Page 50 of A Moment for Us
“Good.”
He grabs his tool bag and walks over to the living room, which is where they decided they wanted to start.
“Why did this have to start today?” I ask.
Josh shrugs. “I want everything done for you before the baby comes.”
“That’s sweet, but we have a lot of time. I’m barely pregnant.”
“And you have a lot that needs to be fixed.”
I look around the house, feeling a little defensive. “I just want the floors done.”
“And I want to fix the bathroom sink that’s leaking, the backsplash in the kitchen should be replaced, and I think we can refinish the cabinets in the kitchen.”
I lift my hand. “Stop it. I don’t need all that. I like my house.”
“I do too.” He nods in agreement, then adds, “Grayson said those were some of the things you wanted done.”
I blink a few times. “Yes, as in one of those . . . if I had an unlimited budget, then I’d do them all, but I don’t.”
He grins. “Well, you have free labor, and between my brothers and me, we have all the connections to keep your costs down. So, let’s say you were going to pay five grand for the floors, now you’ll pay a thousand. Your dreams just got bigger.”
While this is amazing, I feel uncomfortable. “I don’t want charity.”
“I didn’t say it was charity.”
“So, I have to pay you?” I ask.
The look in his eyes tells me he doesn’t find that humorous. “I would never take your money.”
“Because I’m pregnant with your kid?”
“No, because you’re my friend.”
I take a sip of the coffee and let my head settle. He’s being nice. Nice at six in the morning, but still, he’s here and doing something I want done. “I just . . .”
He takes a few steps toward me. “It’s not because of the baby. I mean, it is partly, but we were going to help with the renovations before that.”
“Josh, there’s so much uncertainty. Seriously, I don’t feel comfortable with this.”
“Uncertainty with what?”
“I’m really early in this pregnancy. In fact, we probably shouldn’t even tell people yet.”
“Why not?” Josh asks.
“Because sometimes, in the beginning, the pregnancy doesn’t always stick.”
“We’re not going to lose the baby,” he says as though he can demand it to be true. “Plus, you need the repairs done anyway, so what’s the harm in starting?”
“None, but we don’t have to start right now. There is time.”
“Time slips away, sometimes faster than we think.” His brow furrows, and he quickly turns, stopping me from trying to decipher his meaning. “Ineedto do this. I need to do something, and . . .” His eyes meet mine as he turns back. “I want to do this.”
I really want to ask him why it’s so important, but instead, I nod. “Okay.”
Josh comes close, kisses the side of my head, and then walks off, leaving me stunned and confused. How does this man scramble my brain so easily?
