I do, but I can’t risk it. He’s a player. He won’t stay.
He growls. “Do not compare me with your dad. I am not that asshole who abandoned you before you were born.”
“I didn’t mention my dad.”
He taps my temple. “You were thinking of him.”
“This knowing all my tells thing sucks,” I mutter.
He smirks. “You don’t enjoy how I know which parts of your body to touch to make you squirm? To get you all hot and bothered?”
My breath hitches. I enjoy it entirely too much. It’s what got me into this mess in the first place.
He leans his forehead against mine. “Give me a chance, Sloane. I promise I’ll make it worth your while. I’ll also screw up. Probably a lot.”
I nibble on my lip. I want to say yes. Badly. This is the man I’m falling in love with. Oh, who am I kidding? The second he said ‘our little family’, I was a goner. How could I not love this man who wants to give me what I’ve never had but want the most?
“I don’t know.”
“I promise I won’t be your dad. I won’t abandon you.”
“But if everything falls apart, I not only lose you, I lose Adele.” I’ll lose what little family I have.
“I will work my ass off to avoid that conclusion. I know you want this, sweetness. I know you’re scared. I’m scared, too. But I won’t let my fear stop me from getting what I want.”
My muscles tighten with the need to flee. To avoid the heartbreak he can cause. But isn’t fleeing every time things got tough exactly what my mom did? She always left her boyfriends when she thought they weren’t paying enough attention to her or weren’t enamored with her anymore.
I straighten my shoulders. I will not be my mom.
“Okay.”
Zane grins. “Okay?”
I nod. “I want to be in a relationship with you.”
He presses his lips against mine in a hard, quick kiss. “I want to kiss the shit out of you right now, but I won’t be able to stop there. And I really miss Adele. Let’s spend the day together.”
He stands and offers me his hand. This time, I don’t hesitate to take it.
This decision might lead me to heartache, but at least I’ll have tried.
Chapter 27
“I wanted a nursery. But I think I need a bigger house.”
Zane
Iroll over and reach for Sloane but encounter cold, empty sheets instead. I grunt. I want to wake up to her in my arms every day.
Sloane had other ideas. She thinks we should slow things down. She doesn’t trust my feelings yet, but she will. In the meantime, she’s sleeping in the guest bedroom down the hall.
“Wah.”
Adele’s awake. I quickly dress and use the bathroom before making my way to the nursery.
I frown at all of the boxes filling up the space. This isn’t a nursery. This is a storage space with a crib and a changing table. It appears temporary. As if I’m not prepared to keep Adele.
The custody trial is next week. What if the court decides they want a home visit? The judge will never believe I’m serious about my daughter if she sees this.
