To Be a Dad (Harlequin Superromance) (22 page)

Later that night, Dusty killed the headlights of the truck as he and Brendon rolled into their yard. Brendon had fallen asleep earlier, but when he’d woken to go to the bathroom, he asked to go home. Dusty didn’t have the heart to refuse him.

More asleep than awake, Brendon rested his head on Dusty’s shoulder when he picked him up and carried him into the house. He liked hanging out at the camp well enough, but for the first time, he’d been anxious to get home and not just because of Brendon. If anyone knew how to look after themselves, it was Teressa, but he still didn’t like leaving her and Sarah on their own. Brendon kissed Dusty on the mouth when he tucked the kid into his bed. It was an innocent little peck, but damn if he didn’t feel Brendon’s genuine affection. He still wasn’t comfortable calling it love, because when someone loved you, like when a kid loved you, well...that was something a person shouldn’t take lightly. Just because Brendon was small didn’t mean his emotions weren’t as genuine or as important as an adult’s.

He slipped into Teressa’s bedroom next door to the kids’ room, eager to see Teressa, even though he expected to find her sound asleep. His mind went blank when he stared at her empty, made-up bed.

After a minute of staring at the tidy blankets, he stumbled out into the living room. She wasn’t there, or in the kitchen or the dining room.

He snuck back into Brendon’s room. Sarah was safely tucked into her bed, sleeping with total abandon, the way kids did, her limbs sprawled every which way, her mouth open.

Bathroom.
He raced down the hallway, but knew before he opened the bathroom door that Teressa wasn’t in the dark room.

He rubbed the hard lump in his chest. What if she’d run away? His mother had. But Teressa? No way. As long as he’d known her, which was forever, he’d counted on her being there. He’d hated that she’d gotten pregnant with Sarah all those years ago, but a part of him had been relieved she couldn’t leave town like she’d planned. He’d always felt guilty for feeling partially relieved at her misfortune.

He forced himself to move forward. His bedroom was next, then the basement and then...he didn’t know. Just that he’d keep looking until he found her.

His breathing loosened the second he saw her asleep in his bed.
Christ
. He sank down on the edge of the bed, careful not to disturb her as he tried to drag oxygen into his starving lungs. She was right here, where she belonged. Everything was okay.

In the morning, they’d wake up and have breakfast together, and Sarah would hang on to him half the morning, and Brendon would tell his mother about learning to play poker, and Teressa would pretend to be mad at him because he taught her son how to gamble.

He sunk his face into his hands. If anything happened to any of them, he’d go berserk. He was more than committed to his little family. He was in love with them. What if, in the end, he wasn’t good enough for them, and he lost them?

CHAPTER TWELVE

“D
USTY
?” T
ERESSA
ROLLED
over and without thinking of the consequences for once, laid her head on Dusty’s denim-clad thigh. “I’m glad you’re home. I missed you.”

Dusty brushed her hair off her face. Inwardly she purred at the abrasive feel of his work-roughened fingers against her cheek.

“That explains why you’re wearing my old T-shirt.”

She smiled sleepily when she heard the laughter in his voice. “Did Brendon have a good time?”

When he leaned against the head of the bed, she pushed up enough to snuggle against his chest. His arms banded around her, and she traced her fingers through the hair on his arm. His muscles grew taut beneath her touch.

“Yeah. He likes your dad a lot. We’ve got to figure out a way for them to spend more time together.”

She wiggled to get into a more comfortable position. “My mother probably gave him hell when he went home.”

“Hey, Teressa?”

“What?”

“Could you not, you know, wiggle like that?”

She tilted her head back and smiled up at him. “Or what?”

“Or I’m going to start getting ideas.”

She slid her hand under the flannel shirt he was wearing. His stomach felt as hard as a rock. She loved his body. He sucked in a sharp breath when she found his nipple and tweaked it. “You have the most beautiful body.”

Without warning, Dusty flipped her on her back. His huge body hovered above her, one of his powerful legs thrust between her thighs. The sparkle in his eyes darkened with intent. “Don’t tease me, Teressa. I passed my due date for sex a few weeks back.”

She ran her hand over his shadowed jaw and cupped his cheek. Using her thumb, she traced the outline of his mouth. A groan escaped from deep in her throat when he bit the fleshy part of her thumb. “Make love to me, Dusty. I need you.”

A smile slowly spread over his face, and he dipped his head and took her mouth with his. Gently. She slid her hands up over his heavily muscled shoulders. He felt so good, so familiar, which didn’t make sense, because they’d only made love once before, the night she got pregnant.

He teased her mouth open with the tip of his tongue and demanded more, his hand covering her breast. Her T-shirt bunched up around her waist, and she wrapped her legs around him. She couldn’t get close enough to him. She needed his weight and his strength and his laughter and his loyalty. She needed to see his sparkling blue eyes and the quiet way he smiled at her first thing every morning. She wasn’t sure it made sense, but sharing that first cup of coffee with him in the morning was one of the reasons she was falling in love with him.

