Can I get Coke?

Keith's eyes lit up joyfully, and Tabitha was automatically annoyed at his joke. The man was about to destroy the world she had painstakingly built for herself and her child someday, and now Ethan's older brother was standing before her and smiling!

"May I come in?" Keith asked politely.

Reluctantly Tabitha stepped aside and let him in. Tabitha closed the door behind the man, then changed her mind and opened it again.

Keith saw her movement and smiled even deeper. His teeth looked very white against his tanned face.

"Still afraid I'll hurt you?" Keith asked teasingly. Then he put on a serious face and said slowly. "Seeing you in clothes like this, I admit the prospect of attacking you is tempting, Tabitha, but I've never seduced a woman with paint on her nose."

Tabitha looked down at her unseemly T-shirt, then gasped at how her thin shirt clung to her chest. Tabitha grumbled inwardly. She ventured to look at Keith Jackson, but the tall man bent down to pick up the wet rag Tabitha had used to wipe away the dripping paint.

Fascinated, like a hypnotized person, Tabitha saw the man approaching her and reached out to lift her chin. Keith lifted Tabitha's head so he could see the paint stain on Tabitha's nose he was about to wipe.

Keith was so immersed in observing Tabitha's face, emotionless, but Tabitha found breathing hard. Keith's presence makes it hard to breathe. Keith's fingers on her chin felt solid at the same time, felt soft. The man's skin was tanned. Such skin is not obtained quickly by sunbathing while lying by applying sunscreen lotion. The lines around his eyes were like fine cobwebs, which indicated the man spent most of his time in the field.

Doesn't Keith now live in Greece with his ship business? Is that what makes the man look exotic because he is often under the sun? Does Keith do a lot of outdoor activities? As Tabitha recalled, Keith had always looked fit and tanned. Tabitha seemed to have a hard time remembering about the man. She had forgotten everything. Her brain was swept clean as Keith approached her and lifted her chin with Keith's hand.

Keith's eyes were surrounded by thick, short, black lashes, and his eyebrows were as black as raven's feathers that curled and tapered as if painted. Tabitha's eyes were at the height of Keith's chest, and she could see the base of his neck with a slight tilt of her head. From the top of the man's shirt, Tabitha could see the fine hair on Keith's chest.

Geez! What was I thinking?! Tabitha was angry with herself for letting the man act friendly. Tabitha pushed Keith's hand and backed away.

"What do you want?"

Keith shrugged, then dropped the rag he had been holding onto the newspaper lying at his feet. "Coke is a good if you don't mind." He smiled.

"You know what I mean," Tabitha snapped. She was annoyed at her helplessness. Keith's friendly behavior was a ruse to reduce suspicion and weaken her defenses. Keith had never been close to her, and he had a point. "What are you doing here?" She stared coldly at the man.

Keith sighed and crossed the room to sit on the couch. "My presence here is evident to you, Tabby."

Hearing her name come out of the man's mouth moved Tabitha's heart. Are they allowed to call each other nicknames?

Keith stared at Tabitha briefly as he leaned back on the sofa pillow. "I'm here to take responsibility for your pregnancy."

Keith's words made Tabitha surprised, and her eyes widened. She was immediately alert. Tabitha's face turned pale. Shaking her head slowly, she said, "I don't need your responsibility."

Seeing Tabitha was distressed, Keith stood up and stepped closer, and Tabitha immediately stepped away. When Keith saw Tabitha alert, he stopped. While running his fingers through his unruly hair, he choked in a low voice.

Keith bit his lower lip several times and looked at her with narrowed eyes. Both his hands hold his hips, and he seems arrogant like to intimidate Tabitha in her ruffled clothes and bare feet. The woman shifted her footrest nervously, but Tabitha could meet Keith's gaze as calmly as she could. Keith said. "Come on. I know this isn't easy for any woman. So can we try to make this easy? I'd really like a Coke if you have one. Or a cup of coffee, maybe? Let's talk about our problems together like mature. Ok?"

"I don't have one and I'm not a medieval woman who can't face her own problems."

"Your pregnancy, Tabitha. This about your pregnancy. That's more than a problem. I know it's not easy for you to deal with the situation."

"Did you stay in the forest too long? So you just heard that there are single women who become single mothers without needing a husband?" Tabitha replied to Keith sarcastically.

Keith chuckled while looking at the woman closely. "You may not need a husband, but your child needs a father. Despite the modern era with all the crazy thoughts in the name of freedom, I still believe a child must be raised in a complete family. Having both parents legally married."

Tabitha was taken aback by Keith's words. She didn't expect that the man was so conservative.

"You must think I'm conservative. Yes, I am." Keith grinned widely. "I'd like a Coke if you have one."

"Listen me, Ke ... I mean, Mr. Jackson…."

"Keith."

"What?" The woman asked, momentarily confused at being interrupted.

"Call me Keith."

"Oh. Well, as I said, I have no problem. I will raise and love my child. You don't have to sacrifice your money for something you never did. I can raise the my child and give good food. I can be responsible for my pregnancy until I give birth. Even I will breastfeed…."

"Are you going to breastfeed?" interrupted Keith.

The man's eyes dropped to Tabitha's breast, and the woman felt her body heat up with embarrassment and irritation. And why did the tops of her breasts press against her shirt?

She noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra under her shirt. The bra looked unnecessary when Tabitha got the clothes this morning. The man was more threatening in other ways than being responsible for her pregnancy and making Tabitha want to laugh because Keith wanted to take responsibility for her pregnancy.

Keith still looked at her with an annoyed smile, and Tabitha glared at him. "Do not try anything with me!"

"So you're going to breastfeed?" asked the man in a friendly and gentle.

Tabitha gazed at the window, then stared at her bare feet, everywhere, to avoid the piercing gaze. She swallowed before muttering. "Yes."

Keith smiled slightly, then said, "Why did you talk about money, Tabitha?"

"Your intended responsibility is to support my child right?" Tabitha asked, pointing at her stomach. "Your family don't need to take responsibility."

"Can I have a Coke?" Keith grinned widely, ignoring Tabitha's speech.

Tabitha took a deep breath. She was tired of dealing with Keith. Then she rushed past the man and went to the kitchen. Bringing him Coke will cover Tabitha's embarrassment. "I'll get it."