fallen on the floor, catching the edge of the paper the same moment he did.
They lifted it together and his eyes distracted her. The dark centers dilated wider as he stared at her, crouched low beside the chair.
“Hey.”
She swallowed hard. “Hey. You weren’t as long as I thought you’d be.”
He dropped the notepad to the side, his eyes hungrily tracing her face as he grabbed her hand. “I broke the speed limit. By a lot.”
She chewed on her lower lip. All the confidence she’d had back at the house when she’d told him she wanted to speak with him seemed to have escaped, fleeing into the night. “That’s not very responsible of you.”
“I’ll be responsible from here on, but if I didn’t hear you actually say it, I was going to go insane. Are you accepting my offer? Will you marry me?”
She pulled her hand from his and nodded slowly, reaching for the notepad. “Yes, but with a few conditions.”
Maxwell stiffened slightly. “What kind of conditions?”
“If you’re worried about not getting sex, that’s not it,” she joked, desperately trying to lighten the mood. She was one step away from freaking out as it was.
He rose to his feet in one motion. “This isn’t a gag, Tasha. Yes, I want to have sex with you, but I’ve damn well offered my life to you and this baby. I’m giving you everything I can think of that’s important to me, so I’d appreciate a little mutual respect. This isn’t about simply wanting to get into your pants.”
Shit . She popped up after him, shaking her head rapidly. “Damn it, that’s not what I meant.”
“But that’s what you said. That’s all I’ve got to go on.” He dragged a hand through his hair before pulling to a stop. “I’m sorry, I’m more on edge than I thought. You don’t deserve to be shouted at.”
She held the notepad to him. “If you’d give me a second I can explain. The only conditions involve us as a couple.”
He took the paper and rotated it to read. “A prenatal agreement?”
“It was the best I could come up with on short notice.” Fuck . Her voice quivered. She wanted to be in charge and in control, and instead the whole situation was making her weepy and morose. She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders.
Max sighed, then held out his hand to her. He was far too astute. She slowly accepted his offered hand, let him pull her into his arms and hold her close for a minute. His heart beat strong against her chest, the brush of his lips against her hair a soft flickering breeze. He squeezed her tight before letting her go, tugging her instead to his side as he sat them on the couch.
“Okay, let’s look this over. I hope you don’t mind if I play with it a bit?”
“Of course not. I want this to work for you as well—it’s got to be fair and right for us both. I think we should probably get some papers drawn up formally.” She curled her legs up beside her, leaning against his side before she’d realized it. The warmth of his body helped keep her jitters away, and she gave in to the temptation to stay there. “I guess the main things are making sure that we’ve got this figured out financially, and with the family. If for some reason I can’t get pregnant, I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped into staying with me.”
Max hummed as he added notes to the paper. “If you can’t get pregnant, it could be my fault. We’ll deal with it if that happens. Worst-case scenario—have you thought about adopting?”
She shrugged. “I have, but that wouldn’t be anything for you to be concerned about.”
He twisted to face her. “You’re simply not getting it, are you? There is no difference between a child that pops from your body, and one you adopt. They both need family around. I’m in, for the long haul. If we make a baby, great. If not, we adopt and the Turner clan will grow that way.”
The lump in her throat was enormous. She was smart enough to bite back the words asking if he was
They lifted it together and his eyes distracted her. The dark centers dilated wider as he stared at her, crouched low beside the chair.
“Hey.”
She swallowed hard. “Hey. You weren’t as long as I thought you’d be.”
He dropped the notepad to the side, his eyes hungrily tracing her face as he grabbed her hand. “I broke the speed limit. By a lot.”
She chewed on her lower lip. All the confidence she’d had back at the house when she’d told him she wanted to speak with him seemed to have escaped, fleeing into the night. “That’s not very responsible of you.”
“I’ll be responsible from here on, but if I didn’t hear you actually say it, I was going to go insane. Are you accepting my offer? Will you marry me?”
She pulled her hand from his and nodded slowly, reaching for the notepad. “Yes, but with a few conditions.”
Maxwell stiffened slightly. “What kind of conditions?”
“If you’re worried about not getting sex, that’s not it,” she joked, desperately trying to lighten the mood. She was one step away from freaking out as it was.
He rose to his feet in one motion. “This isn’t a gag, Tasha. Yes, I want to have sex with you, but I’ve damn well offered my life to you and this baby. I’m giving you everything I can think of that’s important to me, so I’d appreciate a little mutual respect. This isn’t about simply wanting to get into your pants.”
Shit . She popped up after him, shaking her head rapidly. “Damn it, that’s not what I meant.”
“But that’s what you said. That’s all I’ve got to go on.” He dragged a hand through his hair before pulling to a stop. “I’m sorry, I’m more on edge than I thought. You don’t deserve to be shouted at.”
She held the notepad to him. “If you’d give me a second I can explain. The only conditions involve us as a couple.”
He took the paper and rotated it to read. “A prenatal agreement?”
“It was the best I could come up with on short notice.” Fuck . Her voice quivered. She wanted to be in charge and in control, and instead the whole situation was making her weepy and morose. She cleared her throat and squared her shoulders.
Max sighed, then held out his hand to her. He was far too astute. She slowly accepted his offered hand, let him pull her into his arms and hold her close for a minute. His heart beat strong against her chest, the brush of his lips against her hair a soft flickering breeze. He squeezed her tight before letting her go, tugging her instead to his side as he sat them on the couch.
“Okay, let’s look this over. I hope you don’t mind if I play with it a bit?”
“Of course not. I want this to work for you as well—it’s got to be fair and right for us both. I think we should probably get some papers drawn up formally.” She curled her legs up beside her, leaning against his side before she’d realized it. The warmth of his body helped keep her jitters away, and she gave in to the temptation to stay there. “I guess the main things are making sure that we’ve got this figured out financially, and with the family. If for some reason I can’t get pregnant, I don’t want you to feel like you’re trapped into staying with me.”
Max hummed as he added notes to the paper. “If you can’t get pregnant, it could be my fault. We’ll deal with it if that happens. Worst-case scenario—have you thought about adopting?”
She shrugged. “I have, but that wouldn’t be anything for you to be concerned about.”
He twisted to face her. “You’re simply not getting it, are you? There is no difference between a child that pops from your body, and one you adopt. They both need family around. I’m in, for the long haul. If we make a baby, great. If not, we adopt and the Turner clan will grow that way.”
The lump in her throat was enormous. She was smart enough to bite back the words asking if he was
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