Page 37 of Fumbled Love

“Good, because you’re much better at it than I am. I’m pretty sure you’re good at everything.”

“Not everything. I couldn’t have done all this decorating by myself.” My fingers played with the ends of her hair. “I can only imagine how festive your apartment looks.”

“Actually,” she looked away sheepishly, “my apartment doesn’t look anything like this. I have a little fake tree on top of a table and a few decorations scattered around. That’s about it.”

“What?” I reared back. “Are you serious or just pulling my leg?”

She brushed her hand along my shoulder and nibbled on her bottom lip. “My place is too tiny to do this much decorating. I don’t have as much space as you do to display all this.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been inside a New York City apartment before.”

“You’re not missing much.”

A lump formed in my throat when she circled her arms along the back of my neck. We swayed to the music, our bodies in sync like we’d danced together our entire lives. “I know it’s a little early, but I want to start looking into some real estate next time I’m there. I know nothing about the neighborhoods, but I want something close to you. I figured it would make it easier for when the baby is born.”

Her eyes widened. “You would do that?”

“Why was it so hard to believe? I thought I made it obvious that I wanted to be involved.”

She tried to pull away, but I wasn’t having it. “Maverick, you have no idea how expensive Manhattan is. I’m already stressing out about finding something bigger.”

“Kinley, I have more money than I could ever spend in one lifetime. I’ve worked my ass off and sacrificed enough. If I don’t spend some of it making sure my child is safe and provided for, then what’s the point? What else am I going to spend it on?”

She squinted her eyes, and a slight frown took over her face. “You’re talking about buying a place for you for when you come to visit, right? Because there isn’t a chance in hell you’re buying me an apartment.”

I brushed my lips against her forehead. “Let’s table this for another time, okay?”

The woman was stubborn, that was for damn sure. I had no idea how I was going to convince her to let me help out with expenses. Her independence was one of the things I admired most about her, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t compromise. She was going to have to meet me in the middle somewhere. If I had my way, she’d never leave the state of Georgia again. Unfortunately, that wasn’t my reality, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about how we would make this work.

She was quiet, so I knew her head was spinning as fast as mine.

I grabbed her chin and forced her to look at me. “I know you’re nervous and we have a lot to figure out, but I promise I won’t make any decisions that you’re not one hundred percent on board with.”

That seemed to appease her. She closed her eyes and rested her head against my chest. Our movements were slow and unhurried as we glided back and forth across my living room. She ran her hands over my shoulders and down my back like she needed to be as close to me as I did her.

When the music stopped, those blue eyes looked up at me. They were smiling; she looked happy, and I wanted to soak up the moment. I held her face in my hands and brought my mouth to hers. The kiss was soft and gentle, but with every breath between us, I felt my body coming alive. Normally, kissing a woman led to sex, but with Kinley, I’d be perfectly content right where I was. If this was all we could ever be, I didn’t care.

“Maverick.” She swallowed, seeming unsure of her words. “Do you really think we can do this?”

“Do what?” I ran the back of my knuckles along her cheek. “What exactly is it that you want?”

She shook her head. “There is no way I’m answering that before you.”

I pulled her tighter against me. “Why are you so afraid to tell me how you feel?”

“Are you kidding me? You’re famous, and I’m a nobody. You date models and celebrities.” Her cheeks turned pink as she kept going. “You ride in the back of limos and fly in private jets. You get invited to award shows…”

I cut her off with a laugh. “Are you forgetting how this all started? It started in a public airport as we fought over who was getting the next seat on a commercial flight. As for the models and celebrities, I never dated them. I took them as dates, that’s different. I don’t bring them home to my parents’ house. I don’t go picking out Christmas trees with them.” I looked into her eyes so she could understand how serious I was. “I don’t plan out my future with them in mind.”

“I know this is different for both of us.” She sighed. “I’m just worried about what people will think. I’m not your usual type.”

I tilted her chin up, not liking that comment one bit. She was overanalyzing everything and twisting things around in her head. “What’s my usual type?”

She looked down at the floor, unable to meet my eyes. “I know what your typical date looks like, and it’s not me.”

“Kinley, most of the dates were arranged by my PR team,” I explained, wishing I could erase the doubts she’s been having our relationship. “I couldn’t even tell you who half of them were. There was nothing memorable about any of them.”

For such a strong, independent woman, she seemed to carry around a lot of insecurities. But given the life I lived, I guess I could see where some it was coming from.

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