He gazed into her eyes. “I’m going to tell you the same thing, Pia. Keep holding on.”
Once again she was fighting tears. “For Keith?”
“And for you. I need to do this.”
She managed a quivering smile. “So it’s all about you? Typical male.”
“That’s me.” He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “What happens next?” he asked.
She tried not to focus on the warmth of his skin and the way he made her feel safe. Even if Raoul lasted through the pregnancy, there was no way he was sticking around for anything else. Getting used to having him around wasn’t an option.
“I stay here until the nurse kicks me out. In theory I can go back to work, but I’m heading home. I’m going to spend the afternoon on my sofa. It’s the whole gravity thing. I want to give these little guys a real shot.”
“Okay. What are you in the mood for?”
For a second she thought he meant sex. The part of her that had been dazzled and satiated wanted to beg for a repeat performance. But there was no way they could do it. Not right after the implantation.
“Italian?” he asked. “Mexican? I’ll get takeout.”
Oh, sure. Food. “Either. I’m not that hungry.”
“You will be in a few hours, and you have to eat.”
“For the babies,” she said, keeping her free hand on her belly. “Do you think I should sing to them?”
He chuckled. “Do you want to?”
“I’m not very good.”
“You could give them a cheer. Do you remember any from high school?”
She laughed. “I appreciate the thought, but it’s even too weird for me.”
He stroked her cheek. “Look at you. Having babies. What would your friends say?”
“My current friends will be completely supportive. The ones who know aren’t even surprised. But my friends from before…” She sighed. “As I told you before, I wasn’t exactly the nicest girl in high school. Too much attitude and money. Not enough compassion.”
He looked interested rather than judgmental. “When did that change?”
“Early in my senior year of high school.”
The door opened and the nurse looked in. “You’re free to go, Pia. When you’re dressed, stop by the desk. We’ve made an appointment for two weeks from now.”
“Thanks.”
She sat up. Raoul brushed her mouth with his.
“I’ll wait outside for you,” he said.
“Okay.”
She watched him leave, then carefully slid to her feet and started to dress. As she pulled on her jeans, she realized she trusted Raoul to be there for her. At least for now. After all this time, it was nice to have someone to depend on.
CHAPTER NINE
PIA SAT AT A TABLE IN front of the high school stage. “You’re kidding, right?” she asked the mayor.
Marsha rested her elbows on the table and dropped her head to her hands. “I wish I was. I went to the bathroom. I swear I was gone all of two minutes. By the time I got back, they’d voted to have a talent show featuring the single women in town. I guess they want the busloads of men to get a good look at what’s available.”
When Pia had been asked to attend an audition, she’d had no idea what she was getting into. At least fifty women were here, which she found stunning, and not in a happy way. They were dressed in everything from tutus to shepherdess costumes. A few wanted to start by listing everything they could cook and/or bake. One woman even smiled broadly, saying she had all her own teeth and not a single cavity.
“Like that makes her good breeding material?” Pia asked, eyeing the crowd. “Tell me this isn’t happening.”
“I wish I could.”
“When did we get desperate? I’ve always known there was something of a man shortage, but so what? We’re happy—things get done. There are more women doing traditionally male jobs in town than probably anywhere else in the country. Isn’t that a good thing?”
Marsha raised her head and sighed. “I’ve been told that there are women who want to settle down—get married and have a family. That’s more difficult here. The choice is to pick from the limited stock on hand or move.”
“Stock on hand?” And women complained that men objectify them. “I don’t understand this.”
“Me, either, but it’s too late for us to stop the flood. Men are arriving daily.”
A young woman in her twenties got up onstage. She wore a pale pink leotard and a short, wrapped skirt. She nodded and music poured out of the hidden speakers. Within seconds, the contestant was singing and dancing to a popular Broadway musical.
“She’s good,” Pia murmured. “What am I supposed to do? Make notes on who I like best? Are we really going to have a talent show?”
“I don’t see any way around it. I’m just so humiliated.”