Page 123 of Challenged by the Single Dad

She stepped toward him until their toes touched, then she reached up and cupped his jaw. “You’re not failing. Your gesture is sweet. And very appreciated.”

“I sense a ‘but’ coming.”

That made her smile. “But, maybe we need to wait a bit. Until we know the pregnancy is viable before we …”

“Before we …? Before we what? Before we go on a date? How does that make any sense?”

Chewing on her lip, it was her turn to avoid his gaze for a hot minute.

“Chloe?” He gripped her by the side of the face with both hands, his pinky fingers resting on her shoulders. He wasn’t doing it aggressively or holding on hard. It was just so she couldn’t avoid him. So she knew she had his full attention and he wasn’t going anywhere. “What do you mean?”

Swallowing, she met his gaze. “Before we … plan for the future.”

If he could have reared back, he would have, but his ass was against the counter, so all he could do was move his head back and widen his eyes. “Hang on … are you saying that if this pregnancy doesn’t take, you’re not … you’re not sticking around? That we’re only doingthis,” he waved his hand around to encompass the house, “building a life together, because you’re pregnant?”

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Well … isn’t that the only reason we’re moving so fast? Would I have moved in otherwise?”

His eyes darted across her face quickly as he racked his brain for a response that wouldn’t confirm what she’d just said. “I … maybe not movein, but—”

Another smile curled her full lips, but it was a small, sad smile that made a dull ache form in his solar plexus. “It’s okay.” She swallowed. “But I need to get dressed and ready for yoga.” Rising up onto her tiptoes, she placed her hand on his chest and pressed a kiss to his lips. “We can talk about a date night later.” Then she headed upstairs, leaving Dom standing there confused, hurt, and once again questioning his gut and whether it was to be trusted anymore at all.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

“Deargod,thisstormis nasty and never-ending,” Brooke said when they all exited the yoga studio, their hair and coats instantly whipping around as they got bombarded with rain and wind.

“I think I’m going to pass on Booch and Bagels today, ladies,” Jordana hollered over the steady, unsettling gusts. “Don’t really feel like standing around in this to wait for a bagel.”

Brooke, Justine, Vica, and Chloe all smirked and nodded.

“I think that’s probably a good call,” Brooke said. “I have a ten o’clock conference call anyway.”

“I have some contracts to look over,” Vica replied.

“And I have a cake to bake.” Justine hit the fob for her SUV and she, Brooke, and Vica all loaded their yoga mats and bags into her trunk. “No special occasion. Aya just guilted me into baking one.”

Snorting at the incredible force that was Aya McEvoy, they all parted ways, climbing into their respective vehicles and waving as they each drove off.

Even though she had time to run home and change for work at the hostel, after their discussion that morning she wasn’t sure how keen she was on seeing Dom right now.

Besides, home just didn’t feel like home … yet.

She was just getting settled into the cabin, which was wonderful and cozy, and now she’d moved, yet again, and into a house with a grump and a little boy.

She hadn’t felt this displaced or out of sorts since her divorce when she realized she just couldn’t stay in North Dakota anymore. Add in the unsettling feelings surrounding Dom, and how he felt about things if the baby didn’t go to term, and even though her nausea had settled, her thoughts were still a relentless storm.

Something in his eyes said he agreed with her, and that they were only moving so fastbecauseof the baby. But then there was a glimmer of hurt and sadness on his face that tickled and triggered her flight response. Like he was all-in, regardless of the baby.

Either way, she couldn’t make sense of any of it.

So she fled.

She fled to yoga and the safety of the sisterhood she was cultivating. Though, she didn’t bring any of this up with them. They were all team “Clom,” as Jordana had coined them. Apparently, Clint and Brooke were “Brint,” Bennett and Justine were “Benstine,”and Wyatt and Vica were “Vyatt.”Brooke, Vica, and Justine were all quick to say thattheyhadn’t come up with those nicknames, it was all Jordana. Jordana sat there proudly and agreed that she was the clever combo-name savant.

Chloe wasn’t sure she’d use the term “savant,” but she also wasn’t going to argue.

If she was being honest, she was also team “Clom.” She wanted her and Dom to work out. But she was also a realist, and knew that if it seemed too good to be true, it probably was. And Dom and this whole big, wild, wonderful family—not to mention the baby—all seemed too good to be true. Another shoe was going to drop, and she needed to mentally prepare herself for that to happen.

Instead of going home, she just headed straight to the hostel. She could change there and start a little early. As it was, Hawke was super busy with the rest of the volunteer firefighters cleaning up the island and all the fallen debris from the storms.

---