It’s often the little gestures that make a person plunge deeper into a relationship. I recognize this fact when Dane walks into the bathroom while I’m soaking in the tub and he places a glass of sweet tea on the ledge beside me.

“I called your name earlier,” Dane says and positions himself on his haunches beside the tub. “You didn’t hear me. Everything good?”

“Mmm,” I answer and admire the way his eyes crinkle at the corners when he smiles. I’ve been soaking too long and my fingers are beginning to wrinkle. The dome of my stomach rises above the water. I’ve quit being shy around Dane. He’s seen every stretched centimeter of my body and it is what it is.

The way he looks at me tells me he honestly likes what he sees. I thought most guys were too brainwashed by cultural norms to dig a pregnant body. Not Dane, though. That depth of tenderness checks the box for me when it comes to a soul mate. Maybe I was wrong about Dane. Maybe he loves me in a real way not in my romance novels—no proclamations of love until the end of time…only true affection demonstrated by the way he cares about my day and my feelings and my health.

“Sorry I’m late. The bar was busy, so I had to leave after the supper rush. You’d think people would be at home getting ready for Thanksgiving tomorrow, but the holidays bring out people trying to stay away from family. A lot of unhappy people.”

“That’s so sad.” I frown. Tomorrow we’ll be going to Cece and Marty’s Thanksgiving dinner. There’ll be food like I used to have when my parents were alive—homemade bread rolls, green bean casserole, and pecan pie.

I even asked Grandma Lulu to come with us, and she’s bringing a friend. He’s a younger man and I can’t wait to tease her about him.

My only regret is that I wonder if Ellen will be alone with a frozen dinner or nothing at all. My heart aches at the thought, but I’m sure it would be wrong to ask Cece to bring her as well.

“I brought some dinner home.” He swipes one finger across my cheek. “You look real comfy in there.”

“I’d ask you to get in, but there’s no room here since I’m the size of a Beluga whale.”

He trails a finger into the water and then along the side of one heavy breast and over my nipple that pebbles at his touch. “Only one more month to go and we get to meet him. Or her.”

“I may stay in this tub forever.” I sink deeper into the water, although my stomach still stays above water as if it’s an island. The days seem to crawl lately. I’m ready to let this baby make its entrance into the world, but I also cherish this time with just me and Dane.

“Dinner’s going to get cold. Don’t make me come in there to get you,” he teases. “Come on my little mermaid. I’ll go stick your towel in the dryer so it’ll be warm.” He grabs the folded towel from the corner of the tub.

“You don’t have to do that,” I say, but he’s already gone. I rub one hand absently over my belly and close my eyes. Mermaid, indeed.

When Dane returns, he holds out my towel which is no longer folded into a square.

“A toasty-warm towel. It’s my hook to get you out and fed.”

I don’t know why, but this gesture makes me want to cry it’s so sweet. I thought I was over this hormonal crap. I can’t imagine anything more distasteful than a Beluga whale crying over a warm towel. I heave myself from the tub while he holds one hand. He wraps the soft, heated cloth around me, and it barely covers all my skin. My belly actually peeps from the gap at the front.

“Thanks,” I whisper with a hoarse edge to my voice. Hope he doesn’t hear my emotions so close to the surface. “I can take it from here.”

“What’s wrong?” He furrows his brow and looks over my face, trying to pry my mind open and extract all my little secrets.

“As much as I do enjoy having you help me, I can take it from here. I’ll be there in a minute.”

He grabs my hand, slides his big fingers through my smaller ones, and drags me close. “Five minutes or I’m coming back in for a search and rescue.” His eyes roam over my face once more as if assuring himself that I’m all right.

“I’m starving. Now go on. Shoo. I need a minute.”

After kissing the tip of my nose, he releases my hand and leaves me alone in the bathroom. I stare at the face in the mirror. What’s wrong with me?

I have what I’ve always wanted—Dane acting like I hung the moon.

But I know the answer as soon as I ask myself. I’m afraid that it’s temporary as the fall weather outside. Soon the baby will be here and I’m scared. I want more with Dane.

His actions say so much, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s all tied to the baby. For some women, it would be enough.

As I promised, I am dressed in my pajamas and at the table within minutes. We eat for several minutes in silence. I’m positive he senses my mood, but he doesn’t ask about it again.

“Did you get your lab results?” he says around a bite of bread roll.

“Yes, I told you I would let you know and I forgot. Iron levels are good.”

“I brought home some of your favorite ice cream for dessert.”

I moan and rub my stomach. “Honestly, you’re going to feel bad when I pop from too much food. No dessert. I think I’d like to go to bed early and relax with a book. Do you want to watch television in the bedroom? I won’t mind.”

Call me needy.

For some reason, the thought of being able to read with my head on his shoulder gives me comfort for the hormonal mess I’m in. He nods, looking concerned and bewildered since I never ask him to come to bed with me.

At least not for reading that is.

“I’ll meet you in there in a few minutes.” Dane hops to his feet and begins clearing the table before I can offer to help. “I’ll put the dishes up and you get into bed. I’m worried that you’re working too hard at the store.”

