Page 40 of Soaring and Saucy

“No. Of course not.”

“Well, thank goodness for that, so what is your plan to manage the baby?”

“Single moms work all the time and…”

“You’re not single!” he snapped. “You’re my wife.”

“Not according to the state.”

“Oh my gosh… seriously? This again? Gimme a chance to fix it, will you?”

“Fine,” Stephanie said stubbornly. “You magically fix it, and I will magically consider what you are saying.”

“You’re gonna eat those words, princess…”

“Num, num. I can’t wait to prove that you can’t macho your way around everything.”

“Is that what you think I’m doing?”

“Aren’t you?”

They both glared at each other, and Lance realized at that moment that he was fighting a losing battle. If he actually got her to move to Florida to be closer to him so he could be involved with the baby, it would be on her terms, or she would resent him.

Stephanie hadn’t been a pushover from the very beginning but rather stating plainly what she wanted and maybe that was why she was so staunchly upset, repeatedly saying they weren’t married. She felt that way, and it was the one thing she’d insisted on.

“So if I get the marriage license issue corrected, we’ll talk about what our future looks like?” he said quietly.

“Yeah, we can talk then,” she replied stubbornly.

Both of them were still sitting there, crossing their arms at each other, and he sighed. Dang, she could really be prickly, and it was incredibly attractive. Hot, actually. If they were on better terms, he’d be dragging her into the bedroom right now to have his wicked way with her again.

“Can I ask a simple question?”

“Sure – as long as it doesn’t circle around back to your trousers.”

“What is keeping you here?”

That question hung in the air between them, and he saw the surprise on Stephanie’s face. Obviously, she never expected him to ask the question, nor did she have an answer ready. Her lips parted, and she clamped them shut not two seconds later, only to look at him tightly.

“My job.”

“And you couldn’t find a bank teller position in another part of the country so I could be a part of my child’s life?” he asked simply. “I don’t mean to be a jerk and press the matter, but I’m just confused. I want to help, to be involved, to be a part of the process, and I can’t come here, or I would. I’m signed on for a few more years, and if I left, they would hunt me down for deserting. The carrier will never come up the Mississippi River so I could work, so even if I changed bases – you are still in the middle of the country, and I have to be near a navy base.”

She sat there silently, and he couldn’t tell if he was winning the argument or even reaching her, but he pushed on regardless.

“I’m not asking for an answer right now because if you chose to be closer, to give us a chance, then I would want you to be a part of picking our home together. I don’t want you to be miserable or give up everything, Stephanie. I want to give you a hand; provide you with a partner in all of this. All I’m asking is to consider the changes.”

“Like the changes I’m already dealing with?” she said quietly.

“If you need to blame me, go ahead,” he replied. “But we were both there, chose to marry to indulge in those beautiful moments we created together, and I can assure you that it wasn’t just me – but I’m also done arguing.”

“Backing down so soon?”

“No. I’m choosing my battles. See, I would prefer to look for baby things with you online, shopping from the couch, instead of arguing during the short time that I am here. My biggest beef should be, ‘do you want the oak crib or the whitewashed wood?’ – it’s not with you. It has never been with you. I like you despite all the ‘tude you are giving me for trying to be a decent guy.”

They sat there, and he kept waiting for her to let down her guard, say something, make a comment, anything at all. Finally, he uncrossed his arms and reached over, uncrossing her arms and taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together almost in an exaggerated fashion.

“We’re partners in this, so let’s at least try… please?”

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