Page 46 of By the Letter

His brow furrowed. “Okay, we’ll get a veggie pizza. Done.” He looked up once his phone was back in his pocket. “Want to give me a tour while we wait?”

“There isn’t much to see yet, but…um, okay.” The first floor was pretty open. It took no time for me to point to the kitchenand living room, then we started for the stairs. A flash of black-and-white fur darted from nowhere, heading straight for Roman’s ankles. “Watch out, Mary’s coming,” I cried out in warning, but there was no need.

Without missing a beat, Roman bent, scooped up my cat, and cradled her against his chest. Mary mewed and squirmed but quickly got comfortable on her new perch. Her paws curled over his forearms as she blinked at me, her tail swishing lazily.

“It doesn’t look like she hates you so much,” I said.

Roman gave her head a scratch. “Her claws are digging into my arm. But sure, she doesn’t hate me.”

“Don’t be a baby.”

His mouth fell open, but his surprise quickly morphed into a grin. “Have you ever felt her claws? They’re razors.”

“I haven’t.” I folded my arms. “Mary would never hurt me.”

His eyes narrowed. “That’s because she doesn’t hate you, Shira.”

With a laugh, I spun toward the stairs. I didn’t have to look back to know Roman was on my tail. His footsteps were like thunder on my old floors. They didn’t make men as big as him back in the nineteenth century.

Upstairs, I showed him the full bath, two empty bedrooms, and the primary bathroom. So far, all I had was a king-size bed and two nightstands—all new. I’d brought some things from the old house but wanted my bedroom here to be only mine.

“That’s a big bed,” Roman remarked.

I sat on the end of it, spreading my hand over the dusty-pink comforter. “It’s a bit ridiculous, but I have plans of starfishing right in the middle.” I patted my slightly rounded stomach. “And if this guy is anything like I was as a kid, I bet he’ll be creeping in here for snuggles most mornings and some middle of the nights.”

Roman’s jaw did that rippling thing again as he averted his gaze from me to sweep over the room. His arms must’ve been just as tight. Mary yowled at him before leaping onto the bed next to me, immediately getting to work on bathing herself.

“You’re okay, honey,” I cooed, stroking her back. “That was a big jump, my brave girl.”

Roman cleared his throat. “It’s a nice house, Shira. I’m still unsure about the neighborhood, but at least the house seems solid. Will you use the bedroom next door as the nursery?”

“That was my plan, but I’ll probably keep a bassinet next to my bed the first few months.”

He nodded. “That makes sense. Your plan for the third bedroom?”

I lifted my shoulders. “Logically, it should be a guest room, but I don’t have any family to stay there, so it might be an office or playroom. I haven’t decided.”

“A guest room would be smart. Then I can stay over once he’s here. Otherwise, I’ll crash on the couch downstairs.”

My couch wasn’t Roman size. He’d have to sleep curled up in a ball to fit himself.

“You think you’ll be staying here?” I asked in surprise.

“Of course.” He lowered his chin to stare down at me. “Do you have a problem with that?”

I thought about it, and I couldn’t come up with any objections, so I shook my head. “We just haven’t talked about how it will be.”

“We will. Just know I intend to take leave from work when he’s born, and I would like to be as hands-on as possible.”

My throat tightened, making it difficult to swallow, let alone speak. I hadn’t let my mind wander too far or imagine what it would be like to share a child with Roman. Up to this point, he had kept every promise he’d made, but it was the early days, and I’d been let down plenty of times before. Even now, I wouldn’t letmyself believe he would follow through on his intentions. It was just too good to be true.

“I-I’ll buy a bed for the third bedroom,” I said softly.

“Thank you.” He turned his head toward the door. “But let me buy it.”

“You don’t need to do that. Money isn’t a problem for me—”

His gaze swung back to me. “I’m glad money’s not a problem, but I’d still like to buy the bed. Let me, all right?”

---