Page 23 of Craving You

“You were rushing, and that’s never a smart way to make a major purchase.”

“You did it when you bought this place. You bought it and renovated the kitchen in a matter of weeks.”

“Grand gesture, remember? And you were the one who suggested it!”

Chuckling, he nodded. “Oh yeah. That’s right. But it still worked for you. Why can’t it work for me?”

“There was too much going on when you started looking. Now that you’re a little more settled, I’m sure you could find something. Reach out to Patrick and Marissa Donovan again and see if anything new has come on the market.”

“I just unpacked…”

His brother laughed. “It makes no difference to me. You’re welcome to the apartment for as long as you need it.”

In the other room, they could hear Billie and Hailey talking.

“I guess the tour is over,” Marcus said. “I wonder if Billie found out anything.”

“Um…”

There was a loud gasp, followed by, “Oh my God! Are you serious?”

Max was instantly on his feet, and Marcus joined him. “What the…?”

Billie came into the room, gently dragging Hailey behind her. “Maxwell Calloway, what do you have to say for yourself?”

All eyes were on him, but when he looked at Hailey, she mouthed, “I’m sorry,” and he knew the cat was now officially out of the bag.

“So…Hailey’s pregnant with my baby. That’s why she’s here in Sweetbriar Ridge.”

Beside him, his brother groaned, “Oh, for fuck’s sake…”

Chapter Four

Dinner had been served early and was beyond awkward, no matter how hard Billie tried to make sure they talked about anything but pregnancies. By the time they were done eating, Max—bless his heart—had put an end to everyone’s misery by announcing that he was taking Hailey up to his apartment so they could talk.

She’d never been so thankful to get away from any member of her family in her entire life.

When they reached Max’s apartment, she sort of stood and marveled. “Oh…this is not what I pictured at all.” The ceiling was vaulted, and it was basically just one open space with a kitchenette. He had it set up so there were clearly defined spaces, but it was essentially a studio apartment.

“It’s not much, I know, but it’s temporary.”

“It’s actually very nice. It looks like it’s all brand new.”

He nodded. “It is. That was part of the appeal. Well, that and the fact that it got me out of my father’s house.”

“That makes sense.” She walked around the space, and it was better than the way he’d been describing it. “This is…”

“Hailey?”

“Hmm?”

“I didn’t bring you up here so we could talk about the apartment. We need to talk about what happened today. I don’t understand how or why you told Billie about the baby when you and I have barely talked about it.”

He wasn’t angry, but he was most definitely confused.

And rightfully so.

“It just slipped out! We were walking around and talking, and she was telling me about her plans for their nursery and then she kept talking about her pregnancy and how great her doctor is, and I guess I asked too many questions, and she just put it all together! I’m really sorry, Max. I know telling people is something we should do together, but…”

---