He withdrew long enough to shuck his clothes and strip her T-shirt off. He hovered above her, examining every inch of her body, a smile on his face. Her body flushed at the close scrutiny. Not able to abide the building heat inside her, she arched up, pulled him to her and held him in her arms. Held him close and hard. And when she opened herself to him, his kiss deepened while he slowly entered her.

She took him deep inside her, and that, too, felt familiar. She’d been watching him fall in love with her children the past few weeks, but had been so busy fighting her own feelings for him that she hadn’t recognized what was happening. She loved him for loving them almost as much as she loved him for being who he was. She’d always loved him.

When she called out his name, her body exploding with pleasure, he covered her mouth with his to smother the sound. He pushed her hair back off her face, kissed her eyes, her forehead, made soothing sounds deep in his throat until her breathing returned to almost normal. Then slowly, rhythmically, as if they were dancing, he made love to her. When she felt pressure build inside her again, she wrapped her legs around him once more and rode out the storm with him as he emptied himself into her.

“God, Teressa.” He rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathing harshly. “Making love to you is unbelievable. You’re so beautiful and responsive.” His large hand covered most of her stomach. “Are you okay?”

“Better than okay.” She held his hand in place. “Feel that?”

“What?” he whispered.

“The baby. Do you feel him moving around?”

“No way.” Dusty kept his head on her stomach. “Oh, my God. I felt it. Him. The baby. Hello in there.”

“You’re tickling me. Stop that.”

His hand crept from her stomach down to her pelvis.

She caught his hand in hers. “That didn’t last long.”

“Can’t help myself. Saw your curls.” When he raked his fingers through her damp curls, her hips came up off the bed. “I should have asked before. Making love doesn’t hurt him, does it?”

“No. It’s good for him, because making love to you makes Mommy very happy. And that makes the baby happy.”

“Excellent.” He blew on her damp curls. “I think Mommy is going to be very happy again in just a few minutes.”

She startled herself when she giggled. “A few minutes? You think highly of yourself.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “You may not know this about me, but I have impressive powers of seduction. I’d be honored to show you just how persuasive.”

She arched her body in a full-length stretch. “Do your worst.”

An hour later, sweat-soaked and boneless, Teressa sank into Dusty’s arms as he spooned her from behind. There was no awkwardness between them. They made love as if they’d memorized each other’s body years ago.

* * *

“D
USTY
.”

With a satiated smile on his face, Dusty rolled over and sleepily reached for the woman of his dreams. He could have sworn he’d just fallen asleep, but if Teressa was willing to continue where they’d left off—he paused to savor exactly what they’d been doing not so long ago—then he’d find the stamina to oblige her. No problemo.

He patted the empty space beside him, cranked one eye open. Teressa sat up against the headboard, her legs pulled up to her chest. When he heard her sniffle, fear slammed into him.

She’d changed her mind about them.

“Teressa?” He snapped on the bedside light and grabbed her ankle. “What’s wrong, Tee?”
Please say nothing
. Let it be hormones, that’s all. He rose up on one elbow and supported his head, which suddenly felt like a ten-ton ball of iron. It wasn’t hormones. She wouldn’t have gotten half-dressed just to cry about nothing.

“I’m bleeding and I have cramps.”

His heart stopped. They shouldn’t have had sex. He should have been gentler, and for sure he shouldn’t have— “Bleeding...where?”

“My vagina. I’ve been having cramps all week, but I thought it was from standing up too much at work. I don’t know what to do, Dusty.”

Feeling helpless, he watched the strongest woman in the world break apart as she covered her face with her hands and sobbed. Dusty crawled over to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. “I’m going to call your mom and dad to come over to look after the kids. We’ll drive to the hospital. It’ll be quicker than waiting for an ambulance.” He kissed the top of her head. “You don’t have to do anything except curl up and wait for me. Tell me what you need, and I’ll get it for you.”

Teressa’s sobs sounded as if they were ripped from the bottom of her soul. “Come on, honey. Crying that hard can’t be good for the baby.”

“I’m...I’m afraid I’m going to lose it. I should have...should have paid more attention. I’m a rotten mother.”

He squeezed her shoulders again then rolled out of bed. “We’re not going to lose our baby. You’re young and healthy, and the best mom in the world. We can talk about all this later. I’ll get you a towel and call your parents.”

They couldn’t lose the baby. Not only because he was already in love with the little tyke, but he also worried the baby was the only thing keeping him and Teressa together, and just barely at that. Teressa had drawn the line years ago, her on one side, him on the other. He’d accepted that they’d never step over that line, but in the past few months he’d allowed himself to start thinking of Teressa differently. Like maybe he wouldn’t mind so much if the line disappeared. So, he’d stepped over it the first chance he got. It was only after she got pregnant that she made an effort to have a relationship with him beyond friendship. He knew it had been a struggle for her, and if there wasn’t a baby, there may not be a “them,” either.

