Hey Baby

Kindness? What's That?

"I'm meticulously planning your murder."

"Well, good morning to you too." Lincoln set a coffee cup in front of me, but just as I opened my mouth to speak, he said. "It's decaf and I made sure they added extra cream and sugar."

Surprised, I wrapped my fingers around the cup and glared across the table at him. He'd been sure that a family owned coffee shop smack in the middle of a busy shopping mall wasn't going to draw attention, which I would of agreed with if he were dressed like an average guy in a hoodie and sweats. He must have only gotten part of the memo, because though he was wearing a pair of low riding sweats, he was wearing another one of those ridiculous muscle shirts. It was as if he were entirely immune to the brisk, mid-October air. Or maybe flexing his incredible toned arms to everyone within a five-mile radius helped boost his ego.

"Do I even want to know why you're planning my murder?" he asked with a quirked brow. Considering how perfect it was, I couldn't help but wonder if he went and got it threaded like Mona. The very thought of this beast of a man laying down and letting a petite woman pluck at his brows made a giggle escape me before I could contain it.

"Okay, that's creepy as hell." He said with a shake of his head, then sipped at his coffee. "Why'd you want to meet?"

"Monae hasn't talked to me in a week." I responded, my smile faltering. "Since you so nonchalantly ran that big ass mouth and told her before I had the chance too. She's pissed and hurt because you knew before she did."

He rubbed the stubble along his jaw as he processed my words. "She seems like she's the dramatic type."

"Excuse me?" I snapped defensively. "She's literally the sweetest girl you could ever meet."

He held his hands up in surrender and shrugged. "I'm sorry I ran my mouth and that she's mad at you, is that what you want to hear?"

"Might make your death a little quicker. I was considering torture first, but since you're so graciously offering an apology, I may just make sure it's over quickly."

He eyed me, as if he were trying to see a crack in my serious demeanor; joke is on him since I had learned to keep my guard up.

"Funny." he said with a deadpan expression. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"No." I dropped gaze to my coffee cup. "I've been thinking about what your offer and maybe it won't be the worst thing. How long were you thinking?"

Though he tried to force it away, a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and within seconds the dimple on his right cheek was drawing my attention from his eyes to the lower half of his face.

"Six months max? Probably less than that though. My relationships don't really last too long."

"Okay, ew." I waved my finger in front of me. "In case you forgot, I'm four months pregnant, Link. Which means if you want to lie to everyone for six months, you're going to be breaking up with a new mother, freshly post-partum, and abandoning the baby."

Hearing the reality of the words seemed to finally get everything through his head and he slumped back in his chair, crossing his arms over his broad chest. He continued to gnaw at the right side of his bottom lip-I couldn't say I wasn't relieved to see a hint of my Lincoln in this man.

"Okay, well that make me sounds like a complete douche."

"It does." I drank from my cup slowly. "Maybe you should have considered all of this before you so openly told your parents we were dating."