Page 99 of Negotiating Tactics

I squared my shoulders and met his eyes. I blinked, staring up at him, knowing I probably looked like an idiot.

I sure as fuck felt like one.

To my surprise, Noah’s eyes softened, and he huffed out a rough breath. “It doesn’t matter. When are we getting married?”

My eyes widened with shock. “Noah…”

I trailed off because I didn’t know what to say.

It would be so, so easy.

If nothing else, I knew Noah was a man of his word, so I could marry him and allow him to give my baby a life that I could never even have dreamed of.

But it would all be based on a lie.

And that was something I couldn’t allow.

“Alex, whatever happened between us is not important. Not anymore. We have other things to think about it now.”

His expression was blank, unreadable, having retreated to the kind of distance I couldn’t hope to pull off.

I envied him.

Wished that I could detach from my emotions so completely.

But I couldn’t.

“We’ll talk later,” I said.

“No, we won’t,” he responded.

His brows were furrowed, and I could see him digging in.

Getting ready to fight me.

I couldn’t let that happen.

Wasn’t sure that I could withstand him.

“I’m tired,” I said, turning away to break eye contact, knowing it was a defeat but needing whatever distance I could find.

“Sit down,” he responded, his voice soft but his intention clear.

For once, I didn’t have the strength to fight him.

I sat on the couch and couldn’t help but smile as he wrinkled his nose.

“We’re definitely getting rid of this thing now,” he said.

I laughed.

He shook his head.

“We can talk about the couch later. When did you find out?” he asked.

I shrugged. “Today. If you could even say I found out. Aunt Clem actually told me,” I said.

“No surprise there,” Alex said. “So, you don’t know for sure?”

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