Growing Love (Brookfield) (5 page)

Alyssa opened the door to Dr. Blossom’s office and stood back as Diane entered. Diane heard her sister squeal when she saw some blond woman she called Julie. She rubbed the woman’s big belly. Diane figured she was about as pregnant as she was. Not in the mood to socialize, she signed in and had a seat.

She thumbed through the
Fit Pregnancy
magazine. Workout…that was the last thing on her mind right now. How these women got on an elliptical while carrying an extra thirty pounds around was a wonder to her.

“Diane,” Alyssa called
, “this is my friend Julie.”

“Nice to meet you.” Diane smiled.

“You look radiant,” Julie said. “Your sister and I figure you and I have the same due date. How cool.”

Awesome. Diane really needed to work on her attitude. She’d always been bitchy, but with all these new hormones in her, she found she was super bitchy. “Maybe we’ll see each other at the hospital. What are you having?”

“Another girl.” Julie looked happy about it.

“I’m having a boy.”

“Yay! Congrats. I wanted one, but there is always next time.” Julie glanced at her watch. “Sorry to not be able to chat longer. Ava is watching Lila right now at Bare Necessities. Man, the questions my daughter might have after.”

Alyssa giggled. “It’s just pretty undies.”

Julie raised an eyebrow. “Oh, she’s expanded. She has a special little room in the back.”

Diane nodded with a smirk and remembered hearing about the drama when Ava came to town to open a lingerie shop. How they’d called it an adult store. And now, over a year later, Ava had the toys in there.

“It was so good to see you.” Alyssa hugged her friend then sat down next to Diane. “She’s so nice. Maybe when you get off bed rest, you two can get together.”

“Maybe. A friend might be nice.”
She was lacking in them these days.

The office door opened and a dark
-haired woman in blue scrubs appeared holding a chart. “Diane Duncan.”

It was time to see how much longer she’d be on bed rest.

* * *

Matt closed the baby book and set it on the black iron table outside of The Cookie Jar. He was finally caught up on all things pregnancy, or so
, he thought. The things Diane had been going through, no wonder she hated him so much. He could never do what she was. Having another person grow inside of you. Making the skin stretch, kicking organs. She deserved to be spoiled and loved each and every day for what she was doing. But he had to stop and remember she was with Tom now. And as odd as their arrangement was, Matt had to respect it. But while Tom wasn’t here, there was no one to stop him from spoiling her. Besides, he didn’t get the feeling Tom was jealous of him. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more it sometimes seemed like Tom was pushing him and Diane together.

Tom hadn’t visited yet, or at least
not to his knowledge. Maybe the man realized how much work it was to keep Diane happy and was using this as his time to get some distance. They weren’t living together. Matt found himself very curious about their relationship. He was surprised Diane hadn’t made the man marry her. Then again, maybe it was Diane keeping Tom at a distance.

He sipped his hot beverage. He needed to forget about Tom and Diane’s relationship. It wasn’t important. His son was. That was what he needed to be concentrating on.

“Matt.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Diane.” He stood quickly and pulled a chair out. “Sit. Sit. You’re not
supposed to be on your feet.”

She rolled her eyes and sat down.

“Can I get you anything?”

She shook her head. “No. I saw you out here and thought I’d come over. I think it’s time we talk.”

Chapter Five

Diane stared across the table at Matt. It was so hard to be near him. Just seeing him brought up feelings she didn’t need to be having.

“Can I get you something to drink? A bottled water?” Matt asked.

“I don’t drink after seven, or I’ll be up twice as much through the night.” A cool evening breeze blew against her skin.

“A snack?”

She held her hand up. “Stop trying so hard.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“Being on bed rest, I’ve had too much time to think.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder. “I can’t deny you the chance to be in this kid’s life. I know that. But I will say this. One fuck up on your part and you’re gone.”

“So you’re going to let me know
my son?” He appeared hopeful.

“Yes.
He’ll be too young for you to take every other weekend, but you can visit often. If we can figure this out without lawyers, I think that would be best. We’ll be friends, kinda.”

Relief washed over his face.
“I’m happy to hear this. Will you be staying in Brookfield?”

She shrugged
and rubbed her arms. Maybe she should’ve brought a jacket. “I don’t know yet. I really like Connor’s old place—when I’m there. I’ve thought about it, but Tom wouldn’t be able to live here. So it might not work.”

“Can I ask about you and Tom and why you aren’t living together?”

“No.” She didn’t want to talk about it with Matt. Things needed to stay as simple as possible between them. “My family is here and of course you are as well. I really want to stay in Brookfield, to be honest.”

“Then stay. I promise I’m going to be here to help you every step of the way.”

