"You need to be here, Andie, so I can take care of you. My mother doesn't live far, so she will be here to help. Honestly, I would like to say she won't stick her nose into our business, but you met her. So, you probably already know better," he shook his head, laughing, and he turned back and started cooking.
"Your mother isn't the problem, Mike. You can't just proclaim that I'm going to live here. What do you want me to do, leave my entire life behind and disregard my obligations? I know we don't know each other well but let me start your education on Andie by saying... that's not happening."
Well, this was going terribly, Mike thought. Maybe he should have waited on the moving in part, but he didn't want her to leave. Like ever. Was that creepy? It was hard enough being apart from her for the last ten weeks. All he could think about in his downtime was her. Now she was here, in his apartment, carrying his child, scolding him, and he didn't want to let her go. She was even cute when she was mad.
"Are you smiling?" she shrieked.
Mike realized quickly, he had to calm her down or she would lose it. He walked toward her with his hands up in a standard 'I mean no harm' stance and he started talking in an indistinct monotone voice he used when someone was holding a gun on him. It was the only thing he could think of that might work.
"Andie, I need you to take a deep breath for me." She was turning red with anger and he worried would happen next.
"Let's just take a break in our conversation and I'll finish cooking. Once we get some food into us, we will discuss specifics. Okay?"
She said nothing; she didn't even nod her head, she just stared at him.
"Are you okay with that, Andie? I want you to use your voice and tell me you are okay with that," he said calmly, trying not to agitate her further.
"Use my voice! You want me to use my voice? Well, here is my voice. I will let you go back into that kitchen and finish whatever you were cooking. I am allowing it, because it smells freaking delicious and now I'm starving. When I am done eating, we will not talk. I will leave and you will let me go. Deal?"
"No. Try again."
She stomped back to the chair at the island. "Just cook!" she yelled at him.
He was so relieved she sat back down, he would do anything she asked. Since she wanted him to cook, he could handle that. In fact, as the next thirty minutes went by, he realized he could more than handle that. He loved having her sitting there watching him, even though she was glaring more than watching at first. He never had women to his place, but having her there, eating the food he cooked felt like the most natural thing in the world. Conversation between them was easy, and he enjoyed it immensely.
"So, tell me how things have been since... well, since our night together?" he asked.
"Good, I mean, as good as can be expected. Diane, who runs the catering company, has had quite a few jobs for me so I've kept busy. Were you gone this whole time?"
"I was. I honestly wasn't supposed to be, but things got a bit complicated and the mission took longer than expected."
"That's what you like though? Being in the field?"
"I do. I told you earlier that Jason had to step back when Christy had the baby. That was one crazy ride," he said shaking his head, "She had a home birth, and I ended up there through the whole thing. She didn't think she was in labor for the longest time, and he freaked out when he found her. I ended up having to bring the midwife up and got sucked into running around getting things for them. It was kind of amazing, and she's my goddaughter, so whenever he tells me he needs me to do something, I do it. I think he's realizing his daughter already has me wrapped around her finger and he's using it to his advantage."
Andie laughed, the idea of Mike, who was the epitome of an alpha male, running around assisting in a birth was just too funny. "So, I guess our child won't be the first delivery you will be a part of?"
"Oh no, I wasn't watching that part. I made sure I stayed far away, I mean I love my buddy's wife like she's a sister, but I don't what to know her that well."
"It's kind of crazy to think that will be us soon," she smiled at him across the table.
"It is kind of crazy," he smiled back, "By the way, I think my mom is on to us."
"She doesn't seem like someone who you can get one past. How long has she been working for you?"
"Almost a year now. I have had a hard time keeping an assistant I can trust, and she seemed bored at home. It was only supposed to be temporary, but I stopped looking for someone else a while ago. She just doesn't know that yet. Tell me about your sister, Avery, right?"
"Yep. But there isn't too much to say, I mean we are very close and I miss her terribly since I moved out on my own. It's the first time in our entire lives that we are living apart."
"Do you guys get to see each other often?"
"We do, which is why when I kind of disappeared today, she freaked out. Usually, she can reach me whenever she needs me."
"Did you tell her about the baby?"
"Not yet. I figured you deserved to know first."
"I really appreciate that Andie, I know you could have kept this from me, but I have to say I'm happier than I've ever been at the prospect of being a father."