Grace smiled and waited quietly.
Presley Ann let out a dry chuckle and shook her head. “I can’t take the easy way out here, can I?”
Grace shook her head. “For the sake of your conscience, I’d say not. But I will tell you this. Lydia is a forgiving person and she respects people who take the bull by the horns, especially when it’s difficult. I think if you talked to her, you’d find that she has a deeper level of understanding of your situation than you realize. She had to pull herself up by her bootstraps at one point, too. She was doing just that, taking care of herself, when she met Chance and Clayton. If you take the opportunity to make things right, it might go a long way toward that harvest you say you’re reaping right now. And if it works out, I could see the two of you becoming friends. Heck, I can even picture you getting dragged onto the dance floor for a girl’s dance. Crazier things have happened.”
Presley Ann smiled. “I always kind of envied you all when you got out on the dance floor together.”
“I never would’ve guessed. And you and I are friends now, too. Go talk to her. I think for your own peace of mind you need to.”
“And probably Maizy Welsh, too. Cody used to have to peel me off of him.”
Grace waved a hand in dismissal. “Maizy is really easygoing. She understands about the guys and their chosen profession. But it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to her and Lydia—and Leah.”
Presley Ann let out a sigh. “And Lucy Owen…and Clay Cook…oh my gosh, as I think about it the list just keeps growing. I’ll reach out to all of them.” She rubbed her hands together and stood. “I’ve kept you a while and you must be tired.”
“No, actually, you took my mind off of my own problems.” Such as the fact that she needed help getting to the bathroom again. The baby had been using her bladder for a punching bag for the last couple of minutes. Because she was still having some dizziness, they didn’t want her getting up on her own.
After a brief hesitation, Presley Ann said, “Could…could I hug you. I promise to be gentle. I just really appreciate you for talking to me.”
“Of course.”
After Presley Ann had departed and the nurse had helped her in and out of bed, Grace settled back, trying to not worry about everything she had left undone at home and at work.
She wondered how Jack would feel when he found out she was likely carrying Ethan’s baby. She knew he wouldn’t be upset but she worried that he might be disappointed. She pictured his handsome face, his black hair and ocean blue eyes and she couldn’t help but smile.
She peeked inside the silver and white box at the cupcake Ethan had brought her while she admired the picture Rose Marie had created for her. Her journey had led her through to this moment and all her own worries would keep while she recuperated. She let out a breath and tried to relax, wondering how Presley Ann would do in her journey.
Chapter Thirteen
Charity woke to the sensation of encompassing warmth and pleasure. She stretched, anticipating the soreness she’d awakened to every morning in the last several days since the accident. In the next second she gasped as the source of her pleasure made his presence known.
“Mmm, mornin’, Charity,” Val whispered as his lips created a heated damp trail down her torso. “Sleep well?”
“Yes, I did,” she replied through a yawn. Looking outside, she could see it was well past the time she normally woke up and then was distracted as his lips found the sensitive flesh in the dip where the top of her thigh met her pelvis.
“How’re you feeling?”
With a giggle, she threaded her fingers through his long, silky hair and gave him her nonverbal answer, applying slight pressure to the back of his head, encouraging his exploration as his lips made contact with her pussy. The tension spiraled a little tighter as his warm breath blew over her and he made a sound of approval.
She purred back at him as she arched her back and took a long slow stretch. Slight pain lingered in her back and neck but it was significantly less than it had been.
He lifted his head and looked up at her. “Are you hurting? I’ll stop if it’s too soon.”
She lifted her heavy eyelids and smiled at him. “The hot bath last night helped a lot. I don’t want you to stop.”
With a grin, he whispered, “Good,” and lowered his lips to her again. “I’ve been needing to cash in that rain check but didn’t want you to think I was a horndog with no regard for your feelings.”
“I love that you’re a horndog, baby. And the position you’re in right now tells me you have quite a bit of regard for my feelings.” She parted her thighs to give him greater access and moaned when he slowly slid his tongue against her clit. She arched her back and reveled in his unhurried strokes, tasting her and loving her. She was lucky to have men who didn’t approach going down on her as a chore to be quickly gotten over with. No attacking her with rapid tongue action.