“And now, for practicality, the lamp doesn’t even work,” Bryce pointed out.
“Sure, but it’s antique,” Kenzie said, shrugging. Exhausted, she collapsed on the deep mattress, raising her arms and gesturing for Bryce to come closer. “So, do you think you’d buy the place? Have I sufficiently sold it?”
Bryce leaned over her, careful not to put any pressure on her abdomen. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he kissed her soundly, gazing into her eyes. “What’s your asking price?” he teased.
“It’s not steep,” she whispered back. “The only qualification is you must agree to be the father of my children. Do you think you can handle it?”#p#分页标题#e#
“I think I can,” Bryce whispered, kissing her chin.
There was a rap at the door. Bryce leaped up and opened it, revealing a huffing Marnie, who carried two plates of countless treats, including cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, and a pumpkin roll. She placed the plate on the side dresser, looking at them both with bright, approving eyes. “I didn’t know what the pregnant lady was hungry for, so I brought everything,” she said.
Bryce lifted a cinnamon roll from the plate and bit into it, the sweetness of the icing forcing his eyes closed. “Gosh, Marnie, you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
Marnie blushed but was clearly accustomed to his praises. She pointed to the goodies, telling Kenzie to eat up. “Those babies are hungry, darling. You have permission to eat as much as you want for nine months. Do it for the rest of us.” She patted her own rather rotund yet not-pregnant belly.
Marnie left them then, sensing they wanted privacy to flirt, gaze into one another’s eyes, and daydream about their future. They placed the pie plate between them and fed each other small bites, feeling like children with crumbs scattered on the bedspread.
“What do you think you’ll do, by the way?” Bryce asked her. “About your job. About Concord. Do you want me to move there?”
Kenzie considered this. She realized that after abandoning her meetings that morning, she hadn’t thought beyond what would happen if, and only if, Bryce agreed to be involved as the father of her children. She bit her lip, remembering the gray office carpet, the whitewashed walls, the sad, downward glances of her clients, just looking for a good deal on a three-bedroom colonial. It all seemed meaningless.
“I can’t imagine going back there,” she said, her voice soft. “I can’t imagine Austin seeing me pregnant. The questions at the office. Showing another stupid house and lying about it. I only did this work because I was good at it. But I’d rather do anything else, like concentrate on being a mom, and on being with you.”
Bryce looked overjoyed. He stretched his palms flat in front of him. “Move in with me,” he said. “As soon as you can gather all your things. I want to support you and care for you during the pregnancy. I want you to be as comfortable as possible. And I don’t want you running all over Concord with a twin belly.” He wrapped her in a hug, removing the plate from the bedspread and leaning against the pillows. The clock on the wall read 12:30 at night. “I want to rub your feet when you grow tired and make fires for you. I want to argue with you about baby names, and I want to make you sun tea on the deck when you get too hot in the summertime.”
“I don’t know what I’ll manage to do for you,” Kenzie said, beginning to remove her sweater and pants, preparing for bed. Her eyelids were drooping. “I’ll be far too fat by the time summer hits to do much more than complain to you.”
“Then complain away,” Bryce said, laughing. He began to undress as well. They lay beneath the covers in their underwear, their warm skin pressed tightly together. They were too exhausted to make love. They immediately fell asleep, safe from the chilly April weather, listening to their breaths grow slower into the night. Bryce held on to Kenzie’s baby bump, already protecting them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Kenzie spent the next several days in Cambridge with Bryce, occasionally hanging out with the Blue Boys—who were much less rugged during the afternoons, when they drank tea instead of beer and didn’t smell of cigarettes. Bryce was open and warm with his friends, who accepted him back into the gang full force. He took Kenzie on a brief motorcycle ride, using Gunner’s bike, and they shot through the tiny town in mere minutes, Kenzie clinging tightly to Bryce’s back.#p#分页标题#e#
Bryce went to Concord for several days with Kenzie to gather her things, driving his truck across the border. He lost his radio station after about an hour’s ride and scrambled to find another with enough oldies, failing miserably. “Another reason to stick to Vermont, I guess,” he said.