Page 13 of A Magnolia Move-In
I knew I should have been embarrassed. I was a grown woman throwing up in front of two grown men, but I didn’t care. Pregnancy nausea was no joke, and I knew the only way I would feel better was to let it all out.
After I finished vomiting, I paused with my head hovering over the bowl. My eyes were watering, and I was fairly certain that I looked like death, but I couldn’t find the strength to care. My mouth hurt. My stomach hurt. And the baby did not like Colten’s cologne, even if I did.
I pulled away, my cheeks heating from the stares I was sure were being cast in my direction. Just as I moved to look around, a paper towel entered my line of sight.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to squeeze the dinner out of you,” Colten said sheepishly.
I shrugged as I wiped my mouth and nose. He handedme another one so I could wipe my teared-up eyes. “It’s okay,” I whispered. “I think I caught a bug.”
A bug. A baby. Just about the same thing.
He smiled. “It’s fine. Never happened before, so I can officially crossmake a girl puke from a hugoff of my bucket list.”
I threw an unimpressed smile his direction.
“I’ll take that,” Jackson said as he moved to take the bowl from me.
“Thanks.” I hoped he knew I meant that on many different levels. He could have said something about the baby. He could have mocked me. But instead, he decided to do the big-brother thing and help me out.
I felt a bit better as I settled back in my chair. Jackson disappeared into the bathroom. and Colten made his way to the fridge to retrieve two bottles of water. One he handed to me, and the other he cracked the top off of and took a long sip.
My stomach seized up when I took a drink, so I settled on sipping it. My mouth felt awful, and I needed to stay hydrated.
“So, how are you liking Magnolia?” Colten asked as he sat down on a nearby chair.
I shrugged. “Just getting to know it. From what I’ve seen, it’s nice.” My throat tightened around my next words. “It’s no North Carolina.”
“Hallelujah.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Don’t miss our home state?”
He shook his head. “Too hot there. Here, you get all the perks of living on the ocean without all that heat.”
I nodded slowly. He did have a point. There were days in North Carolina that you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. Sticking to the leather seats in my car wasn’t something I would ever miss.
Still, it was home.
“So, I take it youareenjoying your time here?” I couldn’t think of home anymore. It just reminded me of Walker, and suddenly, all I wanted to do was call a taxi and demand they drive me back home.
He lifted his hat off his head and mussed his hair before plopping it back down. “Magnolia has a way of growing on you. I didn’t think I was going to like it, but now, I could never imagine going back to a bigger police force. I love the small-town feel. Everyone knows everyone here. Secrets don’t last long.”
His words caused worry to settle in my gut. That was the last thing I needed. There was no way I wanted news of my pregnancy to get out. This was a situation I wanted to deal with privately. But small towns came with gossips, and I knew the minute it got out, I was going to be the talk of the town.
A new move-in was already a hot topic. I wanted my pregnancy and love life to remain close to my heart.
Jackson made his way out of the bathroom with bowl in hand. “Taken care of,” he said as he set the bowl down in the sink and washed his hands.
I gave him a sheepish smile. “Thanks.”
He shrugged as he dried his hands on a light-grey towel that I was certain Fiona had purchased. He had never been a kitchen towel kind of guy.
Which reminded me. “Fiona still coming over?” I was tired. After my random vomit session, my exhaustion had hit a new level. I was fairly certain my throwing up was a product of how tired I felt, and Colten’s cologne was just the ticket to tip the scales. Since I was a kid, I always got nauseous when I was overly tired.
“Let me check,” Jackson said as he went to retrieve his phone.
I silently prayed that something had come up. And from the look on Jackson’s face, my prayer was answered.
“Blake’s running a slight fever, so she said she’s going to pass. But she’ll be here tomorrow if he’s better.”
