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His cheating and all his other faults—they had been the push she’d needed to get out of one more lousy relationship. She’d always picked the wrong kind of man. It was as if she were a magnet for them. Or as if she chose that kind of man on purpose, as if to prove to herself it was all she was worth, just like her mother had told her.
But Keaton was different, and she felt that deep in her bones. Keaton was exactly the kind of man her mom told her would never want to marry her, simply because she was too much trouble, too independent, too much like her father.
Keaton lived his life honorably, as shown by his relationships with his Navy buddies and how he treatedpeople. He respected others and lifted them up rather than cutting them down.
Outside of their rocky start, which she understood now, Keaton was the kind of man who didn’t give his heart easily, but when he did, he did so freely and without reservation.
Her heart beat rapidly in the center of her chest. Honesty was important to him, and she didn’t want to keep secrets. She didn’t want to sit on this just because it might not be anything to worry about. Then again, it could be life-changing.
“You’re deep in thought.” Keaton ran his index finger up and down her arm. “Are you okay?”
“I have to tell you something, and when I do, I need you not to freak out.”
He traced her lower lip with his thumb. “I believe we’re past all that, considering we jumped from being unable to be in the same room without arguing to barely dating to being in love.”
“Yeah, well, I still want the dating part. I want to be taken out to dinner. To go on picnics. To scuba dive together. Everything but the flowers.” She patted the center of his chest. After dinner, while sitting on the dock, watching the boaters return, she’d told him she wanted to take things slow. While she loved him and that wouldn’t change, she still wanted—needed—the part of a relationship that included long walks and getting to know each other better.
He’d easily agreed. He didn’t want to jump into anything other than being in a relationship where theydidn’t see anyone else but each other, and they’d take everything else one day at a time.
His willingness and desire to take things slow made her love him even more.
“I look forward to it.” He kissed her nose. “But now you’re avoiding whatever has put that wrinkle on your forehead.”
She wanted to resent that he could not only read her emotions but also knew her that well. No man she’d ever had a relationship with had been this in tune with her. It was both refreshing and terrifying.
“I kind of am,” she admitted. “It’s not an easy topic.”
“Perhaps you should treat it like a Band-Aid, then.”
“You neglected to bring over my pills,” she blurted out.
“What pills?” He raised on his elbow, palming his cheek, and stared at her with an inquisitive gaze. God, he was adorable. When his attention was on her, he didn’t waver, and wouldn’t, unless a bomb went off.
“A prescription that was in the master bathroom.”
“Oh. I’m sorry. I can get them for you tomorrow.” He smiled. “Just tell me where they are and what they look like.”
“Thanks, but you should know they’re important, and I shouldn’t miss a dose.”
“What does that mean? What happens when you do? Is something wrong?” He sat up taller. His face paled. God, this man was so sweet.
“No, it’s nothing like that.”
“What is it like? Because now I am freaking out.”
“They’re my birth control pills, and I haven’t takenany since the morning I got lost at sea.” She sucked her lower lip into her mouth and chewed on it.
He blinked. Once. Twice. Three times. Then his eyes went wide. His lips parted, but he didn’t gasp. He didn’t groan. He didn’t even make a hefty sigh. Raising his hand, he began to touch each finger with his thumb.
“What are you doing?” she whispered.
“Counting how many days…” He dropped his hand to the mattress. “I have no idea. It’s not like I completely understand these things. But I’m not an idiot, and I do get that we essentially had unprotected sex.”
“To be completely transparent, too many days were missed, and we might want to consider a Plan B solution, and that window is pretty short.”
He narrowed his stare and flopped back on the bed, fingering his tattoo. She wondered if he even knew he did that. Not that she minded, because she didn’t. However, considering the situation, she found it…interesting.
And a little scary. She knew him…but there were so many things she was completely clueless about. This was one of those things.