sick, so I left in the middle of my sophomore year to help him with the shop.” His voice takes a somber turn, and I can guess what he’s about to say. “Dad didn’t make it. He had a host of health issues, but one of the doctors made a mistake during his heart surgery. My mom took it really hard—we all did.”
“That’s awful.”
“Yeah, it was. I have two other brothers, and we all try to check in on Mom every week. It’s been six years since he’s passed, but I don’t think she’ll ever move on.”
“Did—did you ever go back to school?”
He shakes his head. “College wasn’t for me. I learned everything I need to know from my dad, and the rest was from reading.”
“That’s completely different from my family. College wasn’t an option for me.”
“They forced you?”
“No, I wanted to go. I liked it. I majored in English, but got a job in advertising. It wasn’t my dream job, but it paid the rent and put food on the table.”
“You’d rather do something else? Like—write romance books?” He’s only slightly grinning.
Hearing him talk about it makes it sound like the joke it is. I stand from the mattress to get away from his irritating presence, but Gage wraps an arm around my waist and yanks me backward. I fall into his lap.
“Stop jerking me around!”
“Tell me, Olivia.”
“No. It’s a stupid, unrealistic dream. If I’m having a kid, I need to grow up.” I try to pry his fingers off my waist, but he tightens his grip.
“Wow. Living in that city has done a number on you.”
“Can we stop talking about me and start thinking about what we’re going to do as parents?”
“No, I wanna talk about you. At what age did you decide you wanted to write naughty fiction?”
“That was one scene in the entire book. You shouldn’t have read it.”
“Don’t you think your husband should have access to your dirty fantasies?” He laughs into the shell of my ear as I try to get up.
“We’re not really married! It was an accident. So is the baby.”
“You’re keeping the baby, but not me?”
His rough beard scratches my cheek. “Yes. We really need to go to city hall or whatever to get a divorce.”
“Maybe I don’t want one anymore.”
I turn around in his arms, alarmed by the seriousness on his face. “What?”
“You’re carrying my baby, Olivia. That makes you mine. It also keeps Cranberry from fucking with us.”
“Cranbury, and he’s still going to want a paternity test. No, Gage. I can’t make a decision like this just because you’re the father.”
“I’m not asking you to decide anything. What’s done is done. You’re Olivia Carter, now.” Lust smolders in his gaze like a bright, blue fire.
He stands, releasing my waist to grab my shaking left hand. He strokes the finger that should have a ring, and suddenly a violent shiver runs through my body at the thought of it becoming real.
“You want me to stay married to you?”
“Yes.”
Why?
My question is swallowed by his mouth, crushing against mine, and then drowned by the tidal wave of desire when Gage slips his knee between my legs. My muscles clench when he palms my stomach and moves down to caress my womb. Blood roars like a distant waterfall in my head as he pulls back. I can see the wonder in his eyes. What his kid will look like. If it’ll be a boy or girl.
Then his hand slips down even lower, and I stop wondering why.
A booming voice echoes from the inside of a house that would probably make Mark quake with envy. It’s a sprawling log cabin stained cherry red with wide windows open to the outdoors. The evergreen roof blends in perfectly with the thick redwoods surrounding it. An elevated porch surrounds the place, big enough to support several picnic tables. Lacey white curtains hang in front of the windows. Around the side of the cabin is a hot tub with more tables and chairs.
At the door stands a tall woman with broad shoulders. She has a beaming round face and dark glittering eyes. Her golden hair is cut into a bob, and she wears a knee-length summer dress with giant floral patterns. Laughing, Gage’s mother waves us through the door.
“Come on in, y’all!”
Jennifer is a southern woman through and through. I absorbed all the facts of her life before we drove over. She was born and raised in Texas. Homemaker. According to Gage, she became an avid painter after