Page 12 of Rowdy & Kat

“I plan to stay home for the first year.”

“Then, where will my sons go?”

“I planned to leave them here at the house with my cats,” I said and waited for him to stop interrogating me.

Rowdy kissed my belly. “If you moved into my condo, you could stay home with the boys.”

“What if I don’t want to stay home?”

“You absolutely want to stay home. I can tell that about you.”

Sighing, I muttered, “Even if I was willing to move to your town and give up my life here, is there space for Maria in your life?”

“It’ll be tight at my condo, but I have plenty of friends with spare rooms. We’ll stick her in one of them.”

“Just like that?”

“Sure,” Rowdy said and crawled up until his lips were pressed against mine. The kiss was brief, yet enough to leave me craving more. “I’ve always felt you were special. Now, you’re giving birth to my sons. That’s definitely a positive sign.”

His words left me spiraling. Rowdy made everything sound so simple.

“I used to daydream about running off to Little Memphis to be with you, but that fantasy makes no sense outside of my head. This is where I live and work.”

“Do you have a big support system here?” Rowdy asked and nuzzled my breast.

“It’s always been just Maria and me.”

“In Little Memphis, you’d have so many extra hands to help you. My parents have been restless since their foster kids left. Bebe would be at your beck and call.”

“What about your sisters?”

“They’ll probably slap you around a little after the babies are born. Then, they’ll totally pamper you.”

Grinning at his insistent tone, I said, “Stop bribing me.”

“I want to spend time with you, but I don’t think I can move to Little Rock.”

“Well, I want to spend time with you, but I don’t think I can move to Little Memphis.”

“I feel like everything you love about Little Rock can be found in my hometown. But everything I love about my hometown can’t be found in Little Rock.”

“That’s not fair,” I grumbled, even as my mind buzzed with how his fingers stroked my stomach. “Just because you have a bigger family doesn’t mean I should give up everything.”

“It’s not just my family. My job isn’t transferable. I think you could find a good job in Little Memphis. Or you could stay home with our boys until they’re bigger. Whatever you want.”

I admittedly had wished I could stay at home with the babies for more than a year. But financially, I’d need to return to work. Besides, a year was far more than many women got. I was lucky, so complaining felt wrong.

Maria had even offered to work extra shifts to ensure I could stay home longer with the babies. We had always wanted a stable family. Maria was willing to give up anything to make things work for me. I’d do the same for her.

But would she want to live in Little Memphis? She hadn’t been back there since high school. I’d be asking her to give up our home and her job. We enjoyed our work at the endoscopy center.

“I’m glad Maria texted you today, and I’m impressed by how you raced down here,” I told Rowdy. “But you’re making me sad.”

“Why?” he asked in an alluring voice. “I’m only asking you to give me a chance to win your heart.”

“It’s not that simple. I’m supposed to deliver these boys next week. I really thought I was in labor today. I got scared about them coming too fast. Now, you’re here and trying to convince me to uproot my entire life.” Sighing, I caressed his jaw as his hypnotic eyes promised everything would be okay. “Despite making two children together, we’re strangers.”

“Well, maybe we’ll compromise,” Rowdy said, refusing to give up. “I’ll stay in Little Rock until you deliver and are ready to travel. During that time, we’ll get the spare room at my condo fixed up for the boys. Would you be willing to spend a week or more in Little Memphis? I could get you whatever you needed.”