Page 68 of Pumpkin
“Then we get to have Mommy and Daddy alone time,” Pumpkin stated suggestively. He normally teased Dosia because she blushed each time he said that, knowing his words were making her think about them together in the bookstore. But this time, he meant every wordexactlyas he’d said it.
He used the counter next to him to stand, and had to suppress a groan. SJ wasn’t the only one who had overdone it today. Fuck, he better be up for following through tonight. If Dosia wanted him as much as he hoped she did, as much as he wanted her, there wasno wayhe was going to let some pain in his body prevent him from taking her.
But first they were going to need totalk. Pumpkin quashed another groan for an entirely different reason.
He’d been doing his damnedest to keep from thinking aboutthe talkall through bath time. Having a pissed-off eleven month old did provide for an effective distraction. But it was never far from his mind.
SJ went down right away, but JJ wanted to read a book about a pony that reminded her of Phil, the pony she’d ridden that afternoon. Twice. Dosia laid down in JJ’s twin bed with her while Pumpkin sat in a rocking chair that was older than he was. Per Dosia, it had been Grandma Solstice’s grandmother’s. The thing was an antique but built to last. Pumpkin no longer feared it would break under his weight.Because, as much as he wanted to squeeze into bed with his girls, he doubted he’d be able to get back up if he tried.
Finally, JJ drifted off to sleep and Dosia and Pumpkin snuck their way out of the room. Dosia had added a baby monitor system to the kids’ room when it became evident that Pumpkin and SJ were going to be spending nights here more often than not. They had a permanent monitor in her room and could also access the feed from an app on their phones.
It seemed like forever since the words “we need to talk” came out of Dosia’s mouth until Pumpkin closed the door of her bedroom and they were at last alone.
Dosia walked to the end of her bed, visibly took a deep breath, and then turned to face him. “Pumpkin, I?—”
“Wait,” he stated. Coming forward, he took her face between his hands and kissed her, languid and passionate. Letting everything he hadn’t yet said to her bleed through the kiss. Pulling slowly away, he kissed her nose and then her forehead. “Whatever you have to say changes nothing,” he promised her.
Dosia took another shaky breath, but he noticed how she was holding onto him. Like he was her lifeline. Pumpkin would never take that for granted. He wanted to be everything to this woman. Her lover, her best friend, her guide, her confidant, the father of her children… He would be everything she needed and more, because she deserved no less.
“It changes everything,” she confessed. Taking a step back, she indicated to the bed. “Sit, please.”
Pumpkin would rather stand for something like this, but he’d left his cane downstairs. Reluctantly, he took a seat, but kept her close. He widened his legs so she could stand between them.
She looked down at him, resting her hands around his neck. Because of their height difference, she wasn’t that much taller than him even though he was sitting.
“I talked to Calliope tonight.”
Not where he thought this conversation was going to start, but okay. “That’s good. How is she?” The women might be having a tiff,but they were still family and Pumpkin knew that Dosia still cared for her aunt greatly.
“Good,” Dosia repeated with a small smile. “She’s almost got the new store ready. She’s still hoping to finish in time to open next week, but she’s got a last-minute list a mile long.”
“I’ll grab some of the guys and we can help her out this week,” Pumpkin offered.
“I don’t think that’s necessary. She won the bid of one of your brothers this afternoon.”
Pumpkin raised an eyebrow. “She did? Which one?”
“Starbucks,” Dosia told him. She didn’t look too thrilled about it, but then Starbucks had taken the rank of the club player after Cage had gotten himself hitched. He wasn’t sure Dosia would know that though. “Technically, he was auctioning off a date, but she told Harper when she paid that she would prefer the four hours of labor, if he’s agreeable.”
“I’m sure he will be,” Pumpkin said slowly. Calliope had turned down a date withStarbucks? He wished he’d been there to see his brother’s face when Harper told him, because he was pretty sure Starbucks hadneverbeen denied by a woman before.
“I told you about Calliope, how she’s Wiccan and has visions?”
He didn’t quite understand the difference between being Pagan and Wiccan, nor was he sure he believed in Calliope’s claim that she saw the future, but he nodded anyway. Arguing the existence of the supernatural would only delay whatever it was Dosia really wanted to talk to him about.
Dosia continued, “She had a vision about me. Well,us. She, uh…” Dosia made a face and then blurted out, “She says I’m pregnant.”
Pumpkin’s mind went blank for all of two seconds. “Pregnant?” His eyes dropped down to her stomach like he had suddenly developed x-ray vision. He swallowed hard, and for the second time in the span of several weeks, his brain tried to do some very quick math. “We were only together once four-ish weeks ago.” He wasn’t an expert but he didn’t think that was soon enough to take a test. “Have you missed your period?”
Dosia shook her head, her cheeks flushing a little. “No, but I’m also not due for another few days.”
“I was wondering…” They’d been sharing a bathroom, after all.
Dosia stiffened. “You were wondering about my period?” She looked like she was both shocked and repulsed by that.
Pumpkin raised an eyebrow, tightening his hold on her hips so she couldn’t back away. “Baby, I was raised by a single mother. I know how a woman’s body works. Even helped my mom prepare her heating pad when needed. Your period neither scares nor disgusts me. And when JJ’s old enough, I’ll be able to help her right alongside you.”
Dosia’s grimace fell slightly. “That’s…kinda sweet, I guess.”
