeping?”

“Not really … just nodding off a little. What’s up?”

“Want me to call you back tomorrow?”

“No, it’s fine … I expected you to be sleeping.”

“I couldn’t sleep.” He paused. “I was thinking about you too much. I wanted to hear the sound of your voice before I went to bed.”

Alyssa melted. “You’re so—” Alyssa gasped and clutched her stomach. “Shit.”

“Alyssa? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said between clenched teeth. “Nothing is wrong.”

“Don’t lie to me. What just happened?”

“My stomach … It’s weird … I’ve never felt this before … it’s tightening up and squeezing together.”

“Is it contractions?”