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“Yeah, I should be, but I get why you didn’t say anything.” She faced him squarely. “Now, should you lie to me again, there will be hell to pay. Serious hell.”
“Got it,” he promised solemnly. A little tug on her hand brought her baby bump up against his hips, and he leaned down to press a kiss to her lips. “I love you.”
“I love you, too, but can we please go inside now?” She didn’t even have to fake the shiver that shook her shoulders. “I’m freezing my butt off.”
“Definitely can’t have that.” He slid his hands down to palm her butt, then dipped at the knees to lift her up against him and carry her back inside to bed.
Chapter 27
Merit finished setting the island counter for breakfast, then sat in one of the high stools, one hand wrapped around his mug, to watch Mae pour pancake batter onto the griddle. He shot a glance over his shoulder as he lifted his cup for a sip of cappuccino. He couldn’t believe he was nervous to see Ian this morning, but this was the first time he’d be here when the kid woke up. The sound of the bathroom door a minute ago told him it wouldn’t be long.
He and Mae hadn’t slept much when he carried her back to bed, and it wasn’t because of sex. Mostly, they’d talked about him moving in and what they wanted going forward to make sure they were on the same page. He’d warded off a discussion about their families—namely about his dad—and when she dozed off in his arms, he’d contemplated her determination to get him to go talk to him.
He loved the hell out of her, but it was frustrating she couldn’t get it through her stubborn head to just let it go. He got it that her relationship with her parents was strained, and she didn’t want him to go though that either, but it was something he had to take care of in his own time—once he had a job worth telling them about and didn’t have to face his dad with his lie between them.
After Mae had questioned his low level job, he wanted to be employed in a position that put his degree to use so the Senator couldn’t complain he was wasting the money they’d spent to put him through college.
He frowned into the creamy depths of his cup. Okay, so even though his dad could be a hard ass, he didn’t really think he’d complain about that. But he did want him to be proud of his choices. He wanted to be proud of his choices. And he was, mostly. Stepping up with Mae, and the baby, and even Ian, was one thin
g. Now he needed a little more time to work up to a better job so he could hold his head high when he faced his dad.
Mae sidled up next to him, pancake flipper in hand. She ran the fingers of her free hand through his hair in a light caress. “It’s going to be fine.”
He didn’t correct her about the object of his thoughts as he reached up to squeeze her fingers when she rested her hand on his shoulder. A sleepy-eyed Ian shuffled into the kitchen and deposited a couple of army men on the counter to climb up onto the chair next to Merit.
Mae moved around the island back to the stove. “Morning, Scoob.”
“Mornin’, Mom. Hi, Merit.”
“Morning, Ian.”
The kid reached to upright the infantry men lying on the counter while shooting him a sideways glance. “Why are you here for breakfast?”
His pulse skipped, but Mae answered for him as she deposited the platter of pancakes on the counter in front of the three place settings. “Merit slept over.”
“Oh. Cool.”
She met his gaze for a brief moment, then looked back to her son. “Ian, what would you think if he moved in with us and slept over every night?”
He grabbed two pancakes with his hand and put them on his plate. Merit saw her bite her lip to keep from chastising him, and he proactively passed the kid the syrup bottle. Then he and Mae filled their plates and shared the syrup while Ian ate one whole pancake without answering.
Merit raised his eyebrows at Mae as he chewed his first bite. She offered a tense smile in return, but it faded fast and his stomach grew heavy.
“Where would you sleep?” Ian suddenly asked. “Cuz daddies sleep with mommies, right?”
“Uh, yes,” Mae said after a moment of surprised silence. “Daddies sleep with Mommies. Are you okay with that?”
“Uh-huh.” He stuffed another bite in his mouth. Syrup dripped down his chin as he looked at Merit. “But will you sleep in the tree house with me sometimes?”
“Of course,” he promised. “As soon as we get it built next spring.”
“Can we work on the plans again tonight?”
“Sure.”
And that was that. Ian told them all about what he was taking to school for show-and-tell, and then Mae urged him to hurry and get ready. Merit gave her a gentle push after him before turning back to grab their plates for the dishwasher.
Mae’s belly bumped his backside a second before her arms slid around his waist. “Told you it’d be fine.”
