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She leaps off the bed and wraps her arms around my neck, sniffling in my hair as I hold her tight to my body. I feel the tiny bump of her belly press against me and smile.
“River,” I whisper into her hair before pushing her back, so I can see her face. “Stay. Please.”
She wipes her fingers under her eyes and clears her throat before sitting back down. I don’t rush her, but I can see she’s thinking hard, probably contemplating every outcome, the way she always does. Her eyes meet mine, and my heart pounds so hard that I feel as if it may beat right out of my chest. Putting everything out there and asking her to stay is a big and risky move on my part. I know that, but as long as we’re together, I have no doubt we can make this work. As our breaths mix with silence, it feels as if all time is standing still as I wait for her answer. But that’s what I do. I wait patiently.
“Okay,” she finally says above a whisper, her eyes bright and glowing. “I will.”
“Okay.” The permanent smile on my face doesn’t falter. She’s just made me so fucking happy.
“But I’ll need to go back and pack up my apartment. I’ll have to let my job know and put in my notice.” I smile wider when she tells me that. “This isn’t going to be easy, Alex. Everything about this is a huge adjustment and moving will just add to it. In fact, now that I’m saying it aloud, it actually sounds really crazy. Like we should both probably be evaluated for jumping into this.” She half-laughs to herself.
“River, baby. I don’t need easy. Hell, I want crazy and everything that it entails. As long as it’s with you.”
She smiles, adjusting her top. “Okay. Well, prepare yourself.”
I grin, ready to do whatever it takes. “I can fly back to Milwaukee with you and help pack or move if you want. Maybe over a weekend?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I can hire movers for all of that. I just need to grab the essentials before they pack it into the truck.”
I lean in and cup her cheeks, needing to taste her lips, but right before I can, she presses a hand to chest and stops me. I blink, trying to read her face.
“What? Is this where you tell me you want to see other people?” I tease.
“Shut up!” She laughs, smiling. “I think we need to set some ground rules first.”
My brows raise. “More rules? Didn’t those rules get us into our current situation?”
She narrows her eyes at me, hiding a smirk. “I just don’t think we should jump right back into bed together.” Before I can comment, she hurries and continues. “And yes, I know that’s how we got into our current situation, but nevertheless, if we want a chance at having a real relationship, we need to give it a fresh start.”
I crease my brows, twisting my lips up. “A fresh start as in what? You want me to court you?”
She bites her tongue and shakes her head. “Just because I’m pregnant doesn’t mean I don’t want a genuine relationship. What we had in Key West was a vacation fling based on sex. If this is going to work, we need to start over.”
“You expect me to just start over as if everything we shared never happened?” I ask, perplexed.
“Well no, I mean, the feelings and our connection can’t be altered. But I want us to really get to know each other, and we can’t do that while our hormones are hyperactive on sex. We need to set some boundaries.”
“Boundaries, okay. Like what?”
“Sex is off the table.”
“Yeah, I got that.” I roll my eyes, smirking. “What else?”
“We take things slow. Go out and talk. I’d love to meet your family and learn about the ranch and just get to know you as you.”
I can’t even be mad about her no-sex rule because honestly, that sounds like fucking heaven. I’ve never wanted a girl to stick around longer than a night, and knowing that River wants this to work as much as I do makes every grueling day we were apart worth it.
“Okay.” I smile. “I think I can work with that.” I press my lips to her cheek and groan as I inhale her fresh, clean scent.
This might be harder than I anticipated.
I suck in a deep breath and let it out slowly through my nose. River watches me, and I turn my head to meet her eyes that seem to see straight through me.
“What are your plans tomorrow?” I ask, my nerves getting the best of me.
She laughs. “I’m having breakfast between six and nine. Other than that, my day is free.”
“Great. We’re having lunch with my parents.”
