“Then stay with me,” she urged softly, pressing another kiss to his face.
Do this right, he reminded himself, so he got back on track. “I thought I had my priorities lined up. Independence, so Icould be my own man. Respect from others, so they’d know I was nothing like my folks. Even now, wanting to be with you, I figured I’d keep my apartment and get it fixed up.”
“But, Kam—”
“I needed you to know that you had options.”
“What do you mean?”
“You could kick me to the curb and not feel bad about it.” Because he had options, too. He was self-reliant, and he didn’t need her favors. He didn’t need help from anyone.
What a dumbass he’d been.
“I wouldnever,” she said, affronted by the very idea.
So freaking cute. For the sake of her seriousness, he kept his smile at bay. “But you could. You bought a house, moved in, and you were all set to live on your own until I finagled an invite.”
“I never saw it as finagling.”
“Are you kidding? The way you made me work for it?”
“I didn’t want you to feel obligated.”
“Guess we’ve danced around each other enough, huh? So here goes. That apartment means nothing to me. I love your house, everything about it. If you want me to stay here—”
“I do.”
“Then I’d love to stay with you. But I pay my own way. I don’t have the same resources as the McCallahans, but I have a decent savings account, my job is solid, and someday, I may even take over the business. I have a retirement plan.” He cupped her face. “I have options, so you have options.”
Her lips started to curve... but then her gaze shifted away and her warm sigh touched his mouth.
Kam sensed her gearing up for something. “Hey.” He recaptured her gaze, then held it in his own. “What’s wrong?” He was about to tell her he loved her, but her mood had definitely shifted.
“Do you remember, at the hospital, when I said you and Addie might hate me?”
Without knowing why, the question put him on edge. “By now you should know you were wrong.”
The way she dampened her lips drew his attention. “I need to tell you something.”
Okay, forget kissing her right now. This sounded serious. “Is that so?”
“It’s something... big. And important. I should have told you before now, but I... So much has happened.”
Needing to brace himself for whatever was about to come, he sat back. Given her injuries, Glory couldn’t do the same. She looked small, fragile, and painfully vulnerable. “You love me,” he said. It seemed important to reiterate that.
“Yes, I do.”
Just as he’d hoped, hearing it again helped to ease the gripping tension in the back of his neck. He released a tight breath, knowing he could handle anything else. Once he learned what he was up against, he’d take care of it.
After smoothing her silky hair behind her ear, he let his fingertips drift around the injury on her cheek, and tipped her chin his way. “No time like the present, right? Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it.” Right now, he was as happy as a man could be. He wasn’t about to let anything change that.
Maybe if she’d suspected the day would go like this, Glory would have been better prepared. She’d planned on Kam getting home after a nice outing with the kids. They’d eat, chat, and then she’d tell him that she loved him, just as Glenda had suggested.
Instead, Mike had struck again—twice, apparently—and her regrets were adding up. She was both afraid of what might happen next and equally determined to level with Kam. He deserved to know about the baby.
What a jumbled bunch of confusion.
When she hesitated, he said, “I won’t hate you, and Addie doesn’t hate anyone.”
