Chapter Eleven
He looked down at her beautiful face and thought about the question she had just asked, and he couldn’t think of a single answer. “God, baby, I don’t know.”
She tried to pull away.
“No, wait. It’s hard to go back to the headspace I was in at the time. If you asked me about that now, I’d be thrilled.”
“Would you have asked for an abortion?”
His head reared back. “Hell no.”
She relaxed a bit and still looked incredibly sad, and he hated that.
“Would you have asked me to marry you?” she asked.
“Damn, I wish I could say I would have.”
“It’s okay.”
He gritted his teeth. “No, it’s not. You deserve better.”
“I know that now. That’s why I can’t come home with you.”
“Wait.”
“I’m not saying you can’t see Corey. I know how important a father is in a boy’s life, but I also know you don’t have a lot of time. So I was thinking I could bring him to your office when you have an hour.”
“No!”
She flinched away from him. “I didn’t realize… I mean, I didn’t think about it. You could always come to my house.”
“What are you thinking?” he asked when he saw the acute embarrassment on her face.
“That you don’t want to be seen with me.”
“God, no. That’s not even close. I just don’t want to go a day without seeing you.”
“You mean Corey?”
“No, I mean both of you. Fuck, I’ve always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and I always will. I have to work on the jealousy issue I have. I’ve never dealt with it before you, but it won’t affect us as it did before.”
He watched her stare down at Corey.
“Please. We can do a trial run for, say, three months. If you hate it at my house, I’ll let you go back to your house, or I’ll buy you whatever place you want. Just think, while you’re at my home, you can do whatever you want. I heard you were taking classes and working for a publisher. You were so good at art, and I’m glad you’re using your talent.”
“Yes, I’m still working and taking classes,” she said.
“I want you to do whatever you want. If you want to play with Corey all day, you can. I’m giving you options.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please let me take care of you.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of what?” he asked.
“Of you throwing me out and trying to keep Corey.”