He opens the car door for me. “You really aren’t, are you?”
“Since when have you known me to be the freaking out type?”
“Oh, I don’t know… that time when we stood in front of half the town and told them about our news?”
I roll my eyes. “Lucas, God himself would have freaked over that.”
We both laugh.
He gets in the car and sighs. “I’m really going to miss our walks.”
I look at him strangely. “You are? I always got the impression you’d rather be out running.”
“Are you kidding? I love our walks. Especially thatone.” He whistles low and slow. “I don’t think I’ll ever go on a walk better than that.”
My cheeks flush.
He chuckles. “Why, Regan Lucas, did I just see you blush?”
I swat his hand. “Just drive.”
When he passes my shop, I turn and raise my eyebrows. “Um, where are we going?”
“You heard the doctor. I need to get you a recliner. We’re going to the furniture store.”
“I do have a couch there.”
“That old antique thing? It’s stiff as a board. We’re getting you a plush, comfy recliner. One you can pop your legs up on and sink down into.”
I laugh. “You mean one I won’t be able to get out of? Do you know how hard it’s getting to stand up?”
He works his upper lip with his thumb and fingers. “How about one of those electric recliners for old people that rises up?”
“I’m not getting an old-person recliner. I’ll make do.”
“Whatever you want.” He smiles. Then it fades. “What did you mean back at the doctor’s office when you said you didn’t know where you wanted the nursery?”
“I was just thinking how it’s going to be all kinds of crowded at my place when the baby arrives. And I’m not sure Ryder can afford his own place yet, not until the divorce is final. So I was thinking maybe I’d get someplace new. A little bigger.”
“You want to move into my building?”
The amount of surprise in his words is alarming. It has guilt careening through me. Living in his building means using the child support for me, not just M&M. And despite what he says about it being okay, I’m still not sure I’m okay with it.
“I don’t know. Maybe not.”
His expression falls, as if he was truly excited and then I squashed his hopes. I get it. He wants to be close to his son.
Emotions bombard me as well, but for a much different reason. Because for a second, I got excited about seeing Lucas more often. In the parking lot. In the elevator. Maybe even in each other’s apartments. Mixed with that, however, is hesitation over him being so close yet at the same time, so far.
On some level, though, wouldn’t it be what’s best for the baby? Having both parents there, ready and available?
What’s best would be having both parentstogether, a voice whispers in the back of my mind. I silence it, because I really don’t like what it’s been telling me. That I may be subjected to a lifetime of wanting a man I can never have. Needing something he can never give me. Craving things he’s incapable of.
“You don’t have to decide now,” he says. “But I’ll look into it just in case. I believe there might be two units available. I think you should get the larger one. I’m fairly sure the closet alone will give you an orgasm. It’s not quite as big as mine, but we all know none are.”
Heat crosses my face as I’m fairly sure he’s no longer referring to closets. “Um… okay. But no promises. I’m not sure about anything at this point.”
“Right now, our mission is to get you the biggest, baddest recliner there is,” he says as he turns into the parking lot of the furniture store. “Then we’ll work out a meal schedule. You shouldn’t be cooking.”