The tension that hung between them was thick, but both parties ignored it and continued to eat and share conversation.  Neither mentioned Justin’s bold move.  Justin, for his part, was hoping he hadn’t crossed a line and scared Bailey off.  Bailey was pretending it didn’t happen so she wouldn’t have to think about it or deal with the consequences.  She wasn’t ready for that.

“Did you live in Boston all your life?”  He asked, pushing his plate of food away and sitting against the back of the booth.  She had tucked her hands underneath the table after he’d touched her; he didn’t know what to make of it.

She chewed slowly, thinking over her answer.  “I’m originally from New Hampshire.  When my mother died, my Dad moved us down to the Boston area so he could be closer to his parents.  He wasn’t sure how to raise a little girl without my Mom.  I was seven when we moved.”  She took a sip of her water.  “You ever left Shelby Forest?”

Justin chuckled, nodding his head.  “I went to school in Memphis, if that counts.”  He saw Bailey shake his head and grin at him.  “I’ve done a little travelling.  After I graduated from college, I spent some time on a road trip.  I’ve never actually lived anywhere else, though.”

The waitress came and cleared their plates, sliding the check on the table.

“I’ve always wanted to travel.  Unless you count the drive from Boston to Shelby Forest, I haven’t seen much of the world either.”  Bailey moved to get her purse and take out some money, but Justin stopped her.

“My treat.”  He said, setting a card on top of the bill.  “I was thinking we could make one more stop before we headed back.  I know you’re probably anxious to get to Carter.”

Bailey blushed slightly, dipping her head.  “Am I that transparent?”  When the waitress returned with Justin’s card, he signed the receipt and slid out of the booth, offering his arm to Bailey.  She hesitated, but went against the negative voices in her head and looped her arm through his.

“No, not transparent.  I understand that I asked you to leave your son with a woman you’ve never met so you could go to dinner with a man you barely know.”  His smile was warm and Bailey felt the heat creep up her neck.  She never seemed to stop blushing around this man and it was getting very frustrating.

She was thrown off by his simple smile, his calm demeanor, and his easy-going attitude about things.  He didn’t seem to be in any hurry for her to make a decision about him, and she wasn’t even sure he was looking for anything from her.  He had said that he just wanted to take her to dinner, and so far it seemed that that was really all he wanted.  Of course, the small touches and the gentleman-like behavior was throwing her off, but none of it was over the top or too forward.  She didn’t like it.

Bailey was used to men that were aggressive and single minded.  She knew their intentions and she knew how to keep them away.  Justin, though, she had no idea what he was looking for from her, and that was a scary thing.

“He’s my baby, you know?  We’ve been through a lot together and I worry.”  She let him open her door for her, holding onto his hand as she took her seat in his car.  When he’d taken his own seat, she finished her thought.  “I also feel horrible for shoving him at your mother.”

Justin waved her worry away.  “She loves it.”  He moved the car back onto the road, easing the wheel beneath his strong hands.  “She’s missed having kids around ever since I moved out.  She usually keeps an eye on the boys in the lot anyway, so asking her to watch Carter wasn’t a huge deal.”

“Still,” Bailey argued, “I’m usually a little more…prepared.”  She watched the world pass by her window, a blur of greens and yellows.  “I’ll have to bake her a cake or something.”

Knowing that he wasn’t going to be able to dissuade her, Justin let the conversation drop.  There was so much he wanted to know about this woman, but he was too scared to ask.  She seemed so skittish and gun-shy.  He didn’t want to run her off before he got the chance to get to know her and show her that he had the best of intentions.  He was intrigued by her and Carter, and he wanted to make sure they felt that Shelby Forest was their home, too.  He wasn’t entirely sure when it had happened, but he’d made it his personal mission to show her around and make sure she felt comfortable.

He would explore the reasons behind that later, if ever.

Something had been niggling at him, though, and he didn’t think he could keep the question at bay any longer.  “Would it be terribly forward of me to ask about Carter’s father?”

Bailey’s frame went rigid and Justin held his breath.  He was skating on thin ice, but he couldn’t hold it in any longer.  He wanted to know.

“Well…I suppose not.”  She shifted in her seat, looking down at her hands as she picked at her fingers.  She knew these questions were going to happen at some point, she was just hoping it would happen a lot farther down the road.  “I was sixteen when I met Travis.  He was the resident bad boy and I feel immediately.  It was one of those high-school romances.  I used him as a way to rebel against my father, he used me in general.  I found out I was pregnant when I was eighteen.”  She stopped, remembering the night she’d discovered her predicament.  Her father had been devastated, and that broke her heart more than anything else.  “Travis didn’t stick around long enough to ever meet Carter.”  She swallowed thickly.  “I’m pretty sure he’s still in jail.”

The last part was unexpected for both of them.  Bailey hadn’t know she was going to share that much, and Justin wasn’t sure what to do with the information now that he had it.

“You’ve done a wonderful job with Carter.”  He cleared his throat, suddenly uncomfortable.  “He’s a really great young man.”

Bailey chuckled, feeling her emotions start to tighten around her throat and bind her chest.  “I owe a lot to my Dad.  He stepped in and helped me with Carter.  While I finished school he watched the baby, teaching him and giving him the advice I couldn’t.”  Tears prickled at the back of her eyes, forcing her to blink rapidly.  She didn’t want to cry.

“I’m sorry, B.”  Justin’s hand left the knob of the shifter, settling over Bailey’s.  The warmth of his touch shocked her, and she forced herself not to pull away.  He was offering comfort that she obviously needed, why couldn’t she just accept it?

“Yeah, well, that’s all in the past now.”  With her other hand she wiped at her eyes, letting out a puff of air.  “It’s just me and Carter now.”  The tone of her voice had Justin turning to look in her direction.

“No, it’s not.”

Silence pervaded the car after that, his statement hanging between them and refusing to move.  His fingers tightened around hers when she moved to pull away, keeping her hand securely tucked into his.

When she spoke next, her voice was soft, husky with contained emotions.  “You don’t need to save me, Justin.”

Her statement struck Justin with a force he wasn’t ready for.  Steeling himself, he kept a hold on her hand and drove in silence, ignoring her comment and the emotions it stirred inside of him.  He wasn’t attempting to save her; he wasn’t.  He just wanted to be her friend and make her feel comfortable.

And even before the thoughts flickered through his mind, he knew they were lies.