Page 63 of It's Always Us

I meet his serious gaze. “Mark, I can’t. I have to get back to work while I can, and . . . I have to tell Grandpa and my mom about you and the baby. My first doctor’s appointment is next week.”

Thoughts of Grandpa and Slade’s conversation cause my full stomach to squeeze tight, and I set my fork down.

He turns, his knees bumping into me, straddling my stool. “What do you mean, while you can?”

I run my finger down the glass, contemplating whether I want to get into this with him. If I want trust in whatever kind of relationship we have, then I have to be open and honest.

“At some point, I won’t be able to lift and maneuver around the cars. Grandpa may not let me do anything but change fluids and hand back keys once he finds out. Plus . . . ” I swallow, resting back in my seat, making room for the hurt and disappointment to expand. “He’s selling the shop to Slade.” Saying it out loud feels like getting the wind knocked out of me, and my throat constricts.

“What?!” We’ve been apart a long time, but Mark knows how important that place is to me. “Your grandpa is selling the shop? Lex . . . What the hell?”

I twist my glass, trying to keep the deep-searing burn of it locked up tight. “Yeah, well, at least I know Slade will keep me on, and after the baby is born, I’ll have a job.”

He’s quiet, and I know he’s thinking.

“Lex, I know you wanted to run that shop and how much you love working on cars. I also know you are hell-bent on being self-sufficient, but I make millions of dollars. Job or no job, you and our baby will never have to worry.”

I turn toward him, slipping my legs between his. “That’s just it. I don’t want that. I don’t want to be the woman who got knocked up and expects you to support me. My mom—”

He cuts me off, his tone tense, and I know he remembers. “Nothing about this is the same, and it won’t ever be.”

I force my eyes to his. “This is important to me. I have to be able to support or at least contribute enough.”

He rests his hand on my bare thigh, his thumb tracking back and forth. “I know. Can you stay for a few days? I’ll get through my first therapy appointments, check in with my agent, and then I’ll go back with you. Maybe only for a day or two, but I want to be there when you tell your grandpa.”

“Really? You want to go back with me?”

A sweet smile pulls at his lips. “Yes. Lex, I meant what I said last night. I’m going to give this everything I’ve got. You and our baby are all that matters, and I’m not missing your doctor’s appointment.”

I don’t even try to prevent the smile that creeps across my face. “Ok. I’ll have to let Grandpa know I won’t be in.”

“Ok, you’ll stay, and I can go back with you?”

I nod, and he sighs in relief, running his hand through his hair.

I gather our plates, taking them to the sink to rinse them as he grabs the pan. He places it in the sink, but instead of moving away, he slips his arm around me, his hand resting on our growing baby.

He closes around me, his lips pressing against my neck. “Thank you for staying.”

The sincerity in his voice almost brings tears to my eyes.

“Thank you for wanting to go back with me.”

“I don’t want to be anywhere you’re not. I mean it. I want to know you again like I used to. I want to be together.”

I twist in his arms, turning to face him. “Me, too.”

He rests his chin on the top of my head, his hand spreading over my lower back. “Can you please never wear anything else?”

I laugh, standing pressed against him as his hand slides to my butt, dressed in only his shirt. If only he knew of all the nights I slept in one similar, holding on to the only piece of him I had left.

His lips find my forehead, and he leaves them there, holding me tighter. “I’m terrified I’m going to screw this up.” His admission is so achingly soft the words bleed through me.

Careful of his arm, I slide my arms up his back and rest my head against his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. “I feel like we’ve done everything backward. I think we need to take things slow and promise that no matter what, this baby comes first.”

“I promise, but it’s not just the baby. You come first, too.”

I hold him tighter. “I don’t want to get in the way of everything you’ve worked for.”

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