Handle With Care Page 2

  “I’m expecting you to say, ‘The sun, it burns.’ in a Dracula kind of voice,” Tricia said with laughter in her voice.

  “In all honesty I was expecting it to be still night time,” Ben ran his hand over his cheeks and felt the stubble of his beard. “What time is it?”

  “It’s around nine on Friday morning,” Tricia said. “I brought muffins I baked for you as a thank you.”

  “No thanks necessary,” Ben said. “Want to share some for breakfast with me?”

  She smiled. “Sure, tell me you have scrambled eggs and hot sauce. I love that lately.”

  “Come on in,” Ben said with a chuckle. “I’m sure I can rustle some up. No nausea?”

  Tricia stepped inside. “Very little, usually later in the day but I feel great.”

  “I have so many patients who will dislike you for that,” Ben said. “Make yourself at home. I have decaf coffee if you want it. I’m going to go grab a shower and not look like I slept in my clothes on the sofa, which I technically did so... yeah.”

  ‘Take your time,” she answered.

  Ben ran up the stairs and grimaced at the words that had spilled out of his mouth. He had to admit he had the biggest crush on her since he met her while Isa was pregnant. To have her so close—in his house, downstairs—he started bumbling like a sixteen year old kid.

  “Come on man, you’ve been to war and back, now you’re stuttering like a moron around a pretty girl,” Ben said as he shaved in the shower.

  Ben showered quickly and went into his bedroom with a towel wrapped around his waist to pull out boxers from a drawer. He heard the sizzle of butter in a pan and smelled coffee in the air. His stomach rumbled hungrily, reminding him that the last time he ate was a sandwich in the cafeteria the day before. Ben put on a pair of the black loose sweat pants he wore to the dojo and a well-worn army t-shirt. He remained barefoot and walked down the carpeted stairs. He was always more comfortable barefoot since that was how he was brought up.

  Tricia had made herself at home in the kitchen and he stopped at the bottom of the stairs drinking her in before she looked up from the stove and smiled. Ben felt his heart do a happy dance in his chest because the smile was just for him.

  “I made enough for two,” Tricia said.

  “Thanks, I’m starved,” he admitted. “I had the longest week in baby delivery history. The stork went on vacation and left me holding the bag.”

  “And here you are taking me on at a patient,” she said and put a plate in front of him.

  “That’s what friends are for,” Ben said. “You sit and eat, I’ll grab your hot sauce.”

  Tricia took a seat while he reached into the cupboard where he kept the spices and pulled out a bottle of Texas Pete. He put it on the table in front of her as he sat down across from her and watched her put it liberally on her eggs until Tricia looked up at him.

  She shrugged sheepishly. “The hotter the better.”

  Ben grinned. “You are not the only woman who had said that. I knew a Latin woman who ate jalapeño slices with sweet pickles covered in hummus.”

  “Hmmm, that sounds surprisingly disgusting and delicious all at the same time,” she said.

  He laughed. “It will never cease to amaze me how women eat the strangest things while pregnant.”

  “I bet you’ve seen a gamut of things,” Tricia said and took a few bites of her eggs. “Probably never had to fly internationally to rescue as abused pregnant ex-model.”

  “I’ve had to do a few things most people don’t know about,” Ben met her gaze. “Rescuing a beautiful woman was by far the best of them.”

  ‘Thank you,” Tricia looked down at her plate with a soft smile on her lips.

  They ate in silence for a while before Ben passed her one of the muffins she brought slathered with butter and watched with approval as she devoured it. It was good to see her eating and that meant she was over her trauma. He was not only worried for her but the baby because the stress could affect her pregnancy. A healthy appetite was a good sign.

  “So we should get you in for a full appointment...”

  “Why did you come to Greece...?”

  They spoke simultaneously and then a nervous laugh escaped them.

  “You go first,” Tricia encouraged.

  “I’m assuming you really did have a full check up when you found out you were pregnant. I want to get you in for blood work, an ultrasound and prenatal care... even vitamins,” Ben said.

