Sighing heavily, she lovingly placed her hand on her stomach. She could understand Zach’s desire to be with his child, but it didn’t have to be a package deal. Surely they could work out something that was acceptable for both of them without entering into a marriage for all of the wrong reasons.
When she finally did get married, she wanted it all—a home, a family and a husband who loved her. Not the loveless marriage she would be getting if she went along with Zach’s plan.
Lost in thought, she jumped at the sudden rap on the door. Before she had the chance to answer, Zach walked in.
“Are you all right, Arielle?”
“I’m fine.” At least she had been before he entered the room.
Good Lord, if she’d thought he had looked good last night, it couldn’t hold a candle to the way he looked now. Zach wasn’t just attractive, he was drop-dead gorgeous.
The pair of jeans he wore today were faded and rode lower on his lean hips than the ones from the night before. And he hadn’t bothered buttoning his light blue chambray shirt, giving her a very enticing view of his chest and ripped abdominal muscles. Memories of him holding her to that chest as they made love, feeling every perfectly defined muscle pressed against her, caused her heart to skip several beats and her breathing to become shallow.
“Arielle, are you sure you’re okay?” he repeated, frowning.
“Oh…um, sure.” When she started to get up, he shook his head. “Stay right where you are. I know how hard it was for my sister to find a comfortable position, even in the early stages of her pregnancy.”
“Some of the teachers at school said that being comfortable will become a very big issue the further along I get,” she agreed, nodding.
Walking over to the window seat, he lifted her outstretched legs and sat down, lowering them to his lap. “Lana had a lot of trouble with her feet and legs getting tired,” he said, gently massaging her foot. “Does that feel good?”
She could lie and tell him it didn’t, but what was the point? He could tell from her serene expression that it did.
“Actually, it feels like heaven,” she admitted, closing her eyes as he skillfully rubbed her arch.
“Have you had problems with muscle cramps?” he asked as his hands continued to work their magic.
“Not many.” Enjoying his relaxing touch, she’d never realized that a foot rub could chase away tension throughout the rest of her body. “My legs cramped up a few times while I was sleeping, but that’s about it.”
He shoved one leg of her sweatpants up and began to gently move his hands over her calf. “How did your brothers take the news about the baby?” he continued conversationally.
His touch caused a sense of euphoria to sweep over her and it took a moment to realize what he’d asked. Opening her eyes, she shook her head. “I haven’t told them yet.”
“Why not?” He moved to massage her other leg. “I was under the impression that you had a good relationship with them.”
“We are very close.” His hands moving over her leg made it hard to think and she paused to collect her thoughts. “But I’m almost sure they won’t be happy with the decisions I’ve made lately.”
Zach stopped his tender ministrations and a protective sparkle appeared in his dark green eyes. “They wouldn’t talk you into terminating the pregnancy, would they?”
“Oh, no. Not that.” She knew for certain her brothers would never do something like that. “They’ll both be absolute fools over their niece or nephew.”
“Then what’s the problem?” he prodded, his hands once again moving over her legs with care.
“Instead of moving to Dallas, they’d want me to live with one of them.” She sighed. “And as much as I adore both of them, I’d rather eat a big ugly bug than do that.”
Zach threw back his head and laughed. “I see you still express yourself in a way that leaves no doubt what you mean.”
The sound of his rich laughter sent a tingling sensation skipping over every nerve in her body. His sense of humor was one of many things about him that she’d found irresistible.
Shrugging one shoulder, she smiled. “Well, it’s the truth. Luke would want me with him and his new wife, Haley, in Nashville. And Jake would insist that I move into his condo in Los Angeles.”
“In other words, you’d have to choose between them?” Zach summarized.
“Not exactly. Either would be fine with me living with the other.” She tried to concentrate on what she was about to say, but the feel of his hands smoothing over the sensitized skin at the back of her knee made that very hard to do. “For one thing, Luke and Haley have only been married a couple of months and they need their alone time. Plus they have a baby on the way and I don’t think Luke could survive living with two women experiencing mood swings and emotional meltdowns at the same time.”
“Oh God, no.” Zach gave an exaggerated shudder. “One hormonal woman is enough to contend with, but two would send a man running like hell.” He shook his head. “My sister moved in with me for a short time when she was pregnant. Her apartment was being painted. I never knew if what I said would make her angry enough to bite my head off or cause sobbing like her heart was broken.” He lowered his head. “It was like living with Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde.”
“Your sister is single?” If his sister could be a single mother, why was Zach so insistent that they had to be married?
He nodded. “Lana wanted a child, but after several failed relationships, she decided a visit to the sperm bank was the answer for her.” He stopped massaging her legs, but continued to hold them on his lap. “And before you ask, I failed to talk her out of it. But I supported her decision and help out with Derek whenever she needs me.”
“Jake and Luke will be the same way with me.”
“They won’t have to be,” he said, giving her a meaningful look. “I’ll be with you every step of the way.” Before she could comment, he went on, “But what about your brother in L.A.? Why wouldn’t you want to live closer to him?”
“Don’t get me wrong, Jake is a wonderful guy and I love him with all my heart. But living with him would drive me over the edge.” Just the thought was almost laughable. “Besides, I prefer a much quieter lifestyle and I couldn’t have kept up with which one of his women was the flavor of the moment.”