Page 42 of A Tempting Seduction (Protectors of Jasper Creek #5)

Ruby

“Oh, holy hell!” I looked down at the three plastic sticks that were lined up on the tub. One had the word pregnant on it. One had two pink lines, and another had two blue lines. All positive for results for a pregnancy.

I grinned.

But really?

Really?

I looked down and rubbed my belly, giggling. “You weren’t supposed to happen for another two months. You know that, don’t you?” I didn’t get a reply. Oh, this kid was going to be so like their father.

I washed my hands in the bathroom sink and rinsed off the pregnancy test sticks.

Well, that confirmed why making the specialty coffees had been making me want to throw up.

Things had tipped from threatening to cause me to barf, to causing me to lose it this morning when I was making Bernie Faulkes his bacon maple latte.

As soon as I was pouring in that last bit of syrup, I about lost it right then and there.

I couldn’t take the risk of the ladies’ room being in use, so I’d opted for a sure thing, and I hauled ass to my office trashcan where I lost my breakfast.

After I’d been done heaving my guts out, one of the new guys, Turk, asked if he needed to call Ford for me.

By that time my brain had kicked into gear, and I’d finally added up all the numbers.

I told Turk I was fine to drive myself home.

But the young man made me promise to call Ford if I needed him.

I really did like the brand of protectiveness that seemed to live and breathe here in Jasper Creek.

I’d made a quick stop to Pigeon Forge to buy some pregnancy tests.

If I’d bought them in Jasper Creek, news would have made it to Ford before I’d had a chance to deploy one.

At least now I had my confirmation, and the rest of the day off to figure out a way to tell my soon-to-be husband that despite our best efforts, we were starting our family a teensy-eensy bit sooner than anticipated.

I looked up and stopped. I couldn’t believe how big my smile was. I’d better figure out a way to tone it down, otherwise Ford was gonna know something was up as soon as he walked through the door.

I rubbed my stomach again. “Now you be good and help Mama come up with a good way to surprise your Daddy, you hear?”

Ford

I ran my fingers along the intricate lattice detailing I'd been working on for the past three hours.

The cherry wood felt smooth as silk under my palms, each joint fitting together with the precision I'd learned from watching Ivan work all these years.

The wedding arbor was going to be perfect for Ruby.

She had no idea I was building it, hidden here in the back corner of the millwork building where she never ventured.

The latticework reminded me of her. Delicate at first glance, but strong enough to support whatever weight life threw at it.

I'd designed the pattern myself, drawing inspiration from the way morning light filtered through our kitchen window.

When she walked down the aisle toward me, this arbor would frame her like she deserved to be framed. Like the masterpiece she was.

I checked my watch. Three-thirty. Ruby would be in the thick of the afternoon coffee rush right about now, probably dealing with Jordan's attitude or training one of the kids on some new specialty drink. I’d have to leave soon. Walker and I were meeting with Renzo.

“Ford!” Walker's voice carried across the shop floor. “You back there?”

“Yeah.” I set down my chisel and stretched my back. “What's up?”

Walker appeared around the corner, his face creased with concern. “That young guy from Java Jolt just stopped by. Turk, I think? Says Ruby went home sick.”

My hands stilled on the workbench. “Sick? Ruby's never sick.”

“That's what I thought. Kid seemed worried about her. Said she left around noon and told him she was fine to drive herself home, but he wanted to make sure someone checked on her.”

I was already reaching for my keys. Ruby didn't get sick. In the ten months I'd known her, I'd never seen her take so much as a sick day. She was tougher than most construction workers I knew.

“Walker, can you handle the meet with Renzo by yourself?”

“Of course.” Walker's expression shifted to the same protective concern I was feeling. “You want me to call Doc Miller? Have him stop by?” I loved the one-eighty that Walker had done on Ruby. She now had him wrapped around her little finger. All my family adored her.

“Let me see what's going on first.” I grabbed my jacket from the hook by the door.

I jogged out to my truck, my mind racing through possibilities. Food poisoning? A twenty-four-hour bug? Ruby pushing herself too hard again? The woman had a tendency to work through exhaustion until her body forced her to stop.

The drive to my house felt like the longest fifteen minutes of my life.

When I pulled into the driveway, Ruby's Honda was parked in its usual spot next to my truck, but something felt off.

The kitchen light was on, which was normal, but I could see through the window that things weren't quite right.

I let myself in through the front door, calling out softly in case she was sleeping. “Ruby? Sweetheart?”

No answer.

The kitchen looked like a baking project had been interrupted mid-stream.

Flour dusted the counter, measuring cups sat out, and the mixer was still plugged in with batter clinging to the beaters.

A bowl covered with plastic wrap sat in the refrigerator, filled with what looked like yellow cake batter.

That was odd. Why would she be baking a cake if she was sick? Well, maybe she stopped baking the cake because she was sick.

This was just weird.

