Page 1 of Restless
Prelude –No Ordinary Love – Kimber
“I’m pregnant.”
Since this morning’s doctor’s appointment, Kimber Caldwell had rehearsed how she’d inform her man that she was expecting. She tried writing a note, but after staring at a blank sheet of paper for an hour without finding the right words, she’d given up. Her brother, Cee Cee, suggested she buy an over-the-counter pregnancy test, pee on it, and leave the results on Joe’s dinner plate.
Ew. Bleh. Blah.
Cee Cee could be such a fucking asshole. No wonder Joe hadn’t talked to him in months.
She’d just hung up from sharing her news with Vivian Frank, when Joe walked in, smelling of smoke and motor oil after a long day at the auto shop.
Their place was small, three rooms that included a living room, kitchen, and bedroom, but it was the first bit of stability she’d had. Although Joe paid their bills, he’d added her name on the lease.
He was a good man. She was sure he’d be happy about the baby, unplanned though it was.
However, as he froze in the process of grabbing a cold beer from their refrigerator and his hand tightened on the handle, doubt assailed Kimber.
“What did you say?”
Shifting her weight, she wrung her hands together. “I’m pregnant,” she said quietly.
Straightening, he turned and stared at her, his face unreadable. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and bulging muscles. He favored man buns for his golden blond hair and the brilliance of his blue eyes had mesmerized her from the moment she met him.
“Are you sure?”
“My doctor confirmed it this morning.”
He walked to her and stared at her. Kimber managed not to flinch. Joe had never lifted a hand to her, but she couldn’t forget her father’s abuse.
Her first cognitive memory was of her father’s vileness to her and Cee Cee while their mother watched.
“Say something, Joe. If you don’t want it, I can raise it alone—”
Joe interrupted her with a kiss. “No, babe. I want it! I…you’re making me a father, Kimber, and I don’t know what to say. I’m not good with words. Not like you. You’re beautiful and smart.” He kissed her again. “And mine,” he said, wrapping his strong arms around her. “I love you so fucking much.”
Kimber’s heart melted and she clung to him. “I love you, too, Joe. So much. I can’t imagine how my life would be if I hadn’t gone to Cee Cee’s club after his wedding to see Bash and tell my brother to get Celia.”
Cee Cee usually wanted nothing to do with his girls. He was crazy fertile, but he only claimed the boys. However, Kimber was at the club about a year ago when Celia’s mother brought the baby to Cee Cee to soften him. She was wasting her time, although she found out the hard way.
Kimber offered to babysit the girl. Her niece’s mother, whose name she’d never learned, laughed in her face and said if Cee Cee didn’t take the child, she’d throw her in a garbage can.
Wrinkling her nose, Kimber shoved aside the bloody aftermath of that threat.
“Sit down, babe,” Joe said, bringing her back to the present and guiding her to their dinette chair. He knelt in front of her and took her hand in his, kissing the back of it. “My beautiful, beautiful Kimber. My love.”
“Are you happy, Joe?”
He nodded. “I’m going to have to get more work. We can’t stay here, sweetheart. You need a bigger house. When you start waddling—”
She swatted his arm and giggled. “Fucking asshole. I am not going to gain a lot of weight so you lose interest in me.”
“Kimber, you gain as much weight as you need to for the baby. I won’t ever desert you for stupid shit.”
She believed him because she trusted him.
Standing, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the sofa. When he sat, he secured her on his lap, tucking her head underneath his chin.
“Maybe, I should visit Logan Donovan.”
