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“A little,” I said. “So, what’s good here?” I eyed the menu. There was plenty to choose from.
“Well, the pecan pie French toast is phenomenal. If you’re looking for something savory, the short rib hash is really good. Obviously, they are known for their pancakes.”
I watched as she talked animatedly about the menu. She was so sure of herself here. I liked seeing this side of her. I had taken her to my side of town, and now I was here in hers. While our places were very different, I liked being here with her. I would like being anywhere with her.
“Let’s get all three,” I said, putting my menu down.
“Are you sure?” she asked. “That’s a lot of food.”
“I have to make sure you and baby are well fed.”
A smile crept over her lips before it slowly disappeared again. It was as if she realized something, but I couldn’t tell what it was. All I knew was that it seemed to make her sad. I wondered if it was something I had said, and desperately wished I could be in her head.
I knew we should probably talk about us. The baby. What the hell we were going to do. We might have been living in our own little fantasy world for the past twelve hours, but the reality was she was pregnant. Maybe we both weren’t ready to face it just yet, and even if we were, talking about it over brunch in a bustling restaurant wasn’t the smartest idea. There were eyes and ears everywhere.
Which was part of the reason I also opted for these gray sweatpants and oversized Yankees shirt. I was more of a Mets fan, but I settled for what I got. I didn’t need the photos of me in the paper and speculations beginning to stir. Although, I doubted the paparazzi had any idea I was in Brooklyn. Right now, I was enjoying my privacy with Heart. It felt good to be unrecognized. A nobody.
When our food came, we shared it family style across our small little table. I was surprised by how good it was. The pancakes were buttery and melted on my tongue. The corned beef hash was salted to perfection. And the pecans on the French toast added a little crunch to each bite. Hell, it might have been better than Le CouCou last night.
After we finished our meal, I sat back and patted my stomach. I was stuffed to the brim.
“Holy shit,” I said. “That was incredible.”
“Right?” she asked, giving me a knowing smile.
I loved that smile.
Our server came around and cleared our table, leaving our check behind. Heart reached for her purse and dug out her wallet.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“I’m buying,” she replied, pulling out her credit card.
“Like hell you are,” I said.
I reached into the pocket of my sweatpants and fought to pull out my wallet that was crammed tightly inside. Heart watched me struggle for a moment, biting back a smile.
“Right. Well, while you try to do that, I’m going to pay,” she said in amusement.
She placed her card down and the server came by and picked it up. I watched him go helplessly. It was the first time a woman had paid for me. I wasn’t sure if I loved it or hated it.
“Thank you,” I said.
“You should let someone take care ofyousometimes.”
She reached over and squeezed my hand. As if I couldn’t like her more, here she was adding to the list of reasons effortlessly.
Maybe I did like it.
An hour later, as we rounded the corner to her apartment after a walk around Brooklyn, I saw my town car waiting at the curb. I had texted Armand after brunch to have him make his way here. As much as I wanted to spend more time with Heart, I didn’t want to wear out my welcome. I also had some paperwork to go over. Even though it was the weekend, work never really stopped.
Armand stepped out of the car and looked me up and down. I could tell he was holding back a smile.
“Oh, your suit,” said Heart. “Let me go get it for you.”
“No, I can go,” I said, grabbing her hand and pulling her back toward the car. “It’s a lot of stairs.”
“It’s one flight of stairs,” she said with a laugh before leaning in and lowering her voice. “I’m not that far along yet. You can be my knight in shining armor when I’m the size of Shamu. Okay?”