are you?”
“No, I’m just—” I paused. “You don’t have to do anything.”
He pushed the food away from both of us and spun me on the stool so we were fully face to face. He planted his hands on my knees and met my gaze with a ferocity that made my heart skip. “Ivy, if you think for a second I’m going to walk away and let you do this alone, you’re an absolute idiot.”
My bottom lip quivered.
“I’m going to be there every single step of the way. You’ll have to drag me away from you, do you understand that? Nothing—nothing—matters more than being there for you and this baby. Our baby.”
“Okay.” I sniffed, trying not to cry again.
I didn’t know how badly I needed to hear him say that.
“Come here.” He pulled me against him once more. “Whatever you need, I’m there.”
“Good. Because when my grandmother finds out, you might have to pretend to be my secret husband.”
He laughed. “Do I get the perks as payment for my pretense?”
“I was joking,” I mumbled.
“I wasn’t.”
Well, that stopped the tears.
I swatted his chest and sat back upright, wiping my cheeks. “I think that’s gotten us in a sticky enough situation, thank you very much.”
He grinned, and I shot him a look that said I was not interested in whatever dirty comment he was about to make.
“Eat,” he demanded, pushing the beef strips toward me. “I’ll even let you have mine.”
Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all…
CHAPTER THREE – KAI
I cupped Ivy’s face at her door. “If you need anything—”
“You’re just across the hall, Kai, not in Alaska,” she replied, pulling my hands away. “I think I can manage to drag myself to bed.”
“Well, if you get lonely…”
“I’ll open my online dating app, read some awful bios, and remember why I’m single.” Her tone was dry. “I’m fine. I promise I’ll text you if I need anything.”
“You sure?”
“If you’re gonna hover over me for the next seven and a half months, at least bring ice-cream next time.”
“Flavor?”
“Wow, you’re not kidding.”
I held up my hands. “I told you. Anything you need.”
She tilted her head to the side, tucking a stray bit of her blonde-brown hair behind her ear. “I could so easily manipulate the hell out of you.”
“Are you going to?”
“Not today. I’m far too tired for that. It’s been a long day.” To punctuate her point, she yawned, clasping both hands over her mouth. “I need to go to bed.”
“Okay. And you promise you’ll get a key cut for me tomorrow so I can get to you quickly?”
She sighed. “I promise, Kai. I’ll even send you a running commentary from the moment I step outside the door to the moment I get back home. Will that appease you?”
I grinned. I knew she was being cocky, but yes, it would, and I told her as much.
What I didn’t tell her was that I wanted to lean down and kiss her.
I had a feeling that wouldn’t go down too well today.
“Okay. Goodnight,” Ivy said, stepping back. “Before I start thinking you’ll never go.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
“If you ask me that one more time, you won’t be.” There was bite in her words, but her eyes belied her amusement. “Now go. I think you have to explain to your sister.”
“Yes. He does. He can start by introducing us.”
I jerked around. Anna was standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame, with her arms folded across her chest. Her yellow sweater was a stark contrast to her scarlet hair, and I winced at the look she gave me.
“Anna, this is Ivy. Ivy, this is my big sister, Anna.”
Anna waved. “I’ve come to rescue you, Ivy. He likes to think he’s a big, fancy alpha male, but he’s like a s’more—hard on the outside, gooey on the inside.”
Ivy fought a smile.
“Get inside.” Anna jerked her head in the direction of the apartment.
“What are you, Mom?”
“No, but I’ll call her if you don’t do as I say,” she sniped. “Besides, Ivy is clearly exhausted. Growing a human is no joke. Let her go to sleep and stop fussing over her. Nothing is going to happen to her in bed, Kai.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought four weeks ago, and here we are,” Ivy muttered in response.
My sister burst out laughing. “I like her. Now leave her alone.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose and looked back at Ivy. “Text me, okay?”
“Yes, I promise.” She huffed, but there was a smile tugging at her lips. “Goodnight.”
“Night,” I replied, giving