Page 143 of In Your Wake

I laugh. “Oh, sure. I have nothing but free time. What with running the inn, oh, and this thing,” I say, planting a hand on my stomach.

As if reminded, his eyes light up and his mouth curves into a wide smile.

I turn back to the view. “But I’m sure I could find some time to help you.”

He pauses, standing beside me, and we stare out at the ocean.

“So, here’s a thought,” he begins, scratching his jaw. “What if this were… our house?”

My head snaps up and my eyes widen. “What’s that now?”

He takes my waist, turning me away from the window to face him. He runs his thumbs up and down my small bump. “What if we both lived here?”

I blink up at him a few times. “Okay, I haven’t been sleeping well, so maybe I’m not hearing you right, but… have you lost your mind?”

“You heard me.” He lays a hand on my stomach. “Doesn’t this whole thing seem… on purpose? Like, everything led us here?” He shuts his eyes, releasing a long sigh. When he reopens them, he locks his gaze on me. “I get things are strange between us, but no matter what, I know we’ll love this baby. So much.”

I grip his forearms tightly worried my shaky legs won’t hold me up. “What exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying that it doesn’t make sense for me to live here alone, with all this space, while you have our baby living in an apartment. I’m saying we should live together.”

“Together?” I croak.

He agrees with a nod, a slight crease forming between his eyebrows.

“As a couple?”

“I didn’t say that,” he replies, tilting his head, but there’s a weariness in his eyes that suddenly makes me feel like there’s something he’s holding back. “I just want you to have a nice home to raise our kid. And if you don’t want me around, then I’ll find somewhere else to live.” He drops his hands, leaving me weak, untethered, as if the ground beneath me isn’t steady. “But no matter what, I want to be in this kid’s life. And in yours.”

31

DIY

Mitch

She stares up at me as if I’ve grown horns. Assessing me. Eyeing me with caution.

“Why would you give me a house?”

“Because I can,” I reply, amused, but also incredibly nervous. I’m still in shock at the news—we’re having a baby! But I know deep down this is the right thing to do.

She shakes her head and rushes downstairs. “I can’t do this.”

“What can’t you do?” I ask, following.

“I can’t take this house from you,” she says. She stops and holds her arms out as if I’ve offered her the worst thing in the world. “I can’t live here.”

Through her eyes, I see what she sees. Not the potential, but all the work that’s ahead.

“I’m not saying it’s move-in ready, but honestly, would waking up to that view every morning be so horrible?” I point outside, but she doesn’t stop glaring at me.

“Are you serious?” She grabs a corner of peeling paper and tears it off the wall. “It all has to be replaced. It smells damp, which could mean mold. And I’m not about to check, but I’d bet there are small rodents living in the kitchen cabinets.”

“That’s nothing a little TLC can’t fix.”

“TLC?” She grimaces, slamming her hands onto her hips. “Okay, then how about we stick with the fact that this is your house. You bought it. I can’t let you give it up.”

“I’m not giving it up. You’re the mother of my child. You deserve it. And hey, I’ll live here with you if you want me to. I’ll take care of both of you. And I’ll take care of the house, too. You won’t have to lift a finger.”