Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 282(@200wpm)___ 226(@250wpm)___ 188(@300wpm)
He walks into the room with his hands in his pockets. “It was wishful thinking on my part.”
He walks over to me, and my heart stutters as he approaches. “You know what I’ve been thinking about?”
I wonder if it’s the same thing I’ve been thinking about. “What?”
He holds his hands out, palms up. “That hug.”
I look at his outstretched hands, and there’s no denying him. I put my hands in his, and just as soon as I do, he pulls me into him, wrapping his arms around me. I melt into him, wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head against his chest. “I’ve thought about this too.”
He takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Tell me your answer… tell me yes, peaches.”
I sigh, wanting him to have an out. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Yes,” he answers without hesitation.
“And you know we can have a baby without getting married?”
“It’s non-negotiable, Haven.”
I thought about this all night and how I was going to approach the subject. He wants a kid, he’s made that known, but he didn’t really say how we were going to get there. I’m guessing artificial insemination, but I need to clarify that with him. It makes it easier that I’m leaning against him and he can’t see my face. “So I’ll be a pregnant virgin?”
He leans back, keeping his hands on me, but he searches my eyes. With a smirk, he asks, “Did you think you would get pregnant in a doctor's office or something?”
Heat rushes to my face. “I assumed that’s what—”
He leans down until I can feel his hot breath on my cheek. “We’ll be getting pregnant the old-fashioned way, Haven.”
I swallow hard as my whole body reacts and gets hot. I feel like I need to fan myself, but I stand perfectly still. “I’m still going to work.”
He doesn’t seem fazed by my request. “I’m not going to try and control you. You can have the life you want.”
I suck in a breath. “I want a small wedding. Just us.”
Again, he doesn’t hesitate. “Whatever you want.”
“The contract needs to be changed. I don’t want your money. If you want to provide for any child we may have, that’s fine, but I want my name taken off of it.”
“No, that’s not part of the deal.”
I pull back, out of his reach, to put some distance between us. “It’s important to me, King. You will always think I agreed to this—hell, whatever this is—a fake marriage because I wanted your money, and that is not the case.”
“Why are you doing it?”
I lift my head and look straight into his eyes. “Because I’m comfortable with you, well, more comfortable than I’ve ever been with anyone, and I want to have kids. This is my chance—hell, it could be my only chance.”
He nods. “I’ll have the contract reworded, but just so you know, peaches, I will always take care of you.”
I figure it’s best to change the subject. “Where will we live? Will we live together?”
“Yes, of course, we will. To anyone else this is real. We will live at my house… in Whiskey Run. If we ever need to stay in the city, I have an apartment in Jasper, too.”
“Are you going to see other women?”
He reaches for me, putting his hands on my shoulders. I didn’t realize how worried I was about it until he starts shaking his head. “No, I wouldn’t do that to you. Plus, I haven’t looked at another woman since I first saw you. I’m consumed by you.”
My heart starts to race. This is embarrassing to talk about, but it’s important to get it out there. “What if we do this… what if we get married… and I can’t, you know, perform?”
He tilts his head and smiles. “I can wait.”
“What if I have another panic attack?”
His forehead creases. “That scared the hell out of me the first time, but I’ll stick by you, Haven. I’ll talk you through it just like last time.”
“Are we working on some kind of timeframe or anything like that?”
He shrugs, and it’s killing me how easygoing he is about this. “I want us married soon. Everything else—there’s no pressure.”
I lift my head, searching his eyes. I’m still not sure about any of this or if I’m making the right decision, but I know if I told him no, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. “And how long do you plan for us to stay married?”
I hold my breath, trying not to let any disappointment show. I keep telling myself I can do this. It’s a part I’m playing—it’s not real, but I’m not sure if my heart is planning on playing along. He shakes his head. “Let’s not put an end date on it.”
Finally, when I feel like I’ve got all the answers I wanted, I nod my head. “Okay.”