“I’m fine. Just tired. And bed is my favorite thing these days.” I give him a cheeky grin so he’ll stop fretting.

I take several steps to the doorway, then turn and watch him. My guy being all domestic.

He glances at me and leans a hip against the counter, our dinner plates in hand. “Want to know my favorite part of the day? Coming home, here, and knowing that you’ll be waiting for me. It’s the best thing that’s ever happened—you and me.” As if the emotion is too much, he looks away and turns on the sink faucet.

One tear slips from the corner of my eye and rolls down my cheek. I swat it away with the back of my hand. I thought I wanted the fluffy, romantic stuff in life and here I am unable to handle it.

This is what it feels like to be alive. More than the breathing and working and playing. Being alive is possessing that intense love for someone.

And it’s also taking a risk…like telling a guy you love him.

I walk into the bedroom and put my robe and slippers away. Dane walks in a minute later with a book in his hands. He holds it up and says, “This is what you’re reading right now?"

I get into the bed and pull the covers over my legs. He’s even propped up the pillows for me in a seated position where I can read. “Yes,” I answer.

Without another word, he slips into my side of the bed and sits next to me against a pillow. He still holds the book, then drapes his free arm over my shoulders and pulls me against his chest. “Good. Do you know how many books are in this house? I must’ve gotten lucky to pick one you’re currently reading. Or maybe you read half a dozen at once. There are bookmarks in so many of them.”

“Guilty,” I answer, my lips tilting at the corners. “There are millions of books to be read. If I read them one at a time, I'll never finish them all.”

“Rest your head on my shoulder,” he says. “Thought I'd read to you.”

I squirm, a little embarrassed that he thinks I need tenderness. I only need Dane to be himself. “I swear I’m all right. You really don’t have to do this.”

“It’s what I want to do. If you ever tell any of the guys I did this, I’ll deny it.”

“I’ve never been read to in my entire life. When Leo and I were kids, Mom had enough to take care of with twins on her own and Dad traveling for work.”

“Mom read to me all the time,” he says and opens to the metal placeholder in my book. “I’m going to read to our child.”

He’s absolutely going to kill me with kindness tonight. Tell him you love him.

Of all of the books he could have chosen, he’s picked up a romance. Paranormal romance to be exact. This should be an education for Dane. He balances my copy of Saving Mercy on his chest and begins reading chapter five aloud. Within minutes, we’re both engrossed in the story of the son of a serial killer who finds the most unlikely of soul mates.

After one chapter, my eyelids are heavy and my hormones are quieted. “I'm going to be snoring in a minute. This was nice.”

“It was getting good. Are you sure?”

I laugh at his question. “You like this story?”

“Yeah,” he says without hesitation. “After you go to sleep, I may back up and read the beginning.”

“You do that.” I pull in a deep breath and exhale. This man isn’t afraid to be real with me. “Dane?”

“Yeah, Butterfly?”

“I want you to know…well, I should’ve said it before tonight. Now you’ll think it’s because you read to me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s just that…” I whisper the words like it's a secret. And it is. A sappy little secret held deep in my heart for so long. “I love you.”

His arm tenses around me and I hear his heart speed up beneath my ear.

Maybe it was the wrong thing to say. “You don't have to say it back.”

“Stop right there.” The words are harsh. Angry. He sits up in the bed and I’m forced to move up with him. He places his hands on both sides of my head. A lover’s hold. “I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember.”

His hands slide down and around my neck. Then he attempts to pull me closer but my darn belly is in the way.

I rest my palms on his bare chest and stare at my hands because looking into his eyes feels too hard. It’s like a dream that might end. “I didn’t know.”

“How could you not? I thought it was clear. ‘Cause I do love you so much. But you deserve the best, and I worry that I’ll fail you. I'll do my damnedest to make you happy.”

His lips press against mine in a tender kiss. When he lifts his head, dark eyes search mine. “Is this what’s been wrong tonight? You were worried about us?”

“No. Maybe. Okay. Yes.” I scoot as close as possible and he lies back with his arms still around me.

He chuckles, and I enjoy the solid feel of him beneath my head. “So, all the summers I spent with your family at the cabin. You didn’t guess?”

I lift my chin so I can see his face. “I thought you liked me as a friend.”

“You didn’t notice the way I couldn’t take my eyes or hands off you?”

I wrinkle my nose. “You were a teenage boy.”

“I was a horny teenage boy in love with his best friend’s sister. Big difference.”

“The biggest.” And with that, I sigh and close my eyes. “Night, best friend.”

“Night, Butterfly.”

* * *

I wake to the sound of voices in the living room and an empty spot where Dane should be. The sheets are still warm from his body heat and the room dark.

Slinging a hand over to the nightstand, I blindly pat the surface until I hit my cell phone. I squint at the display. Six a.m.

I swing my legs over the side of the bed grabbing my chenille robe from the hook behind my bedroom door and pad softly down the hall. I freeze at the sound of Ellen's voice. Maybe it’s not her voice as much as her words that stop my movement.

