“What the hell…?”

“Dude, you have to put that book down. You’re getting a little crazy.”

Carter barely glanced up from the page to give Kirk an annoyed glare.

“I’m serious,” Kirk said, stepping into the office. “I get how you want to be informed and all, but this can’t be good for you.”

“You’re the one who told me about the damn book,” Carter snapped. “Do you realize how much there is to know about pregnancy? I have no idea how Daisy’s handling it all!”

“My sister has four kids. That’s how I know about the book. My brother-in-law swears it saved him from doing stupid things during Lisa’s pregnancy.”

“Wait, what?”

Huffing with mild irritation, Kirk leaned on the desk and whipped the book out of Carter’s hand. “He read the book so he was prepared for the stages of pregnancy when Lisa was going to need more sleep or when it’s more common for her ankles to swell. He knew not to freak out when she started to snore or when she was popping antacids like they were Pez.” He waved the book around. “But he only read a chapter at a time and only when they were approaching that phase of the pregnancy or if he had a question.”

Standing up, Carter snatched the book back. “Yeah, well, that’s because he was there with Lisa to witness it all and knew what was going on. Daisy calls me after her doctor’s appointment, but…”

“You got to help put the crib together,” Kirk said conversationally. “And you said you met her folks.”

Carter rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Big deal.”

“What? You said they were nice.”

He shrugged. “They were, but I think they were just being polite. It was obvious that they weren’t exactly thrilled that I was the one who knocked up their daughter.”

“From what you’ve told me about Daisy, can you blame them? I mean I only saw her for like ten seconds, and even I could tell that the two of you look kinda weird together.”

“Thanks.”

“Just being honest, man,” Kirk said, holding his hands out defensively. “She’s your typical sweet librarian, and you’re…”

“What?” Carter demanded. “I’m what?”

“You’re a big, tatted biker,” Kirk said with amusement. “Now granted, that doesn’t make you a bad person. I happen to know you’re a big old softie. Just look at how you’ve been taking care of that big mutt.”

“Teddy’s not so bad. He just needs a little TLC.”

“He looks like a beast, and I think you’re going to find that most people will run in the opposite direction to avoid him. But not you.” He smiled. “Maybe it’s why the two of you have bonded.”

“Why?”

“Because you both look like these big, scary dudes, but deep down, you’re sweet. I think you understand him, and that’s why you’re drawn to him.”

“Thanks for the praise, Dr. Phil,” Carter mocked. “But I wasn’t drawn to Teddy. He was there and he hasn’t left. I don’t believe in being cruel to animals, so I fed him.”

“And we have a big bucket of dog food here now because…”

Carter huffed. “I just said why. There’s no reason to sit and watch the dog starve.”

“You could just call animal control,” Kirk suggested.

“Weren’t you just the one who said people will run from him? Do you honestly think they’re going to find someone to adopt him?” he scoffed.

“And the new studded collar he’s now wearing?” The smirk on his face made Carter want to punch him.

Hard.

“Weren’t we talking about Daisy?”

“No. We were talking about you being obsessed with this damn What to Expect book,” Kirk replied. “It’s a good reference book. You don’t need to read it from cover to cover every day.”

“I haven’t been that bad.”

Kirk gave him a look that said otherwise.

“Don’t you have work to do?” Carter snapped, and once Kirk was out of the office, he glanced down at the book. It really did have a lot of information, and he had to wonder if Daisy was experiencing any of the things he’d read about.

He let out a sigh and couldn’t help but try to imagine what Daisy was dealing with. Was she already resenting this pregnancy? With all the weird symptoms and body changes the book talked about, she had to be at least mildly freaked out.

He sure as hell was.

And then, because he couldn’t seem to help himself, his mind wandered to his own mother. His father had mentioned more than once how sick his mother had been while she was pregnant with Carter, and now he had to wonder if that had anything to do with her decision to leave. Even though his father had done a great job raising his sons, he still admitted to not being a very good husband—he’d said more than once that he could have shown a little more compassion or been a little more supportive.

Maybe if he had, Carter’s mom might not have left.

Here was an opportunity to learn from someone else’s mistake.

Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw it was only two in the afternoon. Things were slow in the shop—nothing Kirk couldn’t handle on his own—maybe he could cut out early and take a ride into Preston.

A slow smile spread across his face, and he stepped around the desk and began to head for the door.

“Oops,” he murmured before turning around and grabbing the book. With a sense of purpose, he walked out of the office. “Now I’m ready.”

***

“Carter? What are you doing here?”

The surprised look on Daisy’s face—and her lack of smile—didn’t deter him. He held up the shopping bags in his hands and gave her a lopsided grin. “I come bearing gifts.”

She seemed to relax a little as she stepped aside to let him in. “I wish you had called first.”