Dusty considered waking Sarah and Brendon before they left, but decided against it. After calling Teressa’s parents, he went back to the bedroom and gathered up what he thought Teressa needed. By the time she’d managed to struggle into some clothes with his help, her parents were at the door. Dusty caught them before they knocked.

“Where is she?” Linda, Teressa’s mother, tried to push her way past him, her face white and strained. He grabbed her arm to stop her.

“First off, the kids are still asleep, so please keep your voices down. Second, Teressa’s in the bedroom. She’s really upset. Don’t upset her more.”

Linda pulled her arm away. “She’s my daughter, for God’s sake. Of course I won’t upset her.”

Dusty didn’t say anything, but raised an eyebrow as he stood solidly between Linda and the bedroom.

“Should I make some tea or coffee for you to take to drink on the way?” Mr. Wilder asked.

“Thanks. Teressa loves her tea.” He turned his attention back to Linda. “You can talk to her for a minute, then we’ve got to go. I’m going to start the truck so it warms up.”

Five minutes later, he wrapped Teressa in a blanket and carried her out to the truck. “You okay?”

Teressa gave him a weak smile when he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I don’t feel sick. I’m just scared. Why did you phone my mother instead of Sylvie or Anita?”

Dusty pointed the truck toward Lancaster and picked up speed. “Adam and Sylvie are working day and night to get ready for their wedding.”

“I just bet they are.” When he heard her soft snicker in the dark cab, he smiled and relaxed. Teressa always got his stupid jokes.

“What is it with weddings?” he asked. “Do they make everyone horny?”

This time, she giggled. “It’s romantic, seeing two people so much in love,” she explained.

Like we are
. Dusty didn’t say the words out loud. Were they? Or were they, at best, resigned to making the relationship work? For sure, the sex part worked just fine. But he’d always known that. He also knew it wasn’t enough.

He shifted uncomfortably in the bucket seat. She hadn’t said she loved him or even that she thought they had a chance as a couple.

“What?” When had Teressa grown so sensitive to his moods?

“Nothing. I called your mother and father because they’re your family. They needed to be the ones to help.”

“Sometimes you’re brilliant.”

“Only sometimes, eh?”

She laughed again. “No one’s smart all the time. I think the older you get, the smarter you get.”

“Or maybe you’ve just gotten to know me better.” It was an odd thing to say, because they’d known each other almost their entire lives. But once Dusty hit his teenage years he hadn’t slowed down long enough to say more than an occasional hello to her. And after she’d gotten pregnant with Sarah, the only place he’d seen her was at the café when she was working.

“I’ve known you forever, Dusty Carson.”

“Yeah, but we didn’t hang out together after a while.”

She was quiet for a minute. “That’s true. I never looked at it like that.”

“Me, neither. Tell me a secret,” he suggested, spontaneously.

“A secret?”

“Yeah, tell me something you’ve never told another person.” He grinned to himself in the dark. As far as distractions went, that was a good one. He didn’t want Teressa worrying about the baby until they had to.

When she was quiet for a couple of minutes he wondered if his ploy had failed. “I wanted to ask you to my senior prom, but you started going steady with Carol, so I didn’t.”

“Carol.” He narrowed his eyes. He kind of remembered her.

“Oh, my God, don’t tell me you don’t remember her. Everywhere I looked, you two were making out.”

“Ohhh, Carol. Right.”

“Are you smiling right now?”

He doused his grin. “Nah. You should have asked me, anyway. I might have gone with you. Who did you go with?”

“Billy Tomalsin.”

“Okay. I remember that.” Even back then, he’d had a weird need to protect Teressa. Billy liked to brag about his dates. When he suggested he’d gotten to second base with Teressa on prom night, Dusty had plowed his fist into Billy’s big mouth. He’d gotten in a lot of trouble for that fight.

“Your turn. Tell me something I don’t know about you.”

“I beat up Billy after he took you home prom night.”

Teressa swatted his arm. “That was you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“No one would talk about it. Why did you do that? He never asked me out again.”

Good. “I probably had a few too many beers and felt like getting into a fight.” Even now he couldn’t bring himself to embarrass her by telling her what Billy had said. Dusty had threatened to beat up everyone at the late-night bonfire if he ever heard another word about Billy’s date with Teressa.

“It’s okay with me if you want a beer once in a while.”

He covered her hand that rested on the console between them. “I might have one when this baby is born. Are you still getting cramps?”

“A bit.”

“We’re almost there. We’ll be fine.”

“I hope so.”

He heard tears in her voice and wondered if she just meant that she hoped the baby would be fine or if that hope extended to their relationship, as well. The next few hours could make a big difference in their lives, because if there was no baby...well, they’d see. He was a little rusty with praying, but he thought this might be the time to start trying.