  “I was taking vitamins but yes, I’ll call and set the appointment,” she replied.

  “I’ll get my nurse to fit you in,” he said. “Now you.”

  “Why did you come to Greece with Isa and Bryce?” she asked.

  “They and you have become friends and I’m always there if my friends need me. Plus Isa said you were pregnant and I wanted to give you a clean bill of heath before flying you out,” he explained.

  “Ah, friends,” she said and bit into the second half of her muffin.

  He looked at her curiously but didn’t press the tone he heard in her voice. They talked about the weather and simple things but Ben was never more aware of a woman than he was of Tricia in his home. He felt like the biggest jerk lusting after a woman who just left a horrible relationship and was also pregnant. But damn, watching her take her plate to the sink and wash it, he thought about when he first met her in the hospital room at Isa’s bedside. She’d been on his mind since then. Ben went over to the sink and took the plate from her hand.

  “Here, let me dry,” he said.

  “I’ve got a confession to make,” Tricia said.

  “Yeah?” Ben was intrigued. “Hit me. You’re a body snatcher and the real Tricia is in your lair.”

  She snorted with laughter. “No, but I didn’t make those muffins either. It’s that little bakery down the street from you. I bought a basket.”

  Ben grinned at her. “I know. I recognized the cranberry deluxe muffin.”

  Tricia flicked the water on her hands onto his face and as she handed him a wet plate, it slipped from her soapy fingers and before he could catch it, the blue ceramic hit the floor and shattered.

  “Shoot, damn it. I’m so sorry, Ben,” Tricia apologized as she bent to pick up the jagged pieces.

  Ben crouched next to her quickly. “Don’t worry, it’s just a plate, I break at least once a week. Don’t touch the pieces. I don’t want you to get cut.”

  He made the mistake of looking up at her and got lost in her eyes. The green-brown irises seemed to have flecks of gold that caught the sun coming through the kitchen window. She was so close he could feel her breath on his face and Ben did the only thing that was going through his mind, he kissed her. Her sound of surprise ended on a pleasant whimper and she opened her mouth beneath his. With his hands on her shoulders, Ben brought her to her feet and then he deftly sidestepped the broken plate to pull her into his arms. The kiss was languid, sensual and he could taste the blueberries in the muffins on her lips. He tried to let sanity prevail and stepped away.

  “We should stop,” he said huskily. “You just came out of an abusive relationship and you’re pregnant...”

  “And I’m used goods, I get it,” Tricia said. He heard the tenseness in her voice.

  “God, hell no,” Ben said, but she was already on the move.

  “I get it, no one will want to kiss the girl pregnant with another man’s baby especially after he finds her in a room curled up in a ball with bruises,” Tricia replied. Ben looked at her, unsure of what to do as she picked up her purse. “Like you said, friends. Thanks for the breakfast, friend.”

  “Tricia, it’s not like that,” Ben said and then decided to let it go. “Bye, don’t forget to make that appointment. I want to be the one to care for you.”

  He hoped she got the meaning to his words not only from a doctor perspective but as a man. Ben would let her go for now because she honestly didn’t need the added stress. But one day soon he would let her know exactly how he felt and hoped by
then she wasn’t ready to completely dismiss him as just a friend. The baby only meant there was more of her to love. He watched her walk to her car and drive away without a second look.

  Ben closed the door and leaned his head against the coolness of the wall. This also gave him time to think because while he offered care to both mother and child, being with Tricia also mean that a baby would eventually be apart of that equation. He took that very seriously because he loved children but was he ready to take on a father role? He had a lot to think about and decided to do so, right after he cleaned up the shattered plate on the kitchen floor.

  Chapter Three

  How does one get over a bruised ego? She cleans, that’s what. Tricia moved around the apartment dusting and cleaning trying not to think about the kiss she’d shared with Ben. Had she mistaken the sparks flying between them or was she just on a hormonal high and feeling things that weren’t there? She frowned as she fluffed the red accent pillows of the sofa a little more firmly than necessary.

