Page 8 of Cuffs and Kink

“Are you sure? I don’t want to screw up your profit on the ring.”

“It’s for Josie, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m sure.”

I handed over the money, and he gave me the ring in a small black velvet box. I snapped the lid shut and shoved it into my pants pocket. Rob wrote up a receipt, and I shoved it in my wallet before heading back out to my car. The food was still hot, and I rushed home so Josie could eat before it got cold. I was glad I’d made my extra stop, though. The more I thought about asking her to marry me, the more it seemed like the right thing to do. I liked to think if we’d had a chance at a normal relationship that things would have progressed to that point naturally.

Josie was awake and sitting on the couch when I walked in, the TV on low. There was a bottle of water on the table in front of her, and I cursed myself for not thinking about getting some juice for her while I was out. If she was going to move in, I would definitely need to stock the kitchen with mama-to-be type food and drinks. She smiled, relief flooding her eyes as I walked through the door with the food containers in my hand.

“How long have you been awake?” I asked.

“Not long. I thought maybe you’d gone to work.”

“No, but I do need to return the cruiser sometime tonight. I took today off and I’m scheduled to be off the next two days, so I need to pick up my personal vehicle. I only keep the cruiser on nights when I might get called in.” I held up the containers. “Are you hungry? I have eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast.”

Her stomach growled, and I smiled.

“Just let me put everything on plates and I’ll be back.”

“No.” She held out a hand. “I can eat out of the container. Just bring me a fork.”

I went to the kitchen and grabbed forks for both of us and then settled on the couch beside her. We ate in silence with her watching the TV, even though she seemed more interested in her food than what was on. It made me wonder just how often she’d gotten to eat since her parents threw her out. If she didn’t have a job, it wasn’t likely she’d had much cash on her at the time, if any.

When we were finished, I threw the containers away and put the forks in the sink before returning to Josie. She seemed nervous, and I couldn’t blame her. She’d been through a lot in the last few days, but I aimed to see that she was taken care of from this point on, as much as she would allow. Josie had been dependent on her parents her entire life, and from what little I knew about her, I knew that wasn’t the type of woman she wanted to be. If she wanted to work, to have her independence, then I didn’t have a problem with that. But if she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, I would be okay with that too. I might not be rich, but I made enough that we could live comfortably as long as we didn’t go on crazy buying sprees.

“You said last night that you’re pregnant,” I said.

She nodded.

“Why didn’t you come tell me?”

“I didn’t think you’d want to know. It was just the one time, and I knew you were doing me a favor. It’s not like we were dating. I don’t expect for you to swoop in like some white knight and take care of me, Ty. I’ll figure things out.”

“Josie…” I reached out and took her hand. “We might not have planned this, but that’s still my baby you’re carrying and I have every right to be a part of his or her life. It also means that I’m going to take care of you. I know you want to stand on your own two feet and I’m fine with that, but right now you need some help. You need a place to stay at the very least, and that place is going to be here.”

“Is this where you go all caveman on me and throw me over your shoulder, carrying me off to the bedroom?”

I smiled. “It’s not a bad idea. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about you every damn day since our afternoon together. I’ve looked for you around town, but you never noticed me. Or if you did, you did a damn fine job of pretending otherwise. I’m not trying to dictate your life, but I do want an active role in my son or daughter’s life.”

She stared at our joined hands, and I wondered what she was thinking. The ring was burning in my pocket, begging to be taken out, but I knew if I did that right now it would blow up in my face. She wasn’t ready for me to propose, and she might never be ready for that step. I wanted her to be mine, even if it had taken an unplanned pregnancy to make me see that. I just wasn’t sure that Josie would appreciate my sudden devotion. I had no intention of sleeping with other women or even looking twice at them. Now that I knew we were going to be a family, I had a reason to reach out and grab what I wanted.

“You aren’t mad?” she asked.

“Why would I be mad? It’s not like you trapped me. The condom broke, which isn’t my fault or yours. It’s not like you sleep around and you’re trying to pawn someone else’s kid off on me.” I squeezed her hand. “It may not have been intentional, but we’re having a baby whether we’re ready or not. You don’t have a place to live right now, and I think we get along reasonably well. Will you please consider living here? And not as a roommate.”

“This isn’t who you are, is it? The soft, caring man. I’ve seen you with those other women, and you’ve always been dominant and demanding. I’ve heard the talk around town, so I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to come to your house. But that’s not the side I’ve seen, and it’s left me wondering which is the real Ty Daniels.”

“Can’t I be both?”

She shook her head. “I think you’ve been treating me differently because I was a virgin and you were worried you’d scare me, or lose control. But in the end, isn’t that exactly what you’ve done? You’ve given all the control to me, and that’s not who you are, Ty. I want you to be the real you when you’re around me. I’m a big girl, and I can handle it.”

Fuck me. She was giving me permission to be myself, and hell if she wasn’t right. I’d been holding back with her. At first, it was because she was a virgin, but now I knew there was a baby growing inside of her, and I was scared as hell I’d do something to hurt one or both of them. What kind of asshole would I be if I handcuffed the mother of my child to my bed?

“I don’t think you can handle the real me.” I released her hand and stood up, pacing the small space. When I neared Josie again, she dropped to her knees and gripped my hips with her hands.

“Then let me prove to you that I can.”

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