Cart Before The Horse by Bernadette Marie Read Free Book Online Page B

chest. What would she think if he were to tell her stories of his life? Would she think he was a troublemaker? She’d probably been friends with the principal, but he was sure Mrs. Houston would remember him for a much different reason. He sat back up and ripped a piece of the bread loaf off. “So nothing was normal for you?”
    “Not like you probably had. But don’t get me wrong, I had a good home life.”
    “Then we make a promise right here right now. We will give our children a normal life.”
    “Child,” she corrected him, and he felt the pang of sorrow in her statement.
    “Child,” he acknowledged. “We will make sure he or she has sleepovers and overdoses on candy once in a while. My dad
     
    took me to TP my first house, so I’ll take him. Or her.” He felt giddy. “This is going to be a fun adventure.”
    “You’re planning on corrupting our child?” Her eyes had opened wide like he’d sentenced the child to a life of crime.
    “No, just giving him a normal life.” He reached across the table and took her hand. “I think along the way I’ll give you some adventure too. You’re never too old to learn to have a
little fun.”
    “You don’t think I’m fun?” Her mouth gaped open.
    “I didn’t say that.” God, was he always going to have to watch his mouth? “I remember having a lot of fun with you.”
    Her cheeks filled with color, and she looked away
from him.
    How had she made it this far in her life so afraid of who she was? It burned in him, a need to show her that she was special and amazing. What would it take to make Holly understand that she was a gift to everyone who had the honor to know her? Especially him.
    “Holly, let go a little. Just because things in your life didn’t follow the big rule book of the universe, it doesn’t mean you can’t do fun things now.” He sat back and picked up his spoon. “By the way. My mother is planning a trip out here for Thanksgiving to meet you. I realize you probably will have plans with your family, but we’d like to have you over for dinner so you can meet my family.”
    “That’s two months away.”
    He shrugged. “Yeah, so.”
    She set her hands in her lap. “I’ll make sure to be here.” She looked around the room and then back at him. “What did she say when you told her?”
    He tossed his hands in the air and smiled at her. “She screamed out loud. She’s so excited she can’t wait.”
    “But she doesn’t know me.”
    “But I do.”
    “And that’s okay with her? A total stranger is having your
     
    baby and she thinks that’s great?”
    “Well, Holly, you’re not much of a stranger, but yes. She’s very happy for us.”
    “Who else have you told?”
    “Well…” he bit off a piece of the bread in his hand. “I called all four of my sisters. My cousin Anne. My uncle of course and my Grandma Gertie.”
    Holly ran her hand over her hair. “I guess it would have been easier to ask who haven’t you called.”
    “How about you? Who have you told?”
    “Tracy knows. She was as surprised as I was.”
    “That’s it? Your boss?” He didn’t think he was so bad that she should hide him from the world. Wasn’t she the least bit excited about this baby? About him?
    “Did you want me to take an ad out in the paper?”
    “Don’t you think you should tell your parents?”
    “Oh, I don’t know.” She sat back in her chair and put her napkin on the table. “I’m not in the mood to hear about it.”
    How could he have chosen someone so unattached to fam ily? He usually picked women so much like himself—not this time obviously. “Where do they live?”
    “Boulder.”
    “So you see them often?”
    “Every couple of weeks or so.” She lifted her shoulders and dropped them again.
    “And you don’t think your mother is going to see right through you?”
    “Oh, she will. I won’t even have to tell her, and she’ll know. She’ll shake her head and give me her opinion on the matter. She’s traditional.