He put the bags down on the living room sofa and faced her. “Do you have plans?” he asked. “Because if I’m interrupting, I can go and maybe come back tomorrow.”

Daisy closed the door and walked over and began to curiously look at the bags. “Um, no, I don’t have any plans. It’s just I wasn’t expecting anyone and…” She straightened and motioned to her outfit.

Personally, he thought she looked adorable. This was a new look for her—a pair of yoga pants, an oversized T-shirt that showed her barely rounded belly, and her hair up in a ponytail. He’d seen her as a sexy siren and the good-girl librarian, but this girl standing in front of him? She was by far the most appealing.

He swallowed hard and turned his attention to the packages. “So, uh, I’ve been reading that What to Expect book, and I got you some things.”

“Wait, what?” she asked, confusion written all over her face. “Why?”

“It occurred to me,” he began nervously, raking a hand through his hair, “that there is a lot to know about pregnancy. I know I’m overwhelmed, and I’m just reading about it. You’re experiencing it, feeling it, and I figured there might be a lot that you’re dealing with, and I wanted to help.”

“Carter—”

Holding up a hand to stop her, he took a steadying breath and mentally prepared himself to dazzle her with how considerate he was to her needs.

“First you should probably be sitting down,” he said, gently taking her by the shoulders and guiding her down onto the sofa. “You’re on your feet all day, and this is the stage of pregnancy where you’re prone to swelling in your ankles.”

“Carter, really. It’s not—”

He pulled a small footstool from one of the bags and immediately placed it under her feet. “You should try to keep your feet elevated, even mildly so, as much as possible. It’s good for you.”

Daisy looked at him with irritation. “My ankles aren’t swelling. They’re fine.”

“Not right now but it’s coming. Trust me. The book mentioned it a lot.”

“Why are you reading that book again?”

“Are you serious?” he asked. “How am I supposed to know what’s going on and how to help you if I don’t learn from somewhere?”

Her expression softened a little. “That’s really sweet of you, but it’s not necessary.”

He waved her off and reached into another bag and pulled out a six-pack of antacids. And then four other varieties. Placing them all on the coffee table, he motioned to them proudly.

“Heartburn,” he said firmly. “It’s apparently a real concern at this stage. All of these are doctor approved to help you while you’re pregnant.”

“I think this is a little overkill, Carter. I can’t imagine having so much heartburn that I’d need all this.”

“Oh.” Now he felt stupid. “I just thought…”

Standing back up, Daisy rested a hand on his arm. “No, no, it’s good. Now I’ll have enough here and not have to worry about running out. Thank you.”

She smiled up at him, and it hit Carter like a punch in the gut.

It was crazy. The attraction he felt for her at the wedding had been one thing. And the day he’d first shown up here at her building and saw her told him that he was still attracted to her. But all the confusion that went along with finding out she was pregnant had pushed any of those previous thoughts aside. When he thought about Daisy, it tended to be in the mindset of mother of his child.

But that certainly was how he was feeling right now.

Hell, if she gave him even the slightest bit of encouragement, he’d definitely act on it too.

Her big green eyes looked up at him—practically beckoned him—and Carter felt himself leaning toward her. She licked her lips, and he almost groaned.

“Um, what else is in the bags?” she asked.

Okay. Clearly he was seeing things that weren’t there, and thankfully he hadn’t tried to kiss her.

“I… uh… I bought some things for the baby,” he said, clearing his throat. “Some blankets and socks and some of those onesie things.”

For the next few minutes, Carter sat back and watched Daisy ooh and aah over the tiny baby things. It was almost dinnertime, and he was about to ask her if she wanted to get something to eat when his phone rang.

Kirk. And he was using their 911 code, meaning there was an emergency at the shop.

“Excuse me for a minute,” he said as he stepped away and called. Five minutes later, he was heading for the door. “Sorry, angel. I need to get back to the shop. We’ve got a client who had a bad wreck with his bike, and he doesn’t want to talk to Kirk about repairs. He’s one of our best customers so…”

“It’s okay, Carter. Really. You didn’t need to do all this, but I’m glad you stopped by.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay then,” he said, and for an awkward moment, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do or say. “I guess I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Great. And thanks again.”

Even though he hated leaving, he knew they had managed to break into some new territory here and maybe—just maybe—he could start being a little more involved in her life.

***

The following week, Carter found himself back at Daisy’s door bearing more gifts. He’d called first and even offered to bring dinner—which he had precariously perched in one hand—while carrying his assortment of helpful items in the other.

“Oh my goodness, Carter! What have you done?” Daisy asked when she opened the door.

“What? I told you I was bringing dinner,” he said as she took the pizza from his hand.

