Page 81 of Crashing the Altar
“Plan’s changed.” I didn’t like how he wouldn’t meet my eye. He seemed so far away even though he was sitting right beside me.
“Tripp,” I said his name softly, hoping to break through whatever wall he’d constructed.
He pushed off the mattress. “If we leave now, we can make it to the motel before dark.” Head tilting toward the dresser, he added, “I left clothes out for you. Everything else is packed already.”
Scrubbing both hands over my face, I sighed. “Why does it feel like we’re running away? Again.” This was becoming a nasty habit of ours, hiding from our problems instead of facing them head-on.
Finally, his gaze lifted, and I almost wished it hadn’t. The tortured look in his eyes had my heart twisting.
Voice hoarse, he whispered, “We need to go.” Then he swallowed roughly before clarifying, “I need to go. And I can’t leave you here. Please don’t ask me to.”
Fuck. He was on the verge of shattering, and I couldn’t bear to witness it.
If taking the coward’s way out by getting out of dodge and pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist was what it took to bring him peace, then so be it.
Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I padded over to where he stood, stock-still, his shoulders slumped in defeat. My arms looped around his neck, and I rose on my tiptoes to place my lips against the thundering pulse at the base of his throat.
“I can be ready in ten.”
Tripp released a shuddering breath, banding his arms around my waist as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. “Thank you.”
Blinking back the tears that burned behind my eyes, I willed myself not to let my emotions overtake me. I needed to stay strong for him, especially since all of this was my fault.
Holding him tight, I whispered thickly, “Everything’s gonna be okay, baby. I promise.”
And then I begged God not to make a liar out of me.
Chapter 21
Penny
Imightnothaveinitially agreed with Tripp’s decision to move up our departure from Rust Canyon, but two weeks later, I could appreciate that the time and distance away from home had done wonders for reducing our stress levels.
Out of sight, out of mind was the official party line for the Sullivans for the rest of the summer.
While we’d put a pin in our problems, we couldn’t ignore the continued swelling of my belly. At just shy of twelve weeks, there was now a defined little bump resting below my navel, whereas before, I’d merely looked bloated, the way I would after eating a large meal.
Tripp was obsessed with my changing body. Every night, he’d shove my sleep shirt up enough that he could caress my stomach, whispering sweet words to the baby nestled inside it. Then, once he was done being tender, he’d dig his fingers into my flesh and ease the ache that was ever-present between my thighs.
Who knew pregnancy could make you so horny? I couldn’t get enough of the man. If I wasn’t actively fucking him, I was soaking through my panties thinking about fucking him.
As much as I hated being away from him, today, I’d begged for him to let me have the truck to run some errands. Tripp was quick to offer to drive me himself, so it had taken some convincing on my part for him to let me go alone. Reluctantly, he’d dropped the keys in my palm and agreed to hitch a ride to the rodeo grounds with Ricky.
With a peck on his cheek, I bounced out the door to our motel room, a woman on a mission.
Today was Tripp’s birthday, and I had big plans to make it special.
This week, we were hunkered down in Abilene, Kansas, but the state capital, Topeka, was only an hour away. Being so close to a city brought with it an opportunity to give him a gift that held a value more sentimental than monetary.
It had taken a little begging on my part when I called, but the receptionist caved when I explained that this was a birthday surprise for my husband and that we were expecting our first baby. She worked a little magic on her computer and managed to squeeze us in for an ultrasound appointment later this afternoon.
My birthday boy was going to get to see his baby for the first time.
I already knew I’d spend more time watching his face—memorizing the emotions that passed over it—than the screen. Odds were we would both end up crying tears of joy as we marveled at the little life we’d created.
It still didn’t feel real that we were going to be parents.
But before our appointment, I had some birthday prep to handle. Since I would be picking Tripp up from the rodeo grounds, I wanted our motel room to keep the celebrations going when we got back from Topeka. I’dalready arranged for Ricky to demand that he take the evening off. The Do Not Disturb sign was going to be put to good use tonight.
