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“Sounds reasonable.”
We paused to give the waitress our orders before resuming our conversation.
“So last time I was here, Aunt Meg told me you never got your e-magazine off the ground. I’d like to help with that.”
I was startled but then shook my head. “That ship has sailed. I have neither the time nor the energy to take that on. Between work and the baby, I’m way too tired.”
“I’ve been giving some thought to that too. I was thinking you should quit your job and do the magazine full-time. Let me support you while you get it off the ground.”
“What? No. I can’t let you do that.” I stared at him.
“Why not? It would be better for Jeremy if you’re home with him, and what’s the difference if I pay for full-time daycare so you can go work at a job you may or may not like, or if I give you that money so you can stay home and follow the dream I unintentionally stole from you?”
“There’s no guarantee it’ll go anywhere,” I protested. “Then what?”
“It could give you the chance to retake that final class you failed and get your degree. By the time Jeremy starts school, you could get a regular job if things don’t work out with the magazine. But for the next five years or so, stay home and be a mom. I can afford it, Presley, and the truth is, I owe you. It’s about more than money, and you know it.”
I stared at him, wishing I could say yes but knowing I couldn’t.
“Will you think about it?” he continued when I didn’t respond right away. “I know you’re about to say no, but will you just take a few days to think about it? Please?”
“All right.” I was truly too exhausted to argue with him, and I wanted to wait until I knew Aunt Meg was on the mend before I made a huge decision like this. I was tempted, though. How awesome would it be to stay home with Jeremy and work on my e-zine? More like a dream-come-true.
“And a little more food for thought,” he said, giving me a devilish smile. “I spoke to Carter. He said he would be willing to talk to you about his struggle with addiction for your first big article.”
My eyes widened. This was totally unexpected. “Really?”
“He read a few of the articles you wrote about those local bands and said he likes your style. And of course, he’d do it because I asked him to.”
“That’s… amazing,” I whispered, suddenly overwhelmed with his generosity. “Really. There are no words.”
“I also have tons of friends who’ll all be willing to do interviews as a favor to me.”
“Zeke.” I didn’t even know what to say. I’d given up on getting my degree, but it had been a bitter pill to swallow. He wasn’t just giving me back my dream of starting an online music magazine, he was also giving me the opportunity to finish what I’d started with college.
“Like I said, think about it.” He reached across the table and laid one of his big hands on mine. “The first thing we have to do is get Meg through this surgery. Then we can talk about everything else. Okay?”
“Okay.” I nodded, wishing the simple touch of his hand didn’t affect me the way it did. “And thank you. I mean it.”
“I told you, I’m here for you now. No matter what.”
Was it weird that I believed him when he looked at me like he was looking at me now? Despite everything that had happened, the moment those gorgeous eyes of his met mine, it was as if we were back at the resort bar, talking and getting to know each other again. I was doing my level best to keep him at arm’s length, but I was failing miserably. The fact that he’d jumped on a plane the moment I asked him to, even though it had nothing to do with Jeremy, made me second guess myself.
Of course, Aunt Meg had been right that I still had feelings for him. I’d always heard that your first was special, so I’d chalked it up to nothing more than a romantic fantasy, but my heart told me it was more than that whenever we were in the same room.
Not that I thought he felt what I felt. He appeared to be stepping up to be a good father and to try to make up for everything that had happened between us. That didn’t mean he wanted anything more than a peaceful co-existence so we could parent our son. He had the money to make this easy on me, so I had to keep that in mind every time he did something sweet and thoughtful. This wasn’t about anything except making the best of an awkward situation. I had to be careful not to mistake kindness and generosity for romantic feelings.
“You look like you’re ready to drop,” he said as we finished eating.
“I didn’t sleep at all last night,” I admitted. “I’d love to take a nap.”
“How about I take you home, and you can nap while I take care of the baby?”
I frowned. “Are you sure? And what about Aunt Meg?”
“You can call her on the way. Unless they’re doing the surgery this afternoon, you need to rest. I’d like to do as much as I can for you while I’m here because I have to leave tomorrow.”
“Already?” The word tumbled out before I could stop it.