“I can see that, but what’s with the rest of the bags? I thought we talked about this.”

He cut her off. “Have you been snoring?” he asked.

She stopped in her tracks and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “What?”

“Snoring,” he said, putting the bags down on the coffee table. “Because congestion is a big issue in the second trimester. And you have to be careful about what you take because you don’t want to harm the baby.”

“I’m not congested, Carter,” she said, and there was no mistaking her annoyance.

“Well, I did a little research, and I talked to Chris and…”

“What does Chris have to do with this?” she demanded even as she opened the pizza box and took out a slice.

He had to admire how she could multitask like that.

It was adorable.

“I went and found some great filters for the apartment to help with the air quality, and I bought an air purifier and a top-of-the-line humidifier as well.” Then he reached into one of the bags and pulled out a couple of small plants and began placing them around the room.

“Um, Carter?”

“This one is aloe,” he began as he placed it on her kitchen counter. “And besides being a great air purifier, it’s just useful to have around in case you cut or burn yourself while cooking.” Then he walked over and picked up another plant. “This is lavender and it smells great, has beautiful flowers on it, and it’s supposed to help relax you too.”

“I really don’t think this is necessary—”

“This one here,” he went on, “is rosemary. Great for cooking and for the air. Multipurpose, all of them.” He placed it on the opposite end of the kitchen counter before going back for one more.

“I’m not really a fan of—”

“This one here is small now, but you’ll need to repot it soon. I guess I should have thought of that. I’ll bring all that stuff next time. But this spider plant will grow to be much bigger, but it’s a powerful air purifier too.” He placed it on a small shelf in the corner and then looked around. “I probably should have brought some for you to put on your desk at work…”

“Carter,” she snapped. “Seriously, this is overkill. There is nothing wrong with the air in here.”

He was immediately at her side, his hands on her shoulders, and it hit him just how delicate she was. “This is an older building, and Chris assured me that everything’s been updated, but being a little cautious can’t hurt. Let me just change those filters, and then I promise to let the subject drop, okay?”

She nodded and went back for a second slice of pizza while he worked. Once all the filters were changed, he grabbed a slice for himself. While Daisy busied herself with a phone call from her mother, Carter set up the air purifier and humidifier. By the time she was off the phone, there were still two slices of pizza left and he let her have them, and he couldn’t help but smile at how much pleasure she got from her food.

“I kind of feel bad that I didn’t bring dessert,” he teased.

“I’ve got ice cream,” she said. “I can whip up a milkshake anytime I want.”

He was about to ask if she wanted to whip one up now, but Chloe knocked on the door, and within minutes he could tell that the two of them wanted to talk. Reluctantly he decided to leave and promised to see her soon.

“Isn’t your next doctor’s appointment next week?” he asked when he was about to leave.

Daisy nodded.

“Can I… I mean… would it be okay if I went with you?”

Daisy looked at him and then Chloe and back to him before she agreed.

And feeling lighter than he had in a while, he walked over and kissed her on the cheek before leaving.

***

They decided that Carter would pick her up from the library and they’d drive to the doctor’s office together. It wasn’t that it was far, but he had insisted that he wanted to do it this way. He arrived a few minutes earlier than their agreed-upon time because he was curious about her job. The last time he’d been in a library, he’d been in high school, so he really was a little self-conscious about the whole thing.

Stepping inside, it took a minute for him to look around, and that was when he spotted her.

On a ladder.

Balancing on one foot.

Sprinting across the library, he was immediately beside her and whisking her down.

“Carter!” she cried. “What in the world?”

“Are you crazy? What are you doing up on a ladder in your condition?”

Daisy looked around nervously and then glared at him. “Why not say it a little louder? I don’t think the people over on Main Street heard you.”

He sighed loudly. “That was dangerous and you know it!”

“I was three feet off the ground. You need to calm down.” Looking at her watch, she looked up at him and frowned. “And you’re early.”

“Oh, so that makes it all right for you to be playing the part of a daredevil?”

She rolled her eyes. “Can you please go and sit down someplace so I can finish up? I have a few more things to do before I can go.”

“Any of them involve ladders or tightropes?” he asked sarcastically.

“No, but someone has to put the flaming butcher knives away,” she replied with an equal amount of snark.

Some of the other employees were staring at them along with some of the patrons, so Carter decided to play it cool and do as she asked, and he found a place to sit down.

He jumped up thirty seconds later when he spotted Daisy walking by, carrying a large box. He immediately took it from her hands and almost fell over from the momentum.

It was an empty box.

As he did his best to regain his balance, he caught the smirk on her face. “You realize how ridiculous you are, right?” she asked before she walked over to the front desk and grabbed her purse.

It wasn’t until they were outside that she spoke again. “I’m going to be docked the fifteen minutes early that I’m leaving because of you.”

