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Blake shook his head. “Not at all. You want a different life for your family. There’s nothing wrong with that. Who cares what anyone else thinks if this is what you want?”
Mel worried her lip with her teeth and sighed. “If we have to stay in that apartment much longer, I’ll scream. I want them to have everything, you know? The commute won’t be so bad with the train, and my parents are practically forcing their car on me. They have two with them in Florida, and since they’re both retired, they insist they don’t need both. I don’t know how much truth to that there is, but my mother always said, ‘Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.’ So, I’ll take it.” She laughed softly. “I’ll actually have my own transportation to get around town. Is it pathetic how happy that makes me?”
“Not pathetic,” Blake whispered. Then, without thinking, he brought a hand up to her face and brushed aside a lock of her hair. His heart pinched as he imagined her here—alone, but happy with the kids—building a whole new life for herself he wouldn’t be a part of. He swallowed down the thought. “Mel, I watched you while you toured the house. You’re enamored with it, and I think it’s perfect for you guys.”
“Really?” Her toffee eyes brightened.
“Yeah.”
She shifted her gaze to the kids, who played by what appeared to be a little raised garden bed. “The kids would have a yard to run in. We could eventually get a dog and host birthday parties here and barbeques. In the summer, we can roast hot dogs over the fire and make smores. And they’ll have more space—bedrooms . . . two bathrooms, instead of one the size of a closet.” Her voice cracked, and she squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m sorry. I’m being emotional,” she croaked, then shook her head.
Blake reached out, gently taking her hands in his, and it hit him like a lightning bolt. What was an inkling before was now glaringly obvious. So much so, it hurt. He wanted all those things—this—everything around them. And, he wasn’t just referring to Mel, though he wanted her too. It was the picture she painted that he wanted—the total package, the kind of life she dreamed up for her family.
Blake didn’t want to spend his years in a sterile penthouse suite in the city. He never wanted glamorous parties and fancy dinners where he had to wear a stuffy, designer suit or a tux, shaking hands with people who looked down on him because of his birthright. He didn’t want a live-in nanny or a driver taking them everywhere they went. Jen was used to luxury and hiring help for just about everything. But he was a man who did everything himself, who found pride, accomplishment, and enjoyment in the journey. He wanted to share an equal hand with the woman he loved, raising their kids themselves, in a house they could make a home. He wanted all the things Mel mentioned and more—quaint family dinners with homecooked meals, snowball fights in the winter, and Christmas lights in the yard. Blake wanted to teach his kids to ride a bike down the street, have family movie nights with popcorn, go trick or treating in their own neighborhood until his bones ached from the chill.
He and Jen would never work. The revelation, the complete certain of it, hit him like an anvil to the chest. Because no matter what sacrifices each of them made to make the other happy, the futures they desired were so different. If they forced it to work, they’d wind up miserable and hating each other. He’d resent her after a while because her family would never accept him. He’d wind up living a predictable life in the city where his kids learned to love a nanny more than himself. And if Jen bent for him—for the life he wanted—she’d hate every part of it. Even if Jen gave up the chef, the driver, and the nanny, Blake knew she’d never move out of Manhattan. He couldn’t imagine her making mac and cheese and hot dogs for lunch, just because it’s what the kids wanted, bandaging booboos, helping with homework, or taking their kids to the park. In fact, Blake wasn’t even convinced she wanted kids because every time the subject came up, she brushed it off.
His chest tightened and he swallowed, taking a step away from Mel and dropping her hands.
A look of concern flickered in her eyes, as Blake turned away from her and moved a couple paces away. He ran a hand down his face as a newer, even stronger revelation hit him. This whole time, he denied his feelings for Mel because he thought it was the only wedge in his relationship. But the truth was clear. He cared about Jen, but he wasn’t in love with her. He couldn’t imagine her as his wife ten years from now because it meant living the life she wanted, not one they could build together. But someone like Mel . . . She was the type of woman he could see a future with.
He ruffled a hand through his hair and squeezed his eyes closed.
What was he thinking? He hardly even knew Mel, yet he saw himself happy here
in this house with her.
“Blake?” Mel said, her voice hesitant. “Is it the house? Is there something wrong?”
Blake reluctantly opened his eyes. His gaze fell to Brady, Peter, and Kinsley, chasing each other around the yard, their screams echoing in the otherwise quiet afternoon. The sight of it made his chest ache.
He needed to get it together, so he inhaled and mustered a smile before he turned back to Mel. “No. Sorry, I just . . . I love it. I think it’s perfect, and you’re crazy if you don’t make an offer.”
The corners of Mel’s eyes crinkled. “Yeah?”
He nodded. “Don’t wait.”
Her smile faded slightly. “Well, I have to just double check with my parents. I spoke about it with them briefly, and they applied with me for the preapproval, but I’d have to make sure they’re still onboard.”
Blake’s brow furrowed. “Surely with your job title and new salary, you’d get a loan.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “Well, when Craig left, he also gifted me a hefty credit card bill that I never quite recovered from. Needless to say, my credit score withheld some damage, so despite my job, I’m pretty sure I won’t get a good loan without a little help. Even my preapproval has them co-signing.”
Blake’s jaw tightened. Could her ex have been any more of a deadbeat? “I’ll co-sign.”
“What?” Mel took a step back. “Blake, no, I—”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Mel stared at him a moment, probably wondering if he’d gone nuts. Maybe he had.
“I can’t let you do that. It’s a very big deal, and we . . . What if I lose my job and default on the loan? You’d be responsible.”
Blake shrugged, running a hand over the back of his neck. Maybe she had a point, and it was crazy, but. . . “I don’t care,” he said.
“Blake . . .”
“Just think about it. Sleep on it, and if your parents can’t sign for some reason, it’s an option. I’d just hate to see you lose this house. I wouldn’t wait more than twenty-four hours. I might not know much about real estate in Highland Park, but based on the other two gems we saw before this, I don’t think it’ll last. Especially if what Gina said about them accepting aggressive offers is true.”
