LWLU – Pregnant Pause

With effort, Sara tore her gaze away from the glass – and Michael’s gaze – to turn to Nika.  She spoke after the briefest of pauses.  “Just looking at nature.  It looks peaceful out there.”

Nika came up beside her and stared outside.  “Whatever.  It looks cold out there to me.”  She glanced in the direction of the kitchen.  “What are you two conspiring about in there?”

Lincoln met Sara’s eyes and then Nika’s, slugging Michael in the arm.  “Lil’ bro was just trying to get some details about last night that I’m not giving up.”

She laughed.  “Yeah, that sounds like the Mike I know.”  She held her stomach.  “Ugh.”

Sara’s eyes locked on her friend’s hands.  The baby.  “What’s wrong?  Do you need something?”

“Sure do.  I’m starving.  I could eat, like, a horse right now if I didn’t think I’d gain a million pounds for it.  God knows, I’m gaining enough weight right now as it is.”

That was all the confirmation Sara needed to feel the knife twist in her heart.  There was no other reason for Nika to gain weight if not for the pregnancy.  “Do you want me to make you something?”

“Ah, thanks, but no.”  Her bright eyes searched the room for Michael.  “Mike, you’ll make me an omelet, right?”

“Why is it always an omelet with you?”  He grimaced and turned back towards the kitchen.

Nika ran and jumped on his back.  “Because the only thing you make better is that yummy French toast of yours and I know the syrup won’t sit well on my stomach this morning.”

Her hollow chest ached in a way she’d thought impossible as she watched them disappear into the kitchen.  How did it never get any easier to watch Michael and Nika together?  If she weren’t still getting over her bout of puppy love then she’d think they were cute together.

Cute?  That was probably the wrong thought.  But still…there was something about watching a young couple on the verge of starting their life together that felt so right.  And with a baby on the way…How could she possibly begrudge them their happiness?

What kind of person did it make her that she’d been making out with a man who had a baby on the way the previous night?

“Sara…can I talk to you?”

Lincoln’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.  “I wasn’t eavesdropping, if that’s what this is about.  I don’t know what you and your brother were discussing.”

He leaned a hip against the back of the couch.  “That’s not what this is about.  Even if you had heard…that’s a conversation to have with Mikey, not me.”

“Why is he doing this to me, Lincoln?  And don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”  Her eyes implored him to answer.  “Please.”

“That’s the thing about my brother, Sara…he…wants it all.”

“No matter who he hurts?”

“I never said he was perfect.”

Sara glanced towards the kitchen to make sure Nika wasn’t about to come bounding back to join them.  “There are more people involved than just me and him.  There are other people who don’t deserve to be hurt in all this.”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Sara.  If I’ve told him once, I’ve told him a hundred times.”  He rubbed his hand over his head a few times.  “For what it’s worth, I’m really pulling for you and Paul.  He’s been my best friend for a lot of years.  We’ve been through a lot together.”

Yeah.  Sara could relate to that.  She’d been through a lot with Paul as well.  Aloud, “Well, I was always pulling for you and Roni, even when the two of you weren’t.”

“That means a lot.”  His demeanor changed and he shifted his weight a few times.  “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

“About Veronica?  Why?”

“I didn’t mean for that to happen last night.  I just wanted to check on her, not…well…Anyway, I wasn’t trying to cause any extra problems for you this weekend.  I know my brother is doing enough of that as it is.”

“Are you kidding?  I think it’s great that you two are back together.”

“Me too.  I just wish I hadn’t hurt Jane in the process.”

“I think Jane’s more angry than hurt right now,” Paul said, joining them in the room, his hair damp from the shower.  “She looked ready to take my head off when I was leaving the bathroom before she realized it was me and not you.”  He smacked Lincoln on the shoulder.  “I’d watch your step around that one, Linc.”

“Yeah, she’s not really known for having an even temper.  That was sort of why I liked her.”  He let out a sigh.  “I really fucked this one up.”

Paul nodded, causing a few droplets to loosen from his hair and land on his shirt.  “If I were you, I’d make a point to stay out of her way for the rest of the weekend.  Maybe keep the public displays with Veronica to a minimum.”

“Yeah, that’s easy for you to say.  Every time I see her I don’t know how I ever kept my hands off her for so long.”

“I might know a little something about that.”  His intense blue eyes found Sara’s gaze and held it.

Sara could feel her skin flushing in response to his look as though he’d touched her.  “You and Veronica should take my room tonight.  It’ll give you a little added distance from Jane.” She bit her lip.  “I won’t be in it anyway.”

Lincoln looked back and forth between them, took in the look they shared and cleared his throat.  “I’m going to check on Veronica.  I don’t like how long her and Jane have been upstairs alone together.”

She might have said something to acknowledge his leaving, but if she did, she didn’t know what she’d said.  The only thing in the room to her was Paul…and he seemed to be getting closer.  He was getting closer.  And then his arms were around her waist.

“So that’s a definite for tonight then, Angel?”

“Yeah.”  She grinned up at him.  “It sort of has to be now that I’ve given my room away.”

“Naw.  I could be a gentleman and let you sleep on the couch if you really wanted to.”

“Oh, you could, huh?”

He tilted her chin up.  “Yeah.”

“Do either of you want an omelet or something while I’ve got the skillet hot?”  Mike asked from the doorway, spatula in hand.

Sara’s hands dropped from where they were bunched in the fabric at the front of Paul’s shirt, the moment utterly shattered.  “No.  I’m not much of a breakfast person anymore.”

“Paul?”  The disdain was evident is his steely gaze when he said his name.

“No, thanks.  I want to get started on refinishing the table before I lose too much of the daylight.”

He started for the glass door to the patio, but Sara caught his arm.  “You know you don’t have to do that.”

“I know I don’t.”  He gave her a smile that would melt her heart, if Michael hadn’t already ripped it out.  “It’s something I want to do for you.”

She watched him open the door and realized jeans and a baggy grey tee shirt weren’t going to do much to protect him from the frigid air outside.  “You’re insane.  It’s freezing out there.”

“I’ll be fine.  I’m always hot so the cold never bothered me…but you already know I’m like a furnace after last night.”  He winked and closed the door.

Michael cleared his throat.  “God, do the two of you have to be so disgustingly sweet together?  You’re making me sick with it.”

“Trust me, Michael,” she began, glaring at him.  “The feeling is more than mutual.”

He opened his mouth to say something, seemed to think better of it and retreated back into the kitchen where Nika was making yummy noises while she ate.  Rather than follow him into the kitchen for more bickering, or dwelling on how miserable he was making her, Sara turned her attention to the window where she could watch Paul pulling the supplies he’d need out of the garage.

Why couldn’t the man she loved and the man who loved her be the same person?

“Sara…I need you.”

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