Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 539(@200wpm)___ 431(@250wpm)___ 359(@300wpm)
Lilibeth and I had gone on a few more dates, though nothing like our first date at the theater. We’d gone to dinner in Granby, took a drive to Estes Park and spent the day there, planned movie nights at home—where I made sure she had her Sno-Caps, which I was pretty sure she was addicted to.
There were a few moments when innocent kisses almost turned to something more passionate, but I was hell-bent on keeping my hands to myself to prove to Lilibeth that this wasn’t about sex. This was about so much more.
“Caden?”
I lifted my head and looked at my father. “Yeah?”
He laughed as he entered my small office in the cattle barn. “I said your name at least five times. Where were you?”
I sighed. “Sorry, lost in thought, I guess.”
A knowing smile grew across his face. Everyone always told me that I was the mini version of my father. We had the same blue eyes, but my mother said mine were more silver at times. Otherwise, we had the same shade of brown hair. Same build, even the same height.
“I’ve seen that look before on plenty of men. That’s the look of a man who’s thinking about a woman.”
Sitting back in my seat, I nodded. “I was thinking about Lilibeth, yes.”
He took a seat in the chair in front of my desk. “Your mother told me you’re going for an ultrasound today, and you might be able to find out if it’s a boy or a girl.”
Nodding, I replied, “Today is the day.”
“And are you going to find out?”
“I think so. We talked about it last night. Dad…can I ask you a question about when Mom was pregnant?”
“Sure you can.”
“I imagine growing a baby is tiresome.”
He laughed and nodded in agreement.
“Was Mom tired a lot? Lilibeth falls asleep almost every night on the sofa. I end up carrying her to bed, and I’m afraid one of these nights I’m going to trip on the way up to her room.”
His brow lifted, and I knew what he was thinking.
I cleared my throat. “We’re not together in that sense...yet.”
“Is there a reason why? If you don’t mind me asking.”
I squirmed in my seat, not sure how I felt about discussing my sex life with my father. I cleared my throat. “It’s not that I don’t want to. I just want to show Lilibeth she means more to me than just sleeping together.”
My father nodded. “May I be frank with you, son?”
I narrowed my gaze. “It depends on what you’re going to be frank about.”
He chuckled. “Have you been reading up on the pregnancy? Week eighteen, right?”
I nodded. “I was in the beginning, but I’ve fallen off on reading as much as I should.”
“Your mother did nap often, especially when she was pregnant with you. She was teaching full time, and I’m sure that didn’t help. There’s one thing I remember about all of her pregnancies, though.”
Leaning forward, I asked, “What?”
Now it was his turn to look uncomfortable. “How to say this delicately, since I’m talking about your mother…” He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them. “Okay. There comes a time during the pregnancy where a woman has…needs.”
“Like sleeping?”
A strained laugh came from him. “No, son. Not sleeping. Needs.”
“I mean, her cravings are really weird. The other night, I found her dipping pickles into ranch dressing. The night before that, she was eating mac and cheese with lima beans in it.”
“Lima beans?”
“I know! I don’t think I’ve even eaten lima beans before and I honestly don’t even know where the beans came from.”
He chuckled. “That’s part of pregnancy as well, but that’s not what I mean. I see I’m going to have to be direct. Horny. They get horny, Caden.”
It took a few moments for his words to sink in. “Gross, Dad. I mean, really? Couldn’t you have said it any other way?”
“I tried! Needs! I said needs, Caden!”
I screwed up my face, then practically shook myself out of the chair when I thought about it in the context of my parents. “I think we should go back to her being tired.”
My father laughed and stood. “I’m just saying, I get that you’re trying to be noble and all, but I’m not so sure Lilibeth is appreciating your efforts, as far as you keeping your distance.”
I stood and followed him to the door. “Duly noted, thank you, Dad. And please, let’s not ever speak of this again.”
He laughed again as he headed out of my office and toward Mike’s. He lifted his hand and said, “Have a good night, son!”
The moment he walked into Mike’s office, I went back to my computer, pulled up Google, and did my own research.
After ten minutes of reading, I closed up my computer, grabbed my jacket, sent a text to Uncle Mike and David and told them I was leaving for Lilibeth’s appointment. When I walked out into the aisle, I turned to see my father and uncle watching me leave. They both laughed their asses off and I knew it was because I was leaving to be with Lilibeth.