child, but until this very moment, he hadn’t known he was ready to be a father. Yet, he somehow was. “Oh, thank God. I thought you were going to say—”
“You’ll need to sign over your parental rights.”
His head snapped toward her and fire flickered behind his eyes. “You’re not putting my baby up for adoption.”
“No, I…I’d keep the baby. But I’ll need to save up some money until the baby is born. I’ll have to move in with my father for a while and my dad lives in a remote part of Alaska. That isn’t going to keep us in proximity to you. It’d be the best thing for both—”
“Hold up. Just stop right there, Bailey. Where the fuck do you get off?”
“Oh, come on. You know it would be the most sensible thing to do. It would be easier for you, me, and the baby. What else would we do—shuffle the kid back and forth between us? It would be confusing to a child.”
“Forget it. It’s not going to happen,” he said, shaking his head. “I’d never sign away the rights to my own child. And you’re not taking off to Alaska so my child can be eaten by a bear or attacked by a fucking moose. I’m a lawyer. I know all about my parental rights, and I’ll get a court order to keep you here if I have to.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. She was clearly stunned and didn’t know what to say. Nash hadn’t meant to threaten her with a court order, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving and taking his child away from him…even if it was only a fictional baby at the moment.
His own parents had split up when he was only two, and though he completely understood why his mom had left his dad, he couldn’t bear to think his own child would grow up while living in a separate household from him. There had to be another way.
“Nash, please don’t make this any more difficult than it already is. I won’t be able to afford my apartment. What happened is done, and we can’t undo it. You hooked up with a woman and got lucky. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that for you.”
Unable to contain his anger, he shot up off the table. “That’s bullshit and you know it.” He paced back and forth before stopping directly in front of her. “If I had that attitude, I’d be considered a douche bag, deadbeat father. But since you’re the woman, you can say it and make it sound like you’re doing me a favor. It’s a fucking catch-22.”
“I know it’s an uncomfortable situation we’re in, but I am doing you a favor. I’m absolving you of any responsibility to this child.”
“I didn’t ask to be absolved of anything, did I? My ingredients were used in the mix, which means this baby is half mine. If you don’t want to co-parent, that’s fine. Then you can pop it out and hand it over.”
Bailey blinked at him. “I’m not an Easy Bake Oven, you jackass! And you’re not taking the baby away from me after I carry it for nine months. You can forget it.”
Nash shrugged. “Well, partner, then it looks like we’re in this together.”
Chapter Seven
Bailey held her breath and stared impatiently at the door. Several minutes had passed and Nash hadn’t said a word. He only measured her with his eyes and seemed to be rolling something around in his head. That worried her even more.
She hadn’t expected him to get so upset and react the way he had when she’d asked him to sign over his parental rights. Hell, she’d given him an out…and he hadn’t taken it. And his refusal to do so was seriously one of the most admirable and sexiest things she’d ever seen.
No, wait. I don’t want him to want the baby. It would only complicate things.
Why couldn’t he be one of those guys who walked away? Lots of women got into situations where the father of the baby didn’t want to be involved. Of all the guys she could’ve slept with, how did she end up with a man who wanted to act like one? God, he’d never leave her alone now.
The moment
“You’ll need to sign over your parental rights.”
His head snapped toward her and fire flickered behind his eyes. “You’re not putting my baby up for adoption.”
“No, I…I’d keep the baby. But I’ll need to save up some money until the baby is born. I’ll have to move in with my father for a while and my dad lives in a remote part of Alaska. That isn’t going to keep us in proximity to you. It’d be the best thing for both—”
“Hold up. Just stop right there, Bailey. Where the fuck do you get off?”
“Oh, come on. You know it would be the most sensible thing to do. It would be easier for you, me, and the baby. What else would we do—shuffle the kid back and forth between us? It would be confusing to a child.”
“Forget it. It’s not going to happen,” he said, shaking his head. “I’d never sign away the rights to my own child. And you’re not taking off to Alaska so my child can be eaten by a bear or attacked by a fucking moose. I’m a lawyer. I know all about my parental rights, and I’ll get a court order to keep you here if I have to.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open slightly. She was clearly stunned and didn’t know what to say. Nash hadn’t meant to threaten her with a court order, but he couldn’t bear the thought of her leaving and taking his child away from him…even if it was only a fictional baby at the moment.
His own parents had split up when he was only two, and though he completely understood why his mom had left his dad, he couldn’t bear to think his own child would grow up while living in a separate household from him. There had to be another way.
“Nash, please don’t make this any more difficult than it already is. I won’t be able to afford my apartment. What happened is done, and we can’t undo it. You hooked up with a woman and got lucky. It doesn’t have to be anything more than that for you.”
Unable to contain his anger, he shot up off the table. “That’s bullshit and you know it.” He paced back and forth before stopping directly in front of her. “If I had that attitude, I’d be considered a douche bag, deadbeat father. But since you’re the woman, you can say it and make it sound like you’re doing me a favor. It’s a fucking catch-22.”
“I know it’s an uncomfortable situation we’re in, but I am doing you a favor. I’m absolving you of any responsibility to this child.”
“I didn’t ask to be absolved of anything, did I? My ingredients were used in the mix, which means this baby is half mine. If you don’t want to co-parent, that’s fine. Then you can pop it out and hand it over.”
Bailey blinked at him. “I’m not an Easy Bake Oven, you jackass! And you’re not taking the baby away from me after I carry it for nine months. You can forget it.”
Nash shrugged. “Well, partner, then it looks like we’re in this together.”
Chapter Seven
Bailey held her breath and stared impatiently at the door. Several minutes had passed and Nash hadn’t said a word. He only measured her with his eyes and seemed to be rolling something around in his head. That worried her even more.
She hadn’t expected him to get so upset and react the way he had when she’d asked him to sign over his parental rights. Hell, she’d given him an out…and he hadn’t taken it. And his refusal to do so was seriously one of the most admirable and sexiest things she’d ever seen.
No, wait. I don’t want him to want the baby. It would only complicate things.
Why couldn’t he be one of those guys who walked away? Lots of women got into situations where the father of the baby didn’t want to be involved. Of all the guys she could’ve slept with, how did she end up with a man who wanted to act like one? God, he’d never leave her alone now.
The moment
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