Page 97 of Duke
“Jesus Christ, can youpleasenot use that word in reference to my parents?”
Mollie grins. “You get what I’m saying, right? Maybe Tim and Frannie had chemistry, but they weren’tfriends. They didn’t talk to each other the way you and Duke talk. They didn’t have shared interests. I think they did love each other at one point, but did they everlikeeach other?” She shrugs. “I’m not sure.”
My heart hammers. I’ve never thought about my parents’ relationship that way. I always knew they weren’t well suited for each other. Dad is obsessed with work and golf, while Mom loves music and her sisters and books. My parents would occasionally go out to a concert, and every so often, they’d get us a sitter so they could attend parties in our neighborhood when we were little.
Beyond that, though, I don’t ever recall them doing something fun together. I really don’t remember them talking to each other about anything other than work, my brothers and me, or the house.
They had a shared life, but shared interests? Not really.
“Now you and Duke, on the other hand—wouldn’t you say y’all are friends?” Mollie asks.
I can barely hear her above the thump of my pulse in my ears. “I mean…I don’t know. I think he’s a hookup more than anything else, right?”
Mollie shoots me a look. “Do hookups take note of your cravings and then call in a favor to have that craving fulfilled?” She nods at my half-eaten grilled cheese. “Do they drive twenty hours across the country during a snowstorm so you can make it to a trunk show for your business? Do they move you into their adorable cottage—”
“The cottage is really freaking cute.”
“And make sure you have a bed and clean sheets and curtains and peppermint tea?”
I furrow my brow. “How do you know about the tea?”
“Where do you think he got it from? I had a stash at my cabin.”
My stomach is doing somersault after somersault. Oddly enough, I don’t feel nauseous, however. I feel…
Like smiling. And crying.
I want to give Duke a hug. Then I wanna strip him down and take him to bed.
“Y’all both have big dreams,” Mollie continues. “You both want to see the world. Do something different with your careers and your lives. You’re both scary good at darts.”
“I’m better, actually,” I say with a grin.
“You make him laugh, Wheeler.” Mollie reaches over to tuck my hair behind my ear. “He loves being around you. Cash and the guys were always rolling their eyes over how much Duke talked about you. He’s obsessed with you, friend, and I think that’s because y’all have managed to create this beautiful friendship. Yeah, y’all slept together. But you were friends first. Still are. Andthatis why you guys won’t end up like your parents.”
A feeling, warm and light and real, rises through my center.
Mollie is right.
Deep down, I know she’sright. Maybe I got pregnant just like Mom did, but that’s where the similarities between our circumstances end. Dukeisa good friend. I’m a good friend to him.
Which means I have to keep putting myself out there. Keep being vulnerable and keep opening myself to his wonderfulness. And damn is he wonderful. I could easily fall in love with this man.
What if that’s what’s meant to happen?
And if I’m meant to fall in love with Duke, does that mean we’re meant to have this baby? Raise him or her together in hiscute little cottage, surrounded by the family and friends we know and love?
“It’s a beautiful idea.” I have to look away from Mollie’s kind eyes, or I’ll burst into tears all over again. “But what about—he’s not ready to settle down, and I’m not sure I am either.”
Mollie nods. “The baby would kind of blow up those plans to be free.”
“Yes.”
“I mean…” Mollie tilts her head. “I can’t help but think about my mom. Not that she’s someone we necessarily want to look up to, but she had me in her twenties, and then she got a whole bunch of freedom later on, which she used to build her business. Ask her if she’d do it any differently, and I don’t think she would.”
I nod. “I like that idea—that having a baby doesn’t mean you’re stuck in the house forever.”
“Something else to consider—I’m splitting my time between the ranch and Dallas, so y’all could too if you wanted. There’s lots of helping hands around here, Wheeler. Lots of people who’d adore that sweet child and babysit anytime if you asked them. Trust me—everyone’s already offered to babysit this little one.” She rubs the swell of her belly. “Even Ella and Junie.”
