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“I’m paying rent.”
Duke’s head made the tiniest shake. “No, you’re not.”
“But I?—”
He softened his look. “You said it yourself; you’re saving money. I don’t need the rent, and you’re doingallthe work by carrying the baby. A safe place to live is the least I can do. I insist.”
The strong finality of his words sent a ripple of heat through me. I swallowed thickly and nodded.
“It’s settled then. I’ve got you while you’re pregnant, and once the baby comes, we’ll figure the rest out. Anything else?”
“I’d like my family to be able to come over and see me. I know my father is a difficult man, but the rest of my family...” I trailed off. In reality my brothers could be difficult too. I needed to rein them in if this was ever going to work.
His jaw twitched as if he knew my brothers would be a pain in his ass. “It will be your home too. You can spend time with anyone you want to.” He looked at me. “But they will respect you. That’s nonnegotiable.”
“Of course.” I nodded, hoping it was true. With a deep breath, I sank into the leather seat. “So we’re really doing this?”
He looked out onto the violent waves. “Looks like it.” The quiet stretched between us. I let his masculine scent wash over me, and the warmth from his body settled my nerves.
Finally, his deep voice broke through the silence. “You know you can do this, right?” I looked at him, questioning. “You’re stronger than you think. You don’t need anybody. But what I’m telling you is you don’t have to do it alone.”
Duke was a man who took responsibility seriously, that much I knew. Whether my affection for him was a product of having his baby or something else, I wasn’t entirely sure. But I did know one thing: with Duke I felt safe.
For now, that would have to be enough.
SEVENTEEN
DUKE
I had never livedwith a woman. Hell, I was still a kid myself when I hung my dreams in the back closet to take over the family farm. Stepped up. Be steady and stable while I watched my family crumble in front of me.
I had been helpless against it.
After pouring myself into the work, living on the main parcel in the old farmhouse was what had made the most sense. Over time, I took care in updating it and making it comfortable. It was rustic and masculine. No frills.
I looked around the living room with its tall, wood-beamed ceilings and no-nonsense decor.
I should have bought a fucking candle or something.
With MJ’s help, Sylvie had planned to pack a few of her belongings into her car and meet me back at the farm that evening. I was uneasy having her return to her aunt’s house, worried her father would be ready for round two. Sylvie assured me she was fine and that her sister’s presence would help soften her father.
I still didn’t like it.
After I left her, I checked in with Cisco and got to work moving things around the house to make Sylvie more comfortable.
She had texted me forty minutes ago saying she would be by in about fifteen minutes. I checked my watch and glanced at the clock on the fireplace mantel. Since then I had paced by the front window, ignoring the rapidly cooling coffee in my hands. Ed whined at my feet, unsure about my anxious mood. I looked around the farmhouse. It was clean, but simple. Nothing like the austere home Sylvie shared with her family.
The front door opened to a small vestibule for boots and coats. Years ago I had taken a sledgehammer to a wall in the old parlor, opening it up to the living room. A downstairs bedroom had been converted to my office, and the kitchen was at the back of the house with a large window that overlooked the blueberry fields in the distance. The real appeal of the house was the porch. The wide, covered expanse was where I ate many of my meals, but I mostly just sat and enjoyed the quiet, rolling landscape.
Rather than stare out the window, waiting for her arrival, I tracked outside. I sucked in the fall air and took in the view. The sun hung low in the sky as fall’s early golds deepened to amber, casting a glow to the trees that bordered my fields. The bushes themselves had already begun taking on the burgundy hue of autumn. The kaleidoscope of color rippled down through the rows and would carry over into the next month or so. The unmistakable scent of fall—pine, wood burning, and drying leaves walked with me as I headed to the barn to check on Duck. Ed happily trotted behind me, eager to check on his youngling.
Once Ed was satisfied that Duck was safe in the barn, he turned his attention to the crunch of tires on gravel. With a deep bark, he loped out of the barn and across the driveway. My chest squeezed as Sylvie’s car pulled down the path. Ed camedangerously close to the tires as he made tight loops around the moving car.
That dog will never learn.
A small ball of tension unfurled when Sylvie stepped from her car. She no longer looked stricken—her golden eyes were bright in the late-afternoon sun, and her blonde hair was piled on top of her head.
She rested one arm on the open car door and smiled shyly. “Hey, roomie.”