The way he gazed across the table at her almost made her gulp. She could see the love in his eyes and she didn’t understand why. They’d had a good relationship for a while, but it had been built on lies.  “I’ve got to put me first.”

She watched
as Matt’s expression turned to anger. He’d always thought she was selfish. And apparently that hadn’t changed. She stood.

“Are you leaving?” he asked.

“I saw the look you made when I said I had to put myself first.”

“W
-what look?” he stuttered.

“The same one you’ve always given me. You think I’m a spoiled brat.”
She was sick of it and ready for people to see her in a different way.

“I didn’t give you a look like
that,” he argued, half rising from his seat.

“Yes
, you did.” She started to walk away, but the sound of metal scratching the pavement stopped her. She spun around. “I can’t have this kind of relationship. We can’t. There is a baby involved. And when I say I had to put me first, I meant me and him. Right now, me obviously, because he isn’t here. But I am going to live where it’s best for us, not you.”

He groaned. “How
did this get heated so quickly? I don’t think you’re a spoiled brat. You’re a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it. Now please, sit down. Let’s just talk.”

She knew people thought she was a bitch, but she didn’t care. She’d been the baby of the family and by the time she came, her parents were so busy with Cody and Alyssa, she had to act out in some way to get their attention. Being whiney and demanding had been what she’d chosen.
“I’m done talking.”

He touched her arm and she jerked it away, not liking the tickling sensation it caused along with the trail of goose
bumps. She had to get away from him…fast.

“Alyssa mentioned you were seeing Dr. Blossom today. How did it go?”

“Fine. The contractions have calmed down and hopefully in a week, I can be back on my feet.”

“Let me walk you back to Alyssa’s place.”

That was the last thing she needed. She had to get away from him to get her emotions under control. She couldn’t desire him right now. “I’m a grown woman. I can get there myself.”

She walked to the street and glanced both ways before cros
sing. It was time for her to learn new ways and grow up, for the baby. She was tired of the impression everyone had of her and she was the only one who could change it.

As she made it to the front
of Alyssa’s store, a hard contraction hit. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to breathe through it.

The stress wasn’t good. She was supposed to be avoiding it at all costs. But this thing with Matt was causing too much. Maybe after this week
, she needed to go home to Alpine and deal with him after the baby was here. Baby Bean would be here before she knew it. She could handle being away from Matt that long.

* * *

Diane twirled a lock of her hair as she held the phone to her ear. She was so comfortable in her PJs on the suede couch Connor owned. “I don’t want to go to the shop today. I just want to stay here and enjoy this apartment I’m never at. I’ll be fine. You heard Dr. Blossom yesterday. She said as long as I keep my stress under control and stay off my feet, I’ll be fine. No early labor.”

All Diane wanted to do was be alone in a place that almost felt like home. Where if she wanted to walk around naked, she didn’t have to worry about someone popping in at any moment. Alone time. That’s what
she craved.

“Are you sure? Tina’s working today so I can come by,” Alyssa said.

“If I need you, I’ll call. But I need a day. It’s nothing against you, I promise. Besides, you need a break from me. I know how demanding I can be.”

Alyssa sneezed. Hopefully she wasn’t getting sick.
“You never told me how it went last night with Matt.”

Matt. Matt. Matt.
She was never going to escape him. “I think that situation is best left to be dealt with after the baby is here. It’s stressful and after talking to him, I had a hard contraction.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her stress level was rising again. “Because everything is fine. I don’t want you worrying about me.”

“Someone has to.”

Count to ten and breathe.
“I need a day off of you worrying.”

Alyssa sighed, finally giving in.
“All right. You can have today. But you better call me if you need anything. Got it? You aren’t a burden to me.”

“Got it. Enjoy your day. Have Connor take you out to lunch or something.”

“I just might.”

“We’ll talk soon, I’m sure.”

The call ended. Diane tossed the cell phone onto the couch. A whole day where no one would bother her. At this moment, it felt like a little slice of heaven. She loved her sister but needed a break from the coddling. She was tired of telling her every moment how she was feeling, if she’d taken a nap, did she need food or a drink. It got tiring. It wasn’t like she couldn’t take care of herself. The doctor never once said she needed to hire a wait staff; she simply needed to stay off her feet as much as possible.

Soon she could go home, back to her life and Tom. He’d been her rock. When she’d met him, she knew he would be her best friend. She could talk to him about anything and he never judged. She’d never intende
d to fully enter in a partnership with him and Matt. But there had been something about Tom.

She let out a loud, over
-exaggerated sigh. When she’d decided to get back at Matt and have sex with Tom in the way Matt was not comfortable with, that had been the day everything changed. That had been the reason Matt had said all those nasty things and denied their child. But in the end, they both knew who the father was.

