Guarding Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

her roots. “Was he good?”
    “Tia! Your daughter is right here,” Maya snapped. “Besides, is this good for the baby, me dying my hair?”
    “Go play with your brother in the living room for now, baby. Auntie Maya and I have got big girl things to talk about.” Tia kissed her daughter on the top of the head. “Be good and I’ll show you how to cut the doll’s hair straighter.”
    The spitting image of her mother, Adaline grinned. Her deep brown eyes shone when she smiled. For a five-year-old about to start school, she was smart for her age. Her dark brown hair was captured in pink bow barrettes. Glitter twinkled on her arms. “I will, Mama.” She picked up her doll and the scissors. “Mama says I shouldn’t eavesdrop.” Another toothy grin. “Bye, Auntie Maya.”
    Once the little girl exited the beauty shop part of the house, Maya sighed. “Yes, he was good.” The tips of her ears burned. “Better than Nicky by far. He even wanted to cuddle afterward. That’s impossible, right?”
    “Not impossible, but damned hard to find. You are seeing him tonight, right? And he knows about the baby, so that’s good.” Tia put in the last of the foils, then set the timer and sat down beside her sister. “You’re holding back. It’s Richard, isn’t it? I told you he was a dick. Or was it Nicky? He was a dick, too. You must attract ’em. This Levi had better be a stand-up guy. I didn’t detect an inner asshole to him, but some guys can get past even my radar. Oh and no this won’t hurt the baby. I’m not using harsh stuff. You’re good.”
    Nicky meant nothing to her, but Richard? Maya relaxed in her seat. She hadn’t given a moment’s consideration to her ex-husband. “I don’t even think about Richard any longer.”
    “Good. We all hated him. Katja and I wanted to throw a party the day your divorce decree was legit, but Momma said no.” Tia shrugged. “Said it was bad form. Bad form my ass. He was a jerk.”
    “Nice of you to tell me now. I would’ve loved to have had a party.” Maya rolled her eyes. She loved her sisters, but wished they both would have been honest before the wedding. “With Levi, it’s different. He makes me want things I’ve never wanted and consider things I thought were nuts—like happy endings. I mean, it’s not possible. I jumped the gun and slept with him. That’s not like me. I think things through for so long they never happen. I don’t know what’s wrong with me other than pregnancy hormones.”
    Tia folded her arms, then crossed her legs. Her flip-flop dangled from her toes. “Part of it could be hormones, but more of it is you like this one. When you’re really hot for a guy, thinking tends to get involved on the secondary. Part of it is you’ve been burned before and when it happens like lightning, you freak out. He seems like a decent guy with his head on straight. What’s the hang up—other than only knowing him for a short period of time?”
    “I’m pregnant with another man’s baby.” Talk about a huge deal-breaker. “Guys don’t want women with baggage. I’ve got a ton on the way.”
    “If the guy—whom you don’t know well—is a real man, the father of the child won’t matter. He’ll pony up and take care of the kid because he loves the kid and you.” Tia waggled her foot. “Look at Levi this way. He’s a great candidate for a couple of dates and if that works out, you can always ask him to be your birthing coach.”
    “You were going to be my birthing coach.”
    “Good choice. He can listen to you curse when the pain hits.” Tia unfolded herself, then leaned forward and grabbed her sister’s hand. “Seriously. Give your soldier man a chance. He might be the one you’re looking for. Just give him the opportunity to show you.”
    “I hate it when you’re probably right.”
    “I know. I love it.” Tia stood, then smoothed the wrinkles from her shorts. “How far along are you?”
    “The obstetrician said four months. She