“But deep down, they’re solid human beings. You can enjoy partying and one-night stands and still be a good person, you know? But I’ll admit, sometimes I worry what might happen if they get really big.”
“You have a huge hit under your belt and you seem pretty down to earth.”
She’s thoughtful for a moment. “My parents were killed when I was fifteen, so my sister had to step in and raise me. I think I had to grow up faster than most teenagers, and that probably makes a big difference. Besides, Sydney would kick my ass if I became a diva.”
“This is all new to me,” I admit. “It can be overwhelming trying to navigate this lifestyle.”
“Just hang on to Tate,” she says softly. “Focus on what you have together, and let everything else be background noise. That’s the only way it works.”
“Thank you,” I say softly. “That sounds like good advice.”
We’ve just gotten into bed and turned off the lights when Tate says, “I think we should get married.”
I freeze and then reach over to turn the lights back on.
“What?”
He chuckles. “I know—not the most romantic proposal but hear me out.”
“Okayyy.” I stare at him in confusion. What on earth is he talking about? We can’t get married after only knowing each other for six weeks!
“You need health insurance. The only way I can get it for you affordably is if we get married. We’ve already decided to see what happens between us so what difference does a piece of paper make in the grand scheme of things? If you decide you don’t love me, don’t like my lifestyle, whatever the case may be, and you break my heart, will I be more hurt because we’re married? And the same goes if we look at it from the opposite perspective.”
“But…we barely know each other!” I protest but he has a point.
“I know. The thing is, we’ve already talked about this connection between us. How it’s different than any other relationships we’ve ever had. And we’re going to have a baby. Why not do something that’s not only better for us financially, but also good for the baby. Even if we wind up divorced, at least he or she will know we tried.”
I have so many arguments against getting married but they all seem to be a jumble in my brain.
Health insurance is huge. It’s costly and hard to find considering I’m already pregnant—we’ve been doing research and it’s going to cost a fortune. While getting married for health insurance seems ridiculous, it’s not. It could potentially bankrupt us if there were complications and we’re on the hook for it all cash. There are programs for uninsured women, but I make too much money at the diner to qualify. I also own a home, so I’m in that weird place where I make too much for help but don’t earn enough to pay for major expenditures like childbirth.
“You’re really quiet,” he says after a moment.
“I’m trying to work it out in my head,” I admit. “I mean, getting married is a big deal.”
“I think we should sign a prenup,” he says. “So if things go wrong, I don’t have any right to your house and by the same token, you can’t take half of my earnings for eternity. But we’ll have lots of exceptions for the baby.”
“Yes, that’s smart.” I should be offended at the idea of a prenuptial but I’m not. I don’t want him to take half of my house any more than he wants me to take half of his royalties.
“Look at me,” he says softly, reaching out to gently grip my chin. “Do you want to do this?”
“I feel like we’re skipping over all the fun stuff,” I whisper. “Dating. Falling in love. A romantic proposal, a wedding… even trying for a baby. We’re just jumping ahead to all the hard stuff.”
“I know.” He holds out his arms and I nestle against his chest. “But there’s no law that says you can’t date and fall in love once you’re already married.”
“That’s true.”
“I’m trying to be smart about money while giving you a sense of security. Because I know it’s important to you.”
“Being married won’t stop you from leaving,” I say.
“No, but it gives us both something to fight for.”
Every time he says something like that, I get a little closer to falling in love with him.
“Are you sure?” I ask softly. “Because at the end of the day, I’m getting more out of this than you.”
“Not true. I get the family I’ve always wanted.”