Besides, she’d used protection with To
m each time. And he’d confessed to her in confidence he wasn’t able to have children. He’d been in a relationship once and they’d tried to have a child. After testing, he learned he was infertile. But even without that knowledge, the timeline didn’t fit for him to be the father. She’d had a period shortly after her time with Tom.

Diane rubbed her belly and thought back to the times when the three of them were intimate.
She knew it was wrong. She couldn’t have two men. She had to choose the one who held her heart. But that hadn’t happened. She’d let that one grow angry and walk away. Not once had she tried to fix it since their fight, but neither had he. He’d let her go until recently.

Diane’s stomach tightened as a light Braxton
Hicks hit. Even thinking about Matt was bad for her apparently. Maybe she hadn’t made the wrong decision. If they’d been together, the way they fought, she would’ve had the baby early.

She was just going to have to tell Matt to leave her alone. But the truth was, now that he was around again, she liked it. Liked seeing him.
And the way he brought desires out in her. It had been a long time since her part down under had gotten so excited. She needed to get the heck out of Brookfield before she gave in to these urges he stirred in her again.

*
* *

Matt pushed the door open to The Reading Corner. Once again he had stopped and gotten Diane a bakery treat. This time he’d gotten her two. He’d upset her somehow last night and he felt awful. He was
supposed to be making things better. Instead, he made them worse.

“Hi, can I help you?”
a young girl greeted him.

He glanced around.
“Is Alyssa here? I have something for her sister.”

She shook her head and held the books she had in her hands close to her chest.
“Alyssa should be back any moment. She went out with her guy for a bit.”

“Could I take this up to her place
, for Diane?” It was a long shot, but it never hurt to ask.

“She’s not here either.
Sorry.”

He was surprised by this. Alyssa had been a real mother hen to Diane, not letting her out of her sight.
“Where is she?”

The girl shrugged. “Sorry, I’m no help.”

“It’s okay. Really.” He set the bag down on the counter. “Will you tell Alyssa this is from Matt when she comes back?”

“Sure thing.”

Matt left The Reading Corner and stood on the sidewalk. The sun shone down on him. He felt lost and confused. Why did this have to be so hard? All he wanted was his life back—before Tom had entered the picture. Then again, he should’ve fought for Diane. He’d been stupid and let her go.

“Hey, Jerkface.” Alyssa smiled as she walked up hand-in-hand with Connor.
It was a perfect day for a stroll.

“I stopped by to leave a treat for Diane. But she isn’t here.”

“Nope. She wanted a day to herself today. I can’t blame her, really.”

“How’s it going?” Connor asked
as he shaded the sun from his eyes.

“It’s been better. I’ve
got to get back to work anyway.” With weather like this, it was going to be a long day.

“When I see her, I’ll give her what you left.” Alyssa bit her bottom lip, the way she did when she had something she wanted to say.

“Do you have something to tell me?” he asked.

“Listen, after Diane left you last night, she had a contraction. I know you want to be in her life, but maybe you should wait until after the baby comes. She doesn’t need stress.”

Matt’s blood was almost boiling. How dare they blame him for Diane’s health? Hell, they tried to blame him in the beginning for her bad case of morning sickness. He was sick and tired of always being the man the Duncans blamed for their problems.

“Fine.
Obviously I’m not wanted.” He paused. “When it’s convenient for me to be in my child’s life, you guys let me know. Just don’t take too long, or this will wind up in court.”

He walked off without a glance back. He heard Connor and Alyssa mumble something to each
other, but he no longer cared. He was the bad guy to everyone in that family. Maybe it was time he started to act the part.

Chapter Six

Diane set the brush down
after combing out all her tangles. All she needed was a light layer of makeup and she’d be ready. Tom was supposed to be coming today and she couldn’t wait to see him. The last few days, she’d been feeling like herself again. Maybe it was time to go home. As much as she wanted to stay in Brookfield, she wasn’t sure it was right.

Matt had been leaving her alone. Aside from one day he’d left some bakery items for her with Alyssa. He hadn’t done it again. Diane wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing.
One moment he’d been adamant about being in her life and now he was gone.

She
needed to stop thinking about him and especially stop wanting him. But she’d always been attracted to him, even when he’d dated Alyssa. She found herself making eyes at him though she knew it was wrong. But when it had come to Matt, she threw all morals out the window. And she couldn’t do that anymore. She had a baby to think of.

After t
urning off the bathroom light, she went into the living room to sit and rest a few. She wanted to get out for a bit, maybe go see a movie. That required sitting and would be enjoyable. Hopefully she could convince Tom.  He was acting more and more like a mother hen these days.