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Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Half Title Page
  3. Books by Katie Powner
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright Page
  6. Dedication
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. FOUR
  11. FIVE
  12. SIX
  13. SEVEN
  14. EIGHT
  15. NINE
  16. TEN
  17. ELEVEN
  18. TWELVE
  19. THIRTEEN
  20. FOURTEEN
  21. FIFTEEN
  22. SIXTEEN
  23. SEVENTEEN
  24. EIGHTEEN
  25. NINETEEN
  26. TWENTY
  27. TWENTY-ONE
  28. TWENTY-TWO
  29. TWENTY-THREE
  30. TWENTY-FOUR
  31. TWENTY-FIVE
  32. TWENTY-SIX
  33. TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. TWENTY-NINE
  36. THIRTY
  37. THIRTY-ONE
  38. THIRTY-TWO
  39. THIRTY-THREE
  40. THIRTY-FOUR
  41. THIRTY-FIVE
  42. THIRTY-SIX
  43. THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. THIRTY-NINE
  46. FORTY
  47. FORTY-ONE
  48. FORTY-TWO
  49. FORTY-THREE
  50. FORTY-FOUR
  51. FORTY-FIVE
  52. FORTY-SIX
  53. FORTY-SEVEN
  54. FORTY-EIGHT
  55. FORTY-NINE
  56. FIFTY
  57. FIFTY-ONE
  58. FIFTY-TWO
  59. Acknowledgments
  60. About the Author
  61. Back Ads
  62. Back Cover

What was she doing in his head? It was probably because of their exchange earlier. She’d caught him outside and reeled him into a conversation like he was nothing more than a northern pike on a line. And she’d brought up his birthday again. He’d said, “I’ll think about it,” but all he could think about now was how she kept touching his arm. It should’ve bothered him, but it didn’t. He’d gone without a woman’s touch for two years, and it had felt . . . nice. Two years on his own with many more ahead of him. Would he be alone for the rest of his life?

No one else had mentioned a thing about his birthday so far—not his parents, not Bea—while Marge had asked about it twice. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he wasn’t interested in lying awake all night trying to figure it out. Or in making a big deal out of his birthday.

His mind turned to his mother. He was sorry Bea had gotten upset, yet he was glad she was no longer in denial about his mom’s condition. Maybe she could help keep his mom calm for the next appointment. Maybe June would listen to her.

He rolled onto his back and groaned. How long had he been lying here? Was it midnight yet? At least he didn’t have to work tomorrow. A muffled sound came from above him, and he tensed up. What was . . . ? Was that . . . ?

Oh no. No, no, no, no, no. He flipped onto his stomach and buried his face in his pillow, pulling it up on the sides to cover his ears. The lovebirds probably figured he was sound asleep by now, and boy, oh boy, did he wish he was.

TWENTY-ONE

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Bea lounged on the couch, her hands resting on her stomach. “I’m so full. I shouldn’t have eaten that third piece of cheesecake.”

For breakfast. She’d had three slices of cheesecake for breakfast.

Jeremy gave her an affectionate look. “The baby must’ve been hungry.”

Bea laid her head back. Her stomach bulged from her huge meal, but otherwise there was no evidence of a baby growing inside her. She thought her waist had thickened a little but not enough that anyone would notice. Jeremy certainly hadn’t noticed last night.

She did a quick mental calculation. About ten weeks along. A quarter of the way through her pregnancy. When would she need to start wearing maternity clothes? Was her morning sickness over for good, or had she just been lucky the past couple of days?

“Hey, guess what?” Jeremy broke into her thoughts. “You know that antler shop downtown?”

She nodded.

“It doesn’t even have a website.” His expression was incredulous.

She shrugged. “I don’t think Mr. Van Dyken has any idea how to make a website.”