Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 102731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102731 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 342(@300wpm)
Relief and joy and overwhelming fucking love choked me, and I couldn’t speak. I wanted nothing more than to kiss her so hard, she’d never forget it. I could feel her waiting nervously for my response and slumping in disappointment when it didn’t come.
Finally, after we crossed the Kessock Bridge, I pulled over onto a layby, switched off the engine, unhooked my seat belt, and cupped my hand around Callie’s head. I swallowed her sound of surprise in the hungriest kiss I’d allowed myself in the last three weeks. I stroked her tongue with mine, inviting her to devour me right back. She moaned and looped her arms around my neck, pushing up off her seat and into me. Her tongue met mine and I shuddered, wishing we were anywhere but in the car.
A horn blasted, jolting us apart.
Breathless, we held onto each other for a few seconds more. Then I pressed another soft kiss to her swollen lips and whispered, “I feel the same, mo chridhe.”
Her smile was slow and sweet as I released her so I could clip my belt back on.
As I merged into traffic, heading home, Callie suggested, “Maybe we could go sofa shopping in a few weeks?”
“And then mattress shopping after that?” I shot her a wicked grin.
“Hmm. But remember … it’ll need to be sturdy.”
I burst out laughing, feeling lighter than I had in years.
Twenty-Eight
CALLIE
Mum said my bout of morning sickness lasted exactly the same length of time hers did with both me and Harry, thus reinforcing the idea we were basically the same person. I was extremely glad to no longer be throwing up everything. There was still no bump to show for the pregnancy, but that was apparently totally normal when you were only ten weeks.
It had been another good week since our first appointment with our midwife. Mrs. Rankin’s attempt to blacklist me (that sad lady needed to get a life of her own) never really got off the ground once the people who were ready to give me shit realized the rest of the village was ready to go to bat for me. The bakery had never been busier, and Mum was really impressed by how I was managing turnover with my fancy creations. I was even talking her into offering a delivery service from Inverness to John O’Groats after Verity said she’d do a two-hour round trip just to get one of my pastries.
And Lewis and I were almost perfect.
I say almost because other than the mind-blowing kiss he’d given me in the car coming home from the hospital last week, he’d been a total gentleman.
He was keeping his word about taking it slow.
I hadn’t really realized we’d be taking it this slow with the physical stuff, considering I was already pregnant. Yet knowing how much emotion was attached to sex for Lewis, I understood. I still got pangs of guilt about sneaking out of his flat in London after learning just how much sex meant to him. The reminder that maybe I hadn’t known him as well as I’d thought (that I had underestimated how much he loved me) made me want to make it up to him. I didn’t know how to do that while we were taking it slow.
I was also very much aware I had been the one to suggest taking things slowly.
It seemed silly now in light of how easily we’d fallen back into our relationship. Much easier than I’d anticipated, considering all that had kept us apart.
Those were my musings as I wandered into the Gloaming Thursday afternoon. Lewis’s uncle Arran wasn’t bartending today. In fact, I didn’t recognize the young woman behind the bar, so I assumed she was summer staff. The pub’s main room was packed and a peek into the dining room told me it was busy too. The tourists had well and truly descended upon Ardnoch. Wondering how I’d ever hear Carianne over the din, I scoured the room for her and found her at a table near the very back of the old pub. She waved, and I wound around the tables toward her.
We hadn’t spoken face-to-face since the mix-up. Lewis had explained fully Carianne’s scheme and how she’d jumped the gun. We’d shared a few texts back and forth, and she’d texted to congratulate me when the news broke about the pregnancy. However, she’d done an excellent job of avoiding me so far. A part of me didn’t mind her avoidance. The fact that she’d admitted to crushing on Lewis all this time and then asking him out made me wary of her. It was awkward knowing your friend coveted your partner.
It didn’t help that Eilidh had flat-out decided Carianne couldn’t be trusted. I wasn’t sure about that. I still remembered the person who had been kind to me for most of our friendship, so when she asked if we could meet, I’d said yes.