Page 84 of Trapped
It was as if I no longer had control over my limbs.
Is it too early to blame the hormones?
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
When I turned to say goodbye to Mary, she grinned like a cat who’d found the cream. “Bye, Mary.” I practically whispered as I lifted my free hand in a half-wave.
“Bye, Ashley. Nathan.”
“Have a good day, Mrs. Sheppard.”
Mary inhaled deeply, a telltale sign she was repressing her annoyance. “How many times have I told you to call me Mary?”
At the last Craft and Booze Night, she’d complained about all the new hires calling her Mrs. Sheppard. I’d laughed when she praised their good manners while complaining about their reluctance to call her by her first name.
Nathan smiled. “Right, sorry. Have a good day, Mary.”
She smiled. “That’s better. Now, you two get out of here.”
Having embarrassed myself more than enough for one day, I was happy to obey.
Chapter 27
Nathan
When I’d made breakfast earlier that morning, I’d made a pot of decaf but realized I couldn’t tell Ashley. Keeping quiet was killing me, and I worried I’d slip up.
Lucky for me, Lady Luck was on my side. Overhearing Ashley mention her baby to Emily at Grannie’s solved all my problems.
Well, one of them.
I’d felt bad for startling her, but I couldn’t let the opportunity pass, so I’d asked “You’re pregnant?”.
Then we had a moment. An intense, rock me to my core, turn my world upside down, emotionally charged moment.
So intense that everything around us disappeared.
Until Jamie’s badly timed interruption.
Part of me wanted to kick his ass for killing the moment. The other part wanted to thank him for reminding me I was there for Ashley’s safety, not my feelings.
Escorting Ashley to my truck, I placed my right hand on her lower back, a choice that was professional and personal. I scanned for any signs of suspicious activity as we walked.
Seconds after I closed my door, Ashley said, “I’m sorry.” Her voice was barely loud enough to hear over the country music playing on the radio.
I turned it off. “For what?” There was literally nothing for her to apologize for. Not even for keeping the secret of her pregnancy, which was literally none of my business.
ExceptI want it to be my business. I wanted everything about her to be my business.
“For not telling you the truth.”
She didn’t owe me an apology, but I appreciated it.
I nodded. “It’s Finn’s?” I asked, knowing the answer. Ashley acted as though she played fast and loose, but I knew better.
In a raw moment during our first night in Vegas, Ashley admitted to feeling lonely and wanting what her friends had. I’d felt the same way.
I thought it’d be hard finding a woman to connect with on a deeper level. Until I responded to the cheesiest pickup line and came face-to-face with the most gorgeous woman I’d ever met. One smile, one laugh, one touch, and I was hooked.
