LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter 2

      With a groan, Avery pulled the black-and-white-checkered maternity blouse over her head and threw it on the bed to join the others she’d tried on and then rejected.

      Clad in just her black maternity slacks and a bra, she went back to her closet to make yet another selection. She knew she was being utterly ridiculous. It was just dinner at the Bluebell Diner. Any one of the blouses on the bed would have been just fine to wear for the meal out.

      Still, she was ridiculously nervous and determined to look her very best. It wasn’t just a meal out, it was the first time she would spend real time with a man who would be in her life in one way or another for a very long time to come. Unless he chose not to be.

      “Somehow, some way, everything is going to be okay, right, Lulu?”

      The black toy poodle sitting in the doorway of her room barked happily at the sound of her name. At the same time the babies kicked, and it felt as if they turned somersaults in her belly. She had yet to pick out names for them, which was probably a good thing, since now Dallas might want to be a part of that process.

      Aware of time ticking by, she focused on the clothes in her closet once again. Her gaze landed on a pink-and-black-striped blouse. The last time she’d worn it she had gotten several compliments. She yanked it from the hanger and then pulled it on over her head. She closed her closet door to insure she wouldn’t change her mind yet again.

      As she went into the adjoining bathroom to put on her makeup, she fought against a new flurry of nerves. Despite the fact that she and Dallas had been intimate with each other, he was a virtual stranger to her.

      What if they really didn’t like each other? What if their views of life were completely different? What if they clashed in every area that was important? After having time to digest the news of her pregnancy, would he resent her for getting pregnant? Would he feel like she was somehow trying to trap him?

      It wasn’t like she was asking him to marry her. In fact, that was the very last thing she wanted. Losing Zeke had changed her, made her reluctant to ever care deeply about anyone ever again. She had no desire for a partner or to be married, but these babies were part of her, they were her family, and she would shower them with all the love she had in her heart.

      She tried to tamp down the concerns about Dallas as she applied her eye makeup and then added pink-tinted gloss to her lips. She ran her brush through her hair and then spritzed on perfume and called herself ready.

      She left the bathroom and went into the living room and sat on the edge of the sofa. He should be arriving within the next fifteen minutes or so. Lulu sat at her feet, gazing up at her adoringly.

      She picked up the dog and then looked around, assured by the neat-and-tidy condition of her living room. She’d spent the morning cleaning, to make sure the house was in tip-top shape just in case Dallas came in.

      She’d bought the three-bedroom ranch house right after she’d learned she was pregnant. She hadn’t wanted her babies to be raised in the small apartment where she’d been living at the time, and in any case, she had been thinking about purchasing a house.

      The minute she’d seen this place she’d known it was a perfect fit. Not only did it have the three bedrooms and a big eat-in kitchen, but it also had a large fenced-in backyard that would be perfect for growing children.

      Every move she had made, every decision she’d reached in the last seven months had been in what she believed was the best interest of her little family.

      Family. She felt as if she’d lost every member of her family, and having these babies had been her chance to create a new family unit for herself.

      It was impossible to think about family without thinking about Zeke, and thoughts of him always brought a sharp grief that even after a year still had the ability to almost take her breath away.

      If only she had done something differently. If only she had—

      The ring of her cell phone pulled her from her thoughts. She set Lulu on the floor and dug in her purse for the phone. She looked at the caller identification and then answered. “Hi, Chad.”

      “How’s our pregnant lady?” Chad Ruland asked.

      Avery smiled at the sound of her fellow prosecutor’s deep voice. “The pregnant lady is doing just fine.”

      “I’ve got Danny here with me and he’d like to talk to you.” Danny Jenkins was a file clerk, and he and Chad had been wonderfully supportive throughout her pregnancy.

      A knock sounded at her door. “Chad, I’ve got to go. Tell Danny I’ll call him later.” She rose from the sofa as nerves fluttered wildly inside her. She and Chad said their goodbyes.

      “You be good while I’m gone,” she said to Lulu. She grabbed her purse and then opened the door. “Hi,” she said.

      Jeez, Dallas looked so darned hot in a pair of black jeans and a long-sleeved black polo shirt that emphasized his broad shoulders and flat abdomen. He looked like a cowboy in a pinup calendar, and she looked like a pink-and-black-striped beached whale.

      “Hi,” he replied. “Are you all ready to go?”

      Lulu gave a cheerful bark, her tail wagging in anticipation of meeting a new friend, but Avery quickly stepped out of the house and then closed her door behind her and made sure it was locked.

      “Sounds like you have a friend in there,” he said.

      “I do. A friendly little poodle named Lulu. She’s two years old and a complete sweetheart. It’s a nice evening,” she said, changing the subject as they walked toward his truck, parked in her driveway. The air was just a bit crisp, cooler than usual for early September.

      “It is,” he agreed. “Fall seems to be arriving a bit ahead of time this year.”

      “That’s okay with me. Out of all of the seasons, fall is my favorite.”

      “I like it, too. Are you hungry?”

      She laughed. “I’m always hungry. Eating for three is a responsibility I take very seriously.”

      “Well then, let’s get the three

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