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face lit up when he caught sight of her watching him and a sliver of excitement rolled down her spine. She rocked in her seat and he quickened his steps. Within a few moments Lucas was by her side offering his hand. She placed her palm in his and warmth infused her.
     
    “Do you need to use the bathroom again?” He helped her out of the seat.
     
    “No, I heard scratching.”
     
    “Sorry, I didn’t want to wake you yet. I was taking care of the tree.”
     
    “Oh.”
     
    “Again with the oh ’s.” He chuckled as they walked along.
     
    They moved along in silence, Hope snuck a glance at his profile and stroked her belly as her baby shifted. As they approached her door, she noticed how the pine was slightly taller than the entrance.
     
    “That tree may be too big for my apartment.” She stopped to stand in front of it.
     
    “Let’s get it in first and then we can figure out the logistics.”
     
    “I don’t know…” Hope hesitated. It had been so long since anyone , let alone a man, had been in her space.
     
    “Are we going to stand out here all evening?” He leaned against the doorjamb and stared down at her.
     
    Hope dug through her bag and pulled out her keys. They jingled as she turned the key in the deadbolt. Anticipation made her heart speed up, thumping hard in her chest. She swallowed as she turned the knob and edged the door open. Lucas hefted up the tree as she reached inside and flipped on the light switch. Hope stepped out of the way to allow him into her home and looked around. She tried to see her home through a stranger’s eye.
     
    Her living room was bare with the exception of a beat up loveseat and a desk that held her laptop. In the corner between the furniture pieces were various baby items tucked into a playpen. Every payday she went to the big box discount store and bought some necessity for Kira. She snorted, imagining she looked pathetic since she didn’t even own a television. Her ex-boyfriend had pawned anything of value before he left. That hadn’t left her with much. The bastard had even taken the lace curtains her aunt had sent her when he left. A sharp pain was developing behind her eye and she raised her hand to rub her temple.
     
    “I bet the tree would be beautiful in front of the window,” Lucas commented as he looked around.
     
    “I guess.”
     
    He leaned it in the corner. “What’s wrong? I never asked. Do you celebrate Christmas?”
     
    “Yes, I celebrate the holiday. I just haven’t had reason to for the last couple of years.” She crossed her arms, restless in her own home.
     
    Lucas’s stride ate up the distance in a few steps. He slid his fingers beneath her chin and lifted her face. “Talk to me, all I want to do is get to know you better.”
     
    She moved her head while holding his gaze. “I am a pregnant, single, thirty-year-old woman who is working up to her due date because I need the money. I live in a rundown building, in a partially furnished apartment, with an associate’s degree instead of a bachelor’s because I needed to work more than I wanted to attend college.” She tossed her hands up. “I am not an easy lay. I have more respect for myself than that, so if that’s what you’re after there’s the door.” Her sigh sounded tired even to her.
     
    Lucas palmed her face, caressing her cheek with his thumb. “If I wanted a piece of ass I could easily get some, whether I paid for it or if a woman felt some sympathy for me. I see you. I lost a leg not my sight. I’ve watched a beautiful, vibrant woman struggle with hard-headed patients while standing all day and still maintain a smile on her face. Even when I know her feet have got to be killing her. I know I’m no great catch, that I’m damaged goods, but I have actively been pursuing you for the better part of a month and it’s time you got it through your head that I want so much more from you. So if you can’t handle that tell me now. I’ll walk away and never