When You Least Expect by Lydia Rowan Page B

to tell Matt first. That was going to be an awesome conversation, and she was half-tempted to call him and blurt it out but immediately dismissed the idea. This was definitely an in-person conversation, and as nervous as she was, she needed to be face-to-face when they had it.
    The need to see him crawled over her like an itch she was clamoring to scratch, so intense she even considered calling Matilda over to watch Dani while she went to Matt’s. She immediately nixed that idea, too. The tension that had always been there, the disapproval that had marred their relationship since the very day they’d met, had only intensified since Matilda had learned of her relationship with Matt. And besides, Ariel needed to start adjusting. Somehow, she doubted Mrs. Mallick would be very happy about her impending new arrival, so she couldn’t count on her for as much help as she’d gotten used to.
    She grabbed her phone and dialed before she could stop herself.
    “Hello?” Mandy said, voice soft, calm, patient.
    “It’s Ariel. I am sorry to bother you, but would you mind looking after Dani for a bit tomorrow?”
    “Of course not,” Mandy said. “We have kickball for the third-graders, and she’s more than welcome to come along. She won’t be able to play, but I’ll keep her entertained.”
    Ariel laughed, knowing full well that her little girl would toss caution to the wind and try to play anyway. “Thanks, Mandy.”
    She said her good-byes and then hung up. For a moment, she toyed with calling Matt to set aside some time but didn’t. She knew the moment she heard his voice, everything would come spilling out, so she couldn’t risk it. So now, all there was to do was wait.
    ••••
    Matt considered dropping by Ariel’s. It was a beautiful day, sunny and warm, but not quite hot, a great day to take Dani to the park. But he ultimately decided against it. Ariel seemed to be okay with the way things were going, but she wasn’t entirely settled on how she wanted to handle things with Dani, and Matt wanted to respect her wishes.
    So he settled in his office, did a few case notes and tried to keep his hand from grabbing the phone and checking in on his girls.
    His girls.
    He didn’t even try to pretend that thinking of them that way, stamping them with his claim in even such a small way, didn’t make him happy.
    When his doorbell rang, he stood, excited by the distraction. It didn’t matter who it was. Anything would be better than sitting here pretending he was perfectly content to work when he’d have given anything to be with them instead.
    When he saw Ariel’s familiar form, he felt a surge of excitement that he tried to tamp down, no easy feat when she stood there, a vision in her jeans and tank top, succulent curves on display.
    “Hey, come in,” he said, smiling bright.
    Her gaze flitted toward him and then away, and he knew something was wrong. The tension in her shoulders, the tilt of her head were all giveaways as she entered. Unable to stop himself, he pulled her into an embrace, stroked her shoulders until some of the tension faded.
    “What’s wrong?”
    When she didn’t say anything, his heart kicked up and he immediately thought of Dani but then calmed. Ariel wouldn’t be here if it were Dani, so this was something else.
    “Matt, I’m pregnant,” she said without looking at him.
    She’d whispered the words, her voice going near silent toward the end, but Matt hadn’t misheard her.
    Almost simultaneously, his heart soared, then crashed, and then soared again.
    “So when are we getting married?” he asked.
    ••••
    Of all the things Ariel had expected, that was certainly not one. Though upon reflection, she realized it should have been. No matter what, Matt didn’t shirk responsibility, and this would be no different.
    She watched him, looked for any sign of reaction, but his face was trained in an unreadable expression, one that, despite the attraction that rolled through her blood as