“No one said we had to leave.”

She stopped and stared at him. “Seriously? How was I supposed to work with you hovering and being all… all… crazy and overprotective?”

He could have argued how it was called caring but decided to let it go for now. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her before her appointment.

It didn’t take long to get to the doctor’s office, and it was surprisingly busy when they arrived. Daisy checked herself in and sat beside him, but they didn’t speak. They were early, so Carter was prepared to wait. There were a ton of questions he had for the doctor—most of them he’d written down and had the list in his pocket—but maybe he should ask Daisy some of them now.

“So what’s going to happen here today? Anything I should be prepared for?”

She shook her head. “It’s a fairly routine visit today. They’ll check my weight, my blood pressure, and ask how I’m feeling. I’m sure we’ll listen to the baby’s heartbeat too,” she said with a smile. “That’s my favorite part. Well apart from the sonogram when I got to see him.”

“Him?” Carter asked expectantly.

Daisy laughed softly. “I told you it’s too soon to know, but I hate calling the baby it.”

He nodded. “What about another sonogram? Will they do that today?”

“No. They only do them like twice during the pregnancy. But we can ask when the next one will be.”

Hell, Carter hated how he’d missed the first one, but there was no way he’d miss the next one. Pulling out his phone, he began to do a Google search on ultrasounds. Holding up his phone to her, he said, “It says here they can tell the sex of the baby around fifteen weeks! That’s us like… now, right? So why can’t we ask them to do it today?” His voice was getting a little loud, and people were starting to look.

Daisy closed her eyes, and he could tell she was annoyed.

Again.

When they called her name, he could have sworn he heard her mumble, “Thank God,” but he couldn’t be sure.

And just like she predicted, Carter stood back while the nurse took her weight and blood pressure and the rest of her vitals. It was all normal, and he found himself breathing a sigh of relief. Daisy was in good health, so that was good news for the baby.

Five minutes later, the doctor came in, and no sooner had she said hello to Daisy then Carter began his questions.

“Is there any way we can get a sonogram done today?” he began. “Is everything on track with the baby? Shouldn’t Daisy weigh more by now or be showing more?”

“Carter!” she cried.

“And what about working? Is it really safe for Daisy to be on her feet all day and climbing ladders?”

“You’re climbing ladders?” her doctor asked with mild concern.

Daisy glared at him. “It was a step stool so I could put some books on the top shelf,” she explained. “It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Do her ankles look swollen to you?” he asked. “Is bed rest an option?”

“Carter!”

“And what do you think about the importance of dental care? I read how pregnant women can have really sensitive gums and they need to be extra diligent during their pregnancy. Is that something you can handle here, or do we need to find a special dentist or—”

“Oh good grief!” Daisy groaned.

Dr. Miles smiled at them both. “It’s good to see a dad-to-be who is genuinely concerned for your well-being,” she began. “However, Daisy is in excellent health, and there is no reason for her to be restricting any of her normal activities.” And before Carter could ask another question, she said, “Let’s hear that heartbeat, okay?”

He nodded, and within minutes the only sound in the room was his baby’s heartbeat.

Carter’s own heart lodged in his throat. He reached for Daisy’s hand and squeezed it. Unable to help himself, his free hand reached out and touched her belly. It was the most incredible moment. In his entire life, he never thought he’d experience something like this. There was a baby in there. His baby. Their baby. And it was breathing and moving and…

“That is a strong heartbeat, Mom and Dad,” Dr. Miles said. “Everything sounds great.”

“When will you do another sonogram?” he asked.

“Here in the office we only do two, but there are now ultrasound studios you can go to at any time and get 3-D and 4-D pictures of your baby. When you check out, ask Lorraine at the desk, and she’ll give you some brochures.”

Carter sat down and waited while Dr. Miles finished talking with Daisy, and when they walked out, he asked about the brochures before Daisy could. He talked excitedly about them on the way to the car and all the way back to Daisy’s apartment.

She was noticeably quiet.

When she opened the door, she stood in the doorway and didn’t make an attempt to invite him inside.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” he asked. “I probably should have thought of that before we got here, but if you want, I can go and get something and bring it back.”

And then, his mild-mannered librarian seemed to snap.

“I cannot believe after the way you carried on today that you think I’d want to have something to eat with you!”

“The way I—”

“Yes!” she snapped. “Do you have any idea how mortified I was by some of those questions you asked Dr. Miles?”

“But the book says—”

“I swear to you if I had that book here right now I would beat you with it! And I love books! All books! But you have ruined that particular book for me!”

“Daisy, I’m sorry! I’m just trying to help!”

“You want to help, Carter? Go home.”

And with that she slammed the door in his face.