I shook my head at how ridiculous he was being. I was sure the last thing he wanted to hear about was girl problems. “How about, instead of that, we discuss maternity leave.”
“What’s there to discuss?”
“Well, I’m going to save up as much PTO as I can for after the baby comes, since I’m sure I won’t qualify for the full maternity leave with my short employment here and all. I’ll have childcare by the time it runs out so you won’t have to worry about a baby crying in your lobby.”
He frowned, narrowed his eyes. In a blink, his entire demeanor had changed. “You really think I’d make you give up time with your newborn to come file paperwork?”
I blinked, his question taking me off guard. “Well, I need money?—”
He held up a hand. “You’re going to be a mom, Parker. Fuck the job. It’ll be here if you want it back, but not until you’re ready.” He leaned forward in his chair, rag gripped in a fist. “No fucking way am I going to make you miss out on those moments.”
My heart pinched. “But Wyatt, the money?—”
“Whatdya need money for? Ain’t no one in Bell Buckle gonna let you be homeless, especially not that lovesick puppy currently listening through the damn door.”
Something metal clanged to the ground just outside the door, confirming Wyatt’s suspicions.
“I can’t just mooch off everyone,” I stated. “I need a stable income to care for my baby.”
“So I’ll pay you while you’re on leave.”
I opened my mouth to retort, but he beat me to it. “It’s standard. You get a portion of your pay while on maternity leave. No fucking law, rule, or policy is going to tell me how much that portion is, so consider all of it yours.”
Clearly my pregnancy was taking a toll on my brain, because what he was saying couldn’t seriously be true.
“For how long?” I managed to get out.
“How long you need it?”
Slowly, I sat forward, hands braced on the armrests. “Wyatt.”
He simply stared, like this wasn’t the most ridiculous idea ever.
“People go through hard things. Wreck your car, forget to pay a bill, have to move houses. But no one should have to hold the load of raising a baby all on their own. My dad did it for me and my brother. Did a shitty job at it, but he did it. I only ever wished someone would’ve given him a damn break in life, so maybe he would’ve given us a break, too.” He stood, pocketing the rag. “You stay home with your baby. Raise him to be thebest little man he can be. I’ll do you this favor, if you do that for me.”
Wetness pooled in my eyes as words escaped me. He waited, giving me a moment to compose my thoughts.
“I will.”
Satisfied, he dipped his chin in farewell.
When his hand grasped the door handle, I added, “But only for six months. I won’t take any more than that.”
He looked back at me, and the hardened, dirt-smudged man smiled. “Deal.”
20
BECKHAM
My parents’ house looked like a pink-and-blue bomb had gone off. Streamers, confetti, plates, and napkins. Somehow it all blended flawlessly with the rustic charm of the Bronson ranch.
Sage’s gender reveal theme was boots and bows, and I had to give it to them—it was a damn cute idea. Parker stood on the opposite side of the house from me, talking with the girls about something I couldn’t decipher. Not that I was trying to read her lips. My entire focus was homed in on her belly under the swell of her light pink dress. How her hand came up to rest on the bump while she spoke. How she looked like a fucking angel standing there with the light shining in from the window behind her.
The woman made me so damn parched, I was already on my fourth bottle of water since arriving here with her two hours ago. We’d come together, and it’dnearly killed me when I helped her down from my truck and had to let go of her hand. No public intimacy had been her rule though, and if following it meant I could have her in the privacy of my home, I wouldn’t break it.
“Travis just looked at me like I was some sort of fucking animal,” Bailey went on, telling a story about some shit that happened on the ranch yesterday.
Lennon chuckled, already on his second beer. “One day, my dad’s going to decide to never let you come back.”
