Page 33 of Accidentally in Love

“Woman, tell me!” she begged.

I sighed. Little sisters sure were annoying.

“He asked me to marry him.”

“What?” she screeched. “Oh my god, Avs! Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I said no. It was right after we found out I was pregnant.”

She glared at me. “Is that why he’s been so moody? He’s been insufferable.”

I shrugged. “You know Nol, he’s a grump.”

She shook her head. “Nah, this is something else. He’s been in a foul mood. He made another guy quit yesterday. Why did you say no?”

“He only did it because of the baby. I can’t marry someone who doesn’t love me. Besides, he doesn’t want to be tied down.”

“How do you know that?”

“He told me. It’s not like I’ve been the only woman in his bed lately.”

She studied me for a second. “Are you sure about that?”

I frowned. Actually, I wasn’t sure; I just assumed. We hadn’t had sex since we conceived the baby, so I figured he was getting it elsewhere.

He didn’t want to be tied down. He made that perfectly clear to me on several occasions. I wasn’t naïve. I saw how other women looked at him. Nolan might not have six-pack abs, but he had that hot lumberjack thing going on. Some women were into that. I was very much into that.

Gemma shook her head. “No wonder he’s been so snippy lately and miserable as all hell.”

“Why would you say that?”

She rolled her eyes, and I resisted the urge to tell her that her eyes would stay that way one day. Holy crap, was I turning into my mother? Is that what happened when you got pregnant?

Gemma fixed me with an annoyed look. “The big guy loves you!”

I shook my head. “No way, Gem.”

“That man wants to give you what you’ve been searching for. You want your happily ever after, but when someone offered it to you, you said no.”

“Because he doesn’t love me!” I screeched at her.

How did she not get it? Nolan was just doing what he thought was ‘right.’ I didn’t want to marry someone who only did it because they had to. I wanted big love like in all the romance novels I read, but all I got from Nolan was a strained friendship and an unplanned pregnancy. Of course, I wanted to get married and have a family. That’s why I was going on all those terrible dates while I was still sleeping with Nolan. Deep down, I loved the idea of marrying him, but I didn’t want to trap him into a marriage he didn’t want.

Gemma crossed her arms over her chest. “What if he wants what you want? What if you tried? You know, really gave it a go? That man only smiles when he sees you.”

That was true. Nolan’s demeanor was usually gruff and dominating. Still, I’ve seen his scowl completely transform when he saw me from across a room. I used to think that was because I was one of the few people he tolerated. Did Gemma see something I didn’t?

“You think we should try it?” I asked.

“Yes!” my sister screeched.

I chewed on my lip.

“I think you should marry Nolan.”

I ran a hand down my face and groaned. “Gem, why are you pushing this?”

She put a hand over mine and squeezed it. “He’s such a grouch, but when you come into a room, his whole face lights up.”