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They didn’t surprise him or alarm him. They didn’t even seem too soon since he’d been completely infatuated with her since the wedding, and even well before that. But saying them out loud was a whole other matter. That was definitely going to need more time, especially when she’d gone all tense when she’d thought he wanted to move in with her and Ian.
And then there was still the fact he hadn’t come clean about lying about his job—about even having a job. He just couldn’t seem to find the right time to tell her.
I trust you, Merit.
Thank you. By the way, I’m a big fat liar.
He’d tried a few more companies after the disaster interview on Tuesday, but the way things were looking, he might have to take Grayson’s advice and flip burgers or something until his house sold. The money from his Jaguar was running through his fingers like water as he paid his first month of bills.
Mae rolled onto her side to face him. The regret in her expression instantly derailed his thoughts at the same time his chest tightened.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
“I don’t want to kick you out, but even though Ian now knows you’re the baby’s father, it’s still too early for him to find you here in the morning.” Her br
ows drew even closer together. “I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about when it comes to Ian, Mae. I understand.” Even if he didn’t like having to leave. “I should probably get going sooner than later though, so your nosey neighbors don’t see me sneaking out at three o’clock in the morning.”
She lifted her head and rolled slightly toward the night stand. “It’s not even eleven yet. You can stay another five minutes, at least.”
“Gee, thanks.”
She laughed as he pulled her across his chest with one arm banded around her waist. “You’re welcome to come by after brunch tomorrow.”
He stiffened slightly. Were they back to another Sunday already? Yeah, damn it, they were. “I’m not going to family brunch.”
“Honor said you guys don’t miss brunch. It’s kind of like an unspoken rule, isn’t it?”
Oh, it’d been spoken plenty of times, but he wasn’t about to tell her that.
When she drew back to see his face, he avoided her gaze. “Grayson skips them all the time. I’m taking my turn.”
“That’s a little different.”
“Why? He might not have the same last name, but he’s a Diamond like the rest of us.”
“It is different and you know it. It’s not a good idea to let this fester between you and your dad.”
She didn’t know anything about him and his dad. “Don’t worry about it.”
“You shouldn’t avoid him.”
“I don’t want to talk about it right now.”
“Merit.”
“No, Mae.” Feeling cornered all of a sudden, he set her back on her side of the bed and got up to find his clothes. “I’ll deal with my dad my own way. Just leave it be.”
While pulling on his briefs and jeans, his abrupt words replayed in his head. Fighting a cringe, he shot a glance at the bed to see her watching him with the sheet tucked up under her arms to cover herself.
She didn’t look upset; she looked determined. And that right there heightened the anxiety tightening his chest. He didn’t want to talk about any of this with his lie still out there. He had to fix that before he dealt with his dad. Which meant he had to find himself a job so he didn’t look like the mooch everyone called him.
He swiped up his shirt and then braced a hand on the bed to lean over her. “I’ll call you, okay?”
“Sure. You do that.”
He dropped a kiss on her unresponsive lips and then left before the guilt had him confessing everything.