"I didn't steal those rings,” she says. “I borrowed them. I only needed to use them for collateral. And I need to borrow some money to get them back. You’re lucky I caught you before you went to work.”

“When did you take them?” he asks, sounding as confused as I feel.

“At the shower. Your lady was laughing and carrying on with Cece so much, she barely paid attention to me. Then you got mad about the cake because of her.”

“Wait. Are you crazy? There’s no justification.” Each of Dane’s words vibrates with anger.

“All that baby stuff surrounding her chair like she was a queen. She doesn’t need for things like I do. But she’s your woman, so I’ll make it right. I don't have the money to get the rings out of hock, and the pawnbroker says he's going to turn me into the cops. She must have reported them missing because they came in asking my pawn guy about her rings.”

“What’s wrong with you? How could you even do this? It crosses a line. You stole from Josie. For that matter, you stole from me because we’re one and the same. I should call the police myself.”

I stare down at my bare hands, devoid of jewelry due to my swelling fingers. My heartbeat thumps loud as a kettle drum in my ears. It’s impossible for me to imagine Ellen taking my things.

“What do you need the money for?” Dane asks, his terse tone strained and unnatural. His pain is my pain.

“I have bills to pay.”

“I don't believe you. There’s some other reason.” Dane’s voice is calmer now. Deadly calm. There’s a steely quality now that worries me even more, the spigot to his emotions now closed.

I press my back against the wall and debate on whether I should let them know I’m listening or not. She’s got to have a good reason for doing something so detestable.

“Give me the pawn shop ticket,” Dane says. “I’ll go get the rings myself. We’re done, Ellen. It’s too hard. I can’t trust you and all you bring is heartache to everyone around you. Josie doesn’t need this kind of stress. Give me the ticket and go home.”

“What do you mean we’re done?” Ellen says in a shrill voice. “We’re blood. We’re never done.”

“You’re an embarrassment. I’m sorry I ever let you into my life.”

My legs wobble.

“I’ve tried to make this work,” Dane says, resignation fills his voice. “Do you know how hard it is to know I’m your son?”

There’s the sound of someone pacing. Then the click and pop of an opening door. “You have to go before you wake Josie.”

“It’s all about her, isn’t it? She told you to cut your ties with me. Do you think she’ll be around forever? The girl probably got pregnant on purpose. That’s how they work.”

For a brief moment, I have a stupid inkling of self-doubt. Surely Dane won't believe her. But my anger at Ellen rushes on-board. Before I can stop myself, I'm striding forward and into the family room. This is my house and it was crazy for me to hide in the shadows. Ellen and Dane are so caught up in their argument that they don't see me for several seconds. When Dane finally notices, he shakes his head at me. “It’s okay Josie. Go back to bed. Ellen was leaving.”

Wide-eyed desperation flickers across Ellen’s face. “That baby has my blood in him,” she says. “You’re my daughter-in-law now. It don’t matter that you’re not married. You’re the daughter-in-law of my heart. Of my blood. I’m that baby’s grandma. Tell him you want me around.”

This is a major switch from the venom I heard earlier while in hiding. She obviously has no clue that I know what she said about me before. “You have to go, Ellen. I want you to leave.”

“Your mama’s dead, right? She would want this baby to have a blood-kin grandma who could love it.”

Each of her words feels like stepping on broken glass, lacerating my skin, branding a fierce dislike onto my heart. No one uses my mother to manipulate me. Her absence has been the one dark spot in my whole pregnancy. How dare Ellen. Adrenaline – the kind that makes me feel protective and hostile – courses through me, making my skin tingle and my breathing come fast.

“If you don’t leave in the next minute, I’m calling the police. You’re not welcome in my home. And you’re not welcome in our baby’s life.”

Dane steps between me and Ellen. “You're going to leave,” he says to Ellen. “If she doesn’t call the police, I will. Go.”

“You’ll call the cops and say you can’t get your mama to leave?” Her question comes out as a taunt, like a mean kid on the playground.

This woman has balls the size of a Brahma bull. “No,” I say. “I’ll call and tell them to question you about my rings.”

My threat sends her out the door without a backward glance. Dane closes it behind her, muttering apologies as if he’s done something wrong. He won’t even turn around and face me.

“It’s not your fault.” I furrow my brow and step up behind him. Extending my hands to rest at his sides, I press my cheek against the bare skin of his back. “You didn’t do anything.”

He pivots into my embrace. His tortured, dark eyes look into mine. “It doesn’t matter. It still hurt you and I’m so sorry. I’ll get the pawn ticket from her.” He drags a hand over his face. “How could I be such an idiot? I should’ve known Ellen’s unpredictable. Sick. Mom tried to tell me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with what you did. Ellen gave birth to you. It’s natural to want some kind of bond.”

Dane puts his hand on my back and stares past me, not meeting my eyes. “Sometimes, no matter how much you want a relationship to work, it just can’t. I promise that you always come first.”