Page 44 (1/2)

1

A few o, when I was laid up in that hospital bed, I didn’t think I’d be alive today el with a dirtyon the world… in a different way Things didn’t quite turn out hoe planned thes rarely do And neither of us would change the way they turned out even if we could

I love this chair It washe left behind that I wanted Sure, I inherited a fat check that will set Caot the Chevelle, but the chair was equally sentimental to me She hates it, but she won’t say so out loud, because it was my dad’s I can’t blame her; it’s old, it stinks, and there’s a hole in the cushion froet someone in here to clean it, at least And I will As soon as she figures out whether we’re going to stay in Galveston ortellsback on what she really wants, because of me

I hear the water fro vibrates through the wall I ju the remote control hit the floor as I rush toward the bathrooe of the coffee table clips the shit outta my shin as I pass

I swing open the bathroom door “What happened?”

Camryn shakes her head at me and smiles as she leans over to pick the hair dryer up from the floor beside the toilet

I breathe a sigh of relief

“You’re hs

She glances down at ertips She sets the hair dryer back on the counter, comes up to me, and kisses the side of my mouth “Looks like I’ accident-prone” She smiles

My hands cup her shoulders and I pull her closer, letting one hand fall down to touch her little rounded belly I can barely tell she’s pregnant At foura baby hippo, but what do I know about this stuff?

“Maybe so,” I say, trying to hide the red in my face “You probably did that on purpose just to see how fast I could get in here”

She kisses the other side ofainstmy arms around her

But then I pull away before I fall into her devious trap “Daotta stop that”

She grins back at me “You really want ood smile of hers

It scares the shit out of me when she does that Once after a conversation laced with that s sx with me for three whole days Worst three days of my life

“Well, no,” I say nervously “I just ht now We have exactly thirty minutes before we have to be at the doctor’s office”

I just hope she’s this horny throughout her entire pregnancy I’ve heard horror stories about how soet really big and then if you touch the banshees

Thirty minutes Damn I could bend her over the counter real quick…

Camryn smiles sweetly and jerks the towel fro off “I’ll be ready in ten,” she says as she waves ia Did you find your phone?”

“Not yet,” I say as I start to ease my way out the door, but then I stop and add with a sexually suggestive grin, “Ummm, we could—”

She shuts the door in

I rush around the apart under cushions and in odd places forunderneath a stack of junk mail on the kitchen counter I stop for a ers Camryn won’t let iving the 911 operator uess she feels like that piece of paper helped save my life, but really what it did was help her eventually understand as going on with me The seizure was har in the hotel in New Orleans before we started sharing a room When I finally told her about that later, needless to say, she was not happy with me

She worries all the time that the tumor will come back I think she worries about it more than I do

If it does, it does We’ll get through it together We’ll always get through everything together

“Ti room

She coht pair of jeans and an equally tight T-shirt And heels Really? Heels?

“You’re going to squeeze her little head in those jeans,” I say

“No, I’rabs her purse from the couch and shoulders it “You’re so sure of yourself, but we’ll see” She takesthe lock on the knob before I close it hard behind us

“I know it’s a girl,” I say confidently

“Care to wager?” She looks over at rins

We step out into theinside with my pal”

Caet in Restingwheel, I look over at her and wait

She sently on the inside of her botto blonde hair tumbles down over both shoulders, and her blue eyes shine with excitement

“You’re the one who seems so sure,” she finally says “So, you naree to it or I won’t” She stops abruptly and points her finger sternly atsexual I think you pretty …” she whirls her hand around in front of her “… I don’t know… daring or ful”

Hnition, but pause before turning it

“OK, if it’s a girl, then I get to name her,” I say with a soft, proud smile

Her eyebroitch a little and she turns her chin at an angle “I don’t like that bet That’s so both of us should take part in, don’t you think?”

“Well, yeah, but don’t you trust me?”