Page 46 of Single Chance

“Sam might think otherwise.”

“Sam doesn’t pay the mortgage.”

“But she’s your daughter. I don’t want to do anything to cause trouble between you two.”

He let out a hollow laugh. “Oh, I think that ship sailed when I got you pregnant. She’s going to have a hard time with that. But that’s on me to navigate.”

“She’s going to hate me as soon as she finds out the truth,” I said.

“I’d like to think we’ll help her work through that. At any rate, Sam will have a lot to process whether you’re living here or not. If you’re living here, she can get to know you.”

Part of me really wanted to meet his daughter, but another part was terrified.

I’d handled teenagers all the time as a teacher. I could usually develop a good rapport, even with some of the harder cases. But the stakes were high here. Sam would be my baby’s half sibling. I didn’t know how big Chance’s extended family was, but mine was nonexistent. I didn’t want to ruin their chances for a sibling relationship even before the baby’s birth.

Chance took the clean pan from me and dried it.

“What happens when the baby’s born?” I asked.

“Then we parent him or her together.”

“And I just…live here?” I shook my head. Our situation seemed more and more outrageous the further into the future I considered.

Chance shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal. “For as long as you want to.”

“I want my own house.” Particularly if he ever got involved with someone new. The thought of him going on dates, falling in love… A pang of jealousy hit me. I didn’t want to witness any of that.

“Then you can get your own house when you’re ready. If you live here now, rent will be cheap, and you can save money.”

“How cheap?” I asked, thinking of that insurance premium I’d committed to.

“A couple hundred a month.”

“Stop. That’s not rent.”

“It’s my house. I can pay the mortgage just fine. You’re trying to get back on your feet.”

“There’s a fine line between getting back on my feet and being a charity case.”

He set the dry pan down hard on the counter and turned to me. “Rowan. You’re carrying my child. I want to do whatever I can to support you. That’s not charity. It’s in my best interests—and the baby’s—that you’re in a safe, healthy place.”

I could see his point when he said it like that, but two hundred dollars?

Rent that low would be a godsend for sure.

But there was that downside. That proximity to Chance. Kind, sexy, way-too-tempting Chance.

“Let me think about it for a few days,” I said as I finished washing the second pan. “I’ll go through the garage apartment tomorrow and keep checking for new listings.”

“Whatever you need to do. Just know the offer stands.”

As I handed the pan to him, I turned to face him, met his handsome gaze, and said, “Okay,” on an exhalation. “Options are good. Thank you.”

I needed to make this decision based on logic, after weighing my options carefully, not on emotions or attraction. My baby was depending on me to be smart about every decision I made from here on out.

No pressure. No pressure at all.

Chapter Fifteen

---