Page 95 of Knocked Up in Alaska

“See. He wanted you,” Ford murmured.

“He wanted us.”

“Knowing that, are you going to let him do his part for you and Shayla?”

She nodded. “Yes.”

“Good.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. There was something carefully neutral in his expression. “That opens up your options a lot.”

“I guess so.” Now she felt careful, too. “I mean, I can put Shayla in daycare without worrying about how to pay for it. I can probably afford a two-bedroom rental, so Shayla and I have a place we can grow into.” She shifted onto her back and blinked up at the ceiling. “I can relax about how I’m going to pay for college.”

He shifted, too, sat back against the pillows, and snugged her to him so her head rested against his shoulder. Fingers trailed through her hair. “That is pretty momentous.”

“Yes.” She let out a breath, then glanced up at him. “There’s more.”

His hand stilled. “More momentousness?”

“Mm-hmm. I talked with my mom tonight.”

The news raised both his brows. “How’d that go?”

“Really well, actually.” Omitting the part of the evening that hadn’t gone well—the interference from Trent that had created the opportunity for her and her mother to reconcile—she focused instead on all the good. Forgiveness, on both sides, new respect, on both sides. Rose’s olive branch of blankets and trust deeds and the offer to make good on their deal concerning school.

He took a deep breath and slowly released it. She rode the gentle wave of the expansion and contraction of his chest. “That’s great. It’s everything you should have. Everything you’ve wanted. I’m happy for you, Lilah.”

He didn’t sound happy, though. He sounded…resigned. She lifted her head to look in his eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m not making any sudden moves. I won’t leave you short-staffed. I’ll finish out the summer at The Goose—”

“Don’t be silly.” Now he sat up, too. “This is your future. Don’t postpone a damn moment of it on account of a waitressing job. You have big moves to plan, and you’re going to need time to accomplish them quickly.”

“I don’t have to do anything right away—”

“You do if you plan to attend college in Anchorage this fall…or wherever. You have, what…a matter of weeks?”

His intense expression, the edge in his voice, almost made her laugh. Almost. “Um, Ford…I’m not going anywhere in the fall.” She delivered that with a reassuring smile. Where had he gotten this idea? How were they on such different pages? “I may continue some online classes, but—”

“But nothing.” Big hands clasped her upper arms. Serious eyes stared into hers. “Lilah, everything you wanted is within your reach. Like you just said, you can relax about how you’re going to pay for college. Rose is keeping her end of your deal. Thanks to Shay and the rest of the Shanahans, you have the means to make sure Shayla is well cared for when you’re in classes. Why aren’t you packing your bags?”

“Why would I?” She smoothed her thumb over the frown lines between his brows. “Everything I want is right here in Captivity.”

“College—”

“When I said I didn’t have to worry anymore about how I’d pay for college, I meant college for Shayla. Not me. Ford”—she shook her head—“I’m not going away to school. That’s not part of my future anymore.”

“The hell it’s not.”

The words rumbled out of him, like distant thunder in the small, quiet room. His brows slammed down, digging the eleven lines between them, and his mouth clamped shut. Feeling an answering outburst building in her, she jumped out of bed, fumbled through the tiny closet for her robe, and shrugged the yellow cotton armor on. “Don’t talk to me like that.” Her fingers shook as she tied the belt, but her voice, at least, held calm and steady. “If you want to hear my plans, my plans,” she emphasized, “you can join me in the front room.” With that invitation delivered, she turned on her heel and walked out. She heard his muffled, “Fuck,” and the squeak of the mattress springs relinquishing his weight.

Too restless to sit, she paced in front of the sofa while she waited on him. Moments later, he emerged from the short hallway, a breath-stealing picture of disheveled, aggrieved male in nothing but half-buttoned jeans. She pointed to the sofa.

He sat, leaned back, and folded his arms across his chest.

She took a deep breath to get her temper under control, then turned to face him. “I’m not going away to school. That’s not what I want.”

He shook his head. “The entire time we’ve known each other, that’s all you talked about. Living away from home. Experiencing a taste of independence half your classmates got at eighteen, if not earlier. Earning your degree.”

The sigh slipped out of her before she could squelch it. Pushing a hand through her hair, she dropped down to the sofa, beside him. “I wanted to grow up, Ford. I wanted a pathway to adulthood, and yes, I wanted out from under my mother’s watchful eye. I needed a way to earn her respect and my independence. I thought going away for my last two years of school would be the best way to do both.”

“And you were right.”

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