Page 15 of Teasing a King

“What?” I manage to squeak out the word.

“Move in with me,” Van repeats.

Shocked, I can only stare at him as he goes on.

“I want to be here for you,” he says. His words are coming faster now. “For all of it. All the pregnancy stuff, when you go into labor, nighttime feedings, diaper changes, everything. I want to be as equal as possible in this parenting thing. I realize it’s impossible for me to be totally equal with you since I can’t actually carry the baby, but I want to be here for you in every way that I can.”

He trails off as though he’s run out of words. I’m stunned into speechlessness. This is what he wanted to talk to me about? He hasn’t changed his mind about parenting with me. He wants me and the baby to live with him? In the same house? My traitorous mind conjures up what that reality might look like before I can stop it. Van fetching me crackers and ginger ale when I’m nauseated. Van taking birthing classes with me. Van coming with me to OB appointments. Van rocking our baby to sleep in the middle of the night. Waking up in Van’s arms.

Nope! No way. Absolutely not!

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I say, thinking of all the ways it could lead to disaster. “We barely know one another.”

Van nods as though he’d expected this argument. “It’s true that we don’t know a whole lot about each other,” he concedes. “But I know you’re a good person. Hope has known you for years and she’s a good judge of character. I don’t think she’d be best friends with a psychopath.”

I laugh. “Shows what you know,” I mutter. “Aren’t you worried I might be a serial killer.”

He scoffs, waving a dismissive hand as if the idea isn’t worth entertaining.

“What if I’m a slob?” I ask. “I might leave dirty dishes in the sink for weeks and forget to take out the trash until it’s overflowing. Have you considered that?”

Van looks at me, brows raised. “Of the two of us, I’m more likely to be the slob. Besides, I’ve lived on my own long enough that I’ve gotten used to cleaning up after myself. I’ll have you know, I’m an excellent housekeeper and a mediocre cook. Even if you are a slob, which I don’t buy, I can handle it.”

I laugh at his description of himself. It hits me that he’s serious about this. He really does want me to move in with him. He’s thought this through. The memory of Van pulling me against him in bed asking me to stay longer flits through my head, tempting me with delicious possibilities.

I cut that thought off immediately. That’s not what he’s proposing. He didn’t say anything about the two of us being together. Just raising our child together. In the same house. The idea seems ludicrous. But I’m not immediately turning his offer down. Why? I’ve always been so independent. That had been by necessity rather than choice. There’s never been someone around to take care of me, so I’ve always had to figure out how to take care of myself. It’s what I’m used to. It’s part of who I am. But it’s so damned exhausting. Especially lately. I let myself imagine a life where I don’t have to do everything on my own, where I don’t have to make every decision. I can admit that the idea has some appeal. Letting this gorgeous man take some of the responsibilities off my shoulders doesn’t sound half bad.

“For how long?” I ask, wondering about the logistics of this plan.

Van shrugs. “For however long you want. According to the baby websites, the first year of a baby’s life is the most difficult for new parents. It’s also the most important time for forming close bonds. But you don’t have to commit to any length of time. You can stay with me for as long as you like. You decide when you want to move out. No pressure at all. I just want to do my part and be a good father.”

As I stand there, listening to Van, it occurs to me how insane this entire conversation is. What man would change his entire life like this after one night with a woman? I can’t believe he spent his weekend reading up on babies online. The knowledge sends a warm feeling through me that I try my best to ignore. I need to look at the situation logically, rather than emotionally. I consider his comment about forming close bonds with the baby and I can’t help but compare it to my own parents. Neither of them had been interested in forming any sort of bond with their child, close or otherwise.

Hadn’t I sworn to do things differently? Hadn’t I promised myself and my baby that I would do whatever it takes to give him or her the best possible life? When I’d come to Oak Hill, my only thought had been doing what was best for the baby. My big fear had been that Van wouldn’t want anything to do with either of us or that he’d hate me for trapping him with a baby he hadn’t wanted. I’d never considered that he might want to be fully involved in our lives.

“You don’t have to decide anything tonight,” he says, taking my long silence for doubt. “Just know that the offer stands. Either way, I’m going to be setting up a room for the baby in my house. If you decide to move in, you’ll have your own room too. I’ve got plenty of space.” He smiles at me, hopeful.

I look up at him and the building behind him, eyes narrowing in thought. “I’ve been to your apartment,” I say, slowly. “I know I didn’t exactly get the grand tour, but it doesn’t look big enough for three bedrooms.”

Confused, Van follows my gaze up to the second-floor balcony. All at once, his expression clears and he laughs, shaking his head.

“Oh, I don’t live up there anymore,” he says. “I bought a house about a year ago.”

I glare at him in mock outrage. “Is this just the apartment where you take all your one-night stands? I wasn’t good enough for the house?”

Van’s mouth drops open and his cheeks redden. “No. That’s not. I-I mean.”

I laugh, putting him out of his misery. “I’m just teasing, Van. You don’t owe me an explanation.”

He shakes his head and blows out a breath. “The house was a fixer-upper,” he says. “It needed a lot of work. Which is why I got such a great deal when I bought it. I’ve spent months remodeling it. I was still living here when you and I—” he gestures back and forth between us. “When we…”

“Slept together?” I finish for him. I love how flustered he looks right now.

Van nods. “Yeah. That’s why I brought you here. I only moved into the house last month.”

I nod. “I see,” I say, thinking over his proposal.

I really don’t have a place to live in Oak Hill. I’ve looked online for a rental, but the real estate market has been so competitive lately. Everything I like is either insanely overpriced or already taken by the time I call to inquire. I know Hope and Wyatt would let me stay in their spare room forever if I really wanted to, but that feels too much like charity. Besides, I don’t want to impose on a newly engaged couple, even if one of them is my best friend.

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