Protecting Their Baby

She couldn’t imagine him fitting into her world any more than she could envision fitting into his.

Nonetheless, they agreed to live together, but only until the perpetrator was caught.

Rex carried his bags into Lisa’s cottage-style house and got the urge to run. Clean yet cramped, the decor was decidedly feminine. Already he was drowning in floral prints, lace curtains and painted woods. He wished he’d insisted that she stay with him.

“You don’t like what I did with it,” she said.

Good call, he thought. Regardless, he tried for polite. “It’s fine. It’s nice. Just point me in the direction of my room.”

She led the way instead. He checked her out from behind, then asked himself what the hell he was doing. He’d already planted a life in her womb. He didn’t need to create more trouble.

The guest room was small, painted in pastel colors, with a single window that overlooked a thriving vegetable garden.

“Do you rent or own?” he asked.

“I’m a homeowner.” A fact of which she seemed proud.

Rex understood. He owned his place, too, and living in Southern California didn’t come cheap. They worked hard for what they had.

She gestured to the tight surroundings. “Eventually this is going to be the nursery.”

“I’ll be sleeping in the baby’s room?” He could picture it with a crib and whatnot. The pastel theme would work, too. For a while, anyway. He couldn’t imagine a boy standing it for very long.

“Yes, the baby’s room.” She said it softly.

A moment later, she informed him that her house had been built in the 1940s. He wondered how that was relevant, until she said, “It only has one bathroom.”

One head? His place had two full baths, but his condo was only a few years old. “How’s the plumbing?”

“It’s fine. Unless you flush the toilet while someone is in the shower. But we won’t be doing that.”

“I take long showers.”

“In the morning or evening?”

“Morning.”

“Then we shouldn’t have a problem sharing. I bathe at night.”

“With bubble bath and scented candles, I’ll bet.” He suspected that she had fancy bottles everywhere.

“Soaking in the tub relaxes me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s actually kind of sexy.”

“Oh.” Lisa angled her head, making her perfectly coiffed bob tilt to one side. “Then thank you, I guess.”

“Sure.”

Neither of them said anything after that, and the room seemed to shrink even more. He could actually feel them breathing the same air. She was almost close enough to kiss.

But he didn’t dare imagine it. His mind was already filled with images of the night he’d stripped her bare.

Apparently so was hers. “Have you been with anyone since you were with me?” she asked, her voice cracking a little.

Rex shook his head. “I don’t mess around that much.” He glanced at the single bed. He had a king-size at home. “Sometimes I do,” he amended. “Sometimes I’m a player.”

“I could tell that you were. But I wanted to do something wild that night.”

“For your birthday?”

“Yes.”

Lisa crossed her arms over her chest, but it didn’t strike Rex as a defensive pose. He thought it exhibited a cautious form of shyness.

But she couldn’t hide from him. He was right in front of her. Every blood-pumping part of him.

“When I first found out that I was pregnant, I kept debating if I should tell you,” she said. “But I figured that when the baby got older, it would ask about its father. And then there I’d be all those years later having to explain.”

This way, she’d been honest from the start. He respected that. But it also made him more aware of how emotionally ill-equipped he was to become a parent. He liked being a player.

She dropped her hands and clutched her stomach. “Now all I want is for this baby to be safe.”

He was tempted to touch her, to comfort her, but he kept his hands to himself. “I won’t let anything happen.” Not to her and not to the child she carried. “But you have to cooperate with my investigation.”

“I already am. I gave you that list, didn’t I?”

Of people she was close to, he thought, some of whom she loved. He knew that couldn’t be easy. “I’m sorry about what you’ve been through today.” Was it any wonder her skin was still unnaturally pale?

“I hope I don’t have nightmares.”

“Maybe you can take something to help you sleep.”

“Like those PM pills? I’d have to check with my doctor to see if it’s okay. But I’d rather keep drugs out of my system.”

“You were right about being a good mom. You’re going to do the kid proud.”

She loosened the clenching hold on her stomach. “So are you, Rex. Look how protective you are already. Offering to keep us safe.”

Because he didn’t know how to respond, he said, “I plan on being up late.” He gestured to his laptop case. “Running background checks.”

“Just with people’s names?”

“The system I use only requires first and last names. But it helps to have dates of birth and Social Security numbers, if they’re available. I’ve also got some license plate numbers to check on.”

“Yes, I saw you writing them down. Lucky for me my baby’s daddy is a P.I.”

There she went, complimenting him again.