  She hated the fact that after less than a year with Nico he’d made her insecure about men and knocked down her self esteem. She’d been vibrant and fun but after being with him all she wanted to do was stay home and be away from people until she healed herself. The only solace she had lately was the life growing inside her and the fact that for the first time in her life, she didn’t feel like she was searching for something unattainable. Nico may have made her life hell, but the baby made her feel complete somehow. That was the only gift that had come out of their tumultuous relationship.

  Before things got bad, Isa had called her to say that the downstairs area of their apartment was vacant. Tricia jumped at the chance to use some of her modeling money to buy it and now they owned the entire building. Well, she did because Isa had signed over her part of the apartment to Tricia after she married Bryce. It felt good to have something that was hers. Being raised in foster care with Isa they never really had much and what they did have in the way of material possessions they shared. Even as Isa protected her there were times when her looks became more of a burden than a blessing.

  Men and women who were supposed to protect them since they were innocent and wards of the state saw her as an easy mark. She learned quickly to blend in with the walls and try not to be seen. Instead of wearing her hair loose, she always kept it pulled back and used her sweatshirts and baggy jeans as a shield to hide her body. The persistent ones weren’t easily swayed and when she told Isa, together they’d figured out how to keep her safe. It made no sense to report the offenders or try to tell anyone in authority, they never knew whom they could really trust. After all, they were foster kids and who would believe them? Tricia’s door bell rang and broke her thoughts of the past that filtered in between the cleaning.

  She sighed and blew hair off her face. “I’ll tackle the upstairs tomorrow.”

  Tricia walked over to her front door glad that when she got further along in her pregnancy she wouldn’t have to maneuver the outside metal stairs. Isa’s smile was big and wide when Tricia opened the door.

  “Come on, we’re going to brunch,” Isa said.

  “I thought you’d be on base today,” Tricia said, as Isa walked past her into the house.

  “Nope, new hours are Monday to Friday. There are no Judge Advocate General cases going on for the weekends,” Isa explained. ‘The place looks great!”

  “It does,” Tricia said, looking around. ‘Thanks to you guys monitoring the work crews while I was in Greece. The spiral stairs to the second floor are great; I can’t believe they made it match the whole feel I was going for.”

  Isa nodded and laughed. “And now those old stairs outside literally lead to nowhere. Are you going to get them ripped out?”

  “Nope, I’m going to plant honeysuckle and other vine plants so they’ll grow and cover them; it will be covered in pretty flowers in the spring and summer months,’ Tricia explained. “I don’t know if I want to go out, in all honestly.”

  Isa frowned. “You’re not going to let him make you into a shut-in. Do not give in and don’t let him win. It’s nice and warm out so I insist we do lunch then go look into baby boutiques for ideas on the nursery for Little Bit growing inside you.”

  “I do want to paint and make your room into a nursery.” A smile hinted Tricia’s lips. “Ok, give me a few to clean up.”

  “Take your time, I’ve got all day.” Isa sat on the royal blue sofa. “Bryce is on daddy duty all day. I bet you five bucks I’ll go home and they’ll all be passed out in the family room. Or he will and they’ll be crawling all over him.”

  “Twins who are learning to walk. Fun-fun,” Tricia teased.

  “They’re holding on and stepping now. Ashley has taken to singing loudly in baby babble,” Isa winked. “Avery thinks he can talk on the phone.”

  “I can’t wait to experience it all,” Tricia said with excitement in her voice.

  “Remember that when it’s three a.m. and the baby is awake,” Isa said. “Go clean up. I’m starving.”

  “I’m always hungry lately,” Tricia commented. “I would expect to be suffering more morning sickness the way I eat, but everything stays down.”

  “I hate you,” Isa muttered. “Get away from me, I can’t look at you right now.”