I quickly climbed the stairs, listening for any sounds that might tell me where she was or how she was feeling. Our bedroom door was cracked open, and when I peered inside, my heart nearly stopped.

Ruby was curled up on her side, wearing the sexiest lingerie she owned.

Black lace that hugged her curves in all the right places, the kind of thing she wore when she wanted to drive me absolutely crazy.

But she was sound asleep, her red hair spread across the pillow like silk, her breathing deep and even.

Nothing about this made sense. She'd left work sick, came home to bake a cake, then put on her most seductive underwear and fell asleep? My Ruby was a lot of things, but random wasn't one of them. Everything she did had a purpose.

I sat on the edge of the bed and brushed her hair away from her face. Her skin felt cool and normal under my touch, no fever. She looked peaceful, not like someone who'd been sick.

“Sweetheart,” I whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Are you okay?”

Her eyes fluttered open, and for a moment she looked confused. Then tears filled those green eyes I loved so much, and she sat up quickly.

“What are you doing home so early?” Her voice cracked. “You've ruined our surprise.”

“What surprise? Whose surprise?” I pulled her into my arms, feeling the familiar weight of her against my chest. “You're sick, honey. I wanted to come home to take care of you. You're never sick. I was worried.”

She buried her face in my neck, and I felt her shoulders shake. “I wanted to have the cake baked. We need a cake.”

“Ruby, you're not making any sense.” I stroked her hair, trying to understand what was happening. “Why do we need a cake?”

She pulled back to look at me, her eyes bright with unshed tears. “I love you so much. You deserve a cake.”

I cupped her face in my hands, studying her expression. “I don't deserve a cake. I deserve you.” I felt her forehead again, checking for fever. “You don't feel like you have a temperature.”

“I'm not sick,” she said firmly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “Hold on, let me get my shit together.”

She took a deep breath, and suddenly her whole demeanor changed. Her eyes lit up like green fire, and a smile spread across her face that made my heart skip beats.

“Your sperm didn't get the memo that we were waiting to start a family until after the wedding,” she whispered.

“What?” I felt like someone had just hit me upside the head with a two-by-four.

“One of your little soldiers made a break for it, and I'm guessing that in seven or seven-and-a-half-months, we're going to have a little hellraiser like you on our hands. Some stubborn, persistent little boy who'll never take no for an answer.”

Pregnant?

Ruby was pregnant?

We were having a baby?

My heart felt like it might explode right out of my chest. All the air left my lungs, and for a moment I couldn't speak. Couldn't think. Could only stare at this incredible woman who'd just given me everything I'd never dared to hope for.

“My life just keeps getting better and better,” I managed to say, my voice rough with emotion. “And it's all because of you.”

I touched her face, traced the line of her jaw, tried to memorize this moment. “But I really hope we have a red-headed spitfire who'll end up wrapping me around her little finger, just like her mama.”

Ruby laughed, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You want a daughter?”

“I want whatever we get, as long as they're healthy and yours.” I slid my hand down to rest on her stomach. “But yeah, a little girl with your eyes and your stubborn streak sounds pretty perfect to me.”

I leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her belly, right where our child was growing. The magnitude of it overwhelmed me. Ruby and I were going to be parents. We were creating a family together.

“I love you,” I whispered against her skin. “Both of you.”

“We love you, too,” Ruby said, her fingers threading through my hair. “So much it's scary sometimes.”

I sat up and pulled her close, holding her tight against my chest. “This explains the cake baking. And the sexy underwear. And why you looked like you wanted to cry when I walked in.”

“I had this whole plan,” she said, laughing through her tears. “I was going to make your favorite cake, put on something that would make you forget your own name, and then tell you over dinner. Instead, I threw up all over my office trash can and came home to take three pregnancy tests.”

“Three?”

“I wanted to be absolutely sure.” She grinned up at me. “They were all positive.”

I kissed her then, pouring all my love and joy and gratitude into that kiss. When we broke apart, both of us were breathing hard.

“We're really doing this,” I said. “We're having a baby.”

“We're having a baby,” she confirmed. “About three months ahead of schedule, but this little one is definitely yours. Clearly doesn't like to wait for anything.”

I laughed, thinking about all the ways this child would be just like both of us. Stubborn and determined from my side, smart and beautiful from Ruby's.

“I can't wait to meet them,” I said, resting my forehead against hers. “I can't wait to see you as a mom. I can't wait for all of it.”

“Me too.” Ruby's smile was radiant. “We're going to kick this marriage shit and parenting shit on its ass. And do you know why?”

I shook my head.

“Because we have all the people of Jasper Creek to show us the way.”

I smiled. She was right.

“I love you, Ruby Banks Miller,” I whispered. “Soon to be Ruby Larson.”

“I love you too, Ford. More than I ever thought possible.”

I kissed her stomach one more time, already talking to our unborn child. “And I love you too, little one. Welcome to the family.”

Don't forget to read about Chloe and Zarek, the next book in the Jasper Creek series.