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He kills the engine and turns to face me. “I have a gift for you.”
“Uh, okay. But why did you bring me all the way out here to give it to me?”
He grins, shaking his head, and gets out of the car.
“Nolan!” I have to hurry to follow him. “Seriously, are we breaking in this time?”
“Not at all.”
“You said they sold it. Which means we can’t possibly have a right to go inside.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He produces a key and unlocks the front door. “You can’t break into a house you own.”
I stare at him in shock. “Excuse me?”
“Come on.” He steps in and I have to follow.
It’s the same airy entryway. The same beautiful kitchen. Only this time, without the decoration. The living room is empty, no couches, no pictures on the walls. It’s raw space, filled with potential.
Nolan gives me another tour. It’s the same tour as before, but now there’s no other stuff to get in the way. He paints a picture of three kids, maybe a dog, maybe a cat (against his wishes), of a life in this place, of a house filled with love and happiness. We’d be far enough from the center of the family’s power that it wouldn’t own us, but still close enough to be a part of things. We’d have our own life, on our own terms.
When we reach the master bedroom, he faces me. Like last time, he stands close, but instead of shoving me down on the bed and getting me off, he takes my hand and pushes the key into my palm.
“This is my gift to you,” he says.
“Sorry? What now?”
“This house is in your name. I might’ve forged your signature a few times. My apologies.”
My eyes go wide. “Nolan. What the hell did you do?”
“I told you I’d take care of you and my baby no matter what. This house is the first step toward that. You can commute into the city every day and work in the shop, but still have your own space, a nice home, comforts, whatever you need. I’ll give you as much money as you ask for. Buy everything you need. You’ll want for nothing but still have your shop.”
“So much for doing this all on my own.”
His smile is sad. “You’re not alone anymore, Keely. It’s not a bad thing.”
I clear my throat, trying not to cry. I’ve been crying way too much lately. “What about you?”
“I’ll be here if you want me to be. I’ll be your husband, devoted to you and the baby. But if you don’t want that, I’ll buy someplace nearby so I can still be in our child’s life. This will always be yours, no matter what. Call it safety and security.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh. A multi-million-dollar home in a great area, now all mine, apparently with no strings attached.
Except there are strings. A thousand strings, a million, all attaching me to Nolan.
All tugging me closer to him.
“You didn’t need to do this.”
“You’re right. I wanted to.”
“You didn’t need to talk to Jamila’s grandmother.”
“I also wanted to do that.”
“How much more can I ask of you? How much more can you possibly give me before you walk away? I’m too much, Nolan. I’m not worth it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. There’s no limit, my wife. There’s absolutely no limit to how I feel for you and what I’ll give to you.”