  Tricia laughed as she went upstairs to her bedroom. She changed out of the loose yoga pants and cropped t-shirt she was wearing and for a moment she looked at her belly in the full-length mirror. There wasn’t even a bump yet but she rubbed her hand across her lower torso with a smile before she went into the bathroom and washed up. She changed into a long, light peach gypsy-style dress that fell to her ankles and pulled the sides of her hair back with simple combs.

  Looking at herself in the mirror she could see the changes in her face, her cheeks were plump and her skin glowed. Pregnancy agreed with her and she knew that while she was curvy, her body would change after having the baby and she would have to work twice as hard to get back to her modeling size. Tricia frowned at herself in the mirror. Did she want to go back to modeling?

  Just a few months ago she was ready to be a jetsetter and live the fabulous life of modeling, now she wondered it that was her dream or not. Leaving her baby for weeks at a time was not something she would ever do, so now she had life-changing decisions to make. Her purse was on the paisley armchair in the corner by her reading table and lamp. Tricia looked at her books fondly; her secret pleasure was books and hopefully now she was home she’d get to do more of it. She bounced down the stairs lightly to where Isa was waiting.

  “Let’s go get me crab cakes,” Tricia said with excitement.

  “You are much too excited about food in this stage of your pregnancy,” Isa grumbled. “If I had even thought the words ‘crab cake’ I’d have been worshipping the porcelain god and begging for a reprieve.”

  “I promise with my next baby I’ll be sick as a dog, how’s that?” Tricia teased.

  Isa winked. “That’s all any woman really wants from her best friend.”

  Isa was driving her blue Toyota and Tricia passed her hand along the door before getting inside. Isa was literally worth more money than many realized when she married Bryce yet she drove the car she worked for and bought. Even though there was a fleet of cars at her disposal, she drove the Toyota or a white SUV if she was taking the twins anywhere. She went to work as normal and didn’t change who she was because of money. Tricia looked at her friend who was in simple worn jeans and a New Orleans Saints long sleeved football jersey. I hope Bryce knows how lucky he was to find a woman like her, Tricia thought. I hope I find that perfect guy in my life. Disappointment about what happened with Ben filled her and she tried to shake it off. She couldn’t expect a man to feel something that wasn’t there no matter how much she wanted it.

  Bunch was at the fabulous Hilton Riverside hotel where the restaurant faced the river and you could watch the boats maneuver on the water. It was all so beautiful: blue skies and a soft warm breeze. It was April and spring
was in the air, while other places were still trying to shake off the snow, the trees held buds and the first green leaves had begun to sprout.

  Inside the lavish hotel, the waiter seated them for their meal. Isa seemed uncaring that she wasn’t dressed in the pastel colors or semi fancy dresses other women were wearing. Tricia noted how people looked at her friend as they maneuvered through the guests to one of the better tables facing the water. No one would dare say a word to her, because they all knew whose wife she was. Even if they didn’t know she was Mrs. Forte, they would surely get a piece of Isa’s mind if anyone dared say anything. Tricia always envied her grit, she always felt like this weak person who needed to be saved. Isa had spent her entire childhood looking out for them both. Tears welled in her eyes when Tricia thought about all they’d been through.

  “T, are you ok?” Isa asked as they sat down.

  Tricia nodded and fanned her face to quell the tears and get hold of her emotions. “I’m fine, just thinking about us, the past, how much you’ve been there for me. It seems anything makes me cry lately.”

  “Hormones,” Isa said knowingly. “I suggest never watching those animal shelter ads, grab the remote and switch. If not you’ll be crying for days and trying to adopt every kitten there.”

  Tricia laughed. “I’m allergic to cats, remember?”

  “Puppies, then,” Isa answered. “Puppies with big soulful eyes and...”

  Tricia held up her hand. “I get it, don’t even say another word before we end up owning dogs.”

  “What’s this we?” Isa teased.

  Tricia unfolded her napkin and laid it on her lap. “We may not live together but trust me, we’d be sharing those animals, especially when I happen to show up at your house and my twins love a cute puppy.”