Her voice rose with each word spoken, not in anger but pure panic… something Xander was hoping to avoid.
Xander pressed a hand to her stomach. “Aight, baby, chill. Just… take it easy?—”
“I need you to understand that this place is the kids and my history,” she continued, chest rising. “My whole life is inthishouse, Xander.”
Xander closed his eyes and took a breath. He knew it was a risk going about the home-buying process the way he did, keeping her out of it.
“He gave you a foundation.” Xander nodded, opening his eyes to hers. “But this family—ourfamily, Rylee—it’s growing.”
Xander rubbed her belly, lowering his attention to it.
“And so is our love.”
Rylee was blinking her eyes quickly, eyes that were growing more and more glossy with tears as she stared back at him.
“But you know…” Xander said, reading her expression. “If this isn’t what you want, we stay right where we are. No pressure.Notimeline. The keys go back. I don’t care. I only care that you feel safe.”
Rylee averted her eyes, turning her head away from him.
“But I also want you to know that what I told you, about not wanting to replace Lennox? Imeantthat, Rylee,” he said. “I wouldn’t even dream of doing that. Butthis,right here…” Xander tapped the phone’s screen. “This is about building a future, baby. LJ has a room, and so does Nova. This little guy is going to need one too, eventually?—”
“We’re not moving,” Rylee interjected, her voice firm, finality heavy in her tone. “That’s the first andlastconversation about any of this we’re going to have.”
Xander’s hand stilled on her baby bump.
There was a long pause between them. Too damn long of a pause, honestly.
So many things were racing through Xander’s head. So many emotions. Frustration, a little anger, but overall—understanding. The reality of it all was, they could not raise another child in the brownstone. There was literally no room to do that.
“So…” He held his breath. “Send the keys back?”
Rylee shook her head, bringing her hands to her face to growl into them. “I… I don’t know… I’m not saying that. I’m justsayingI don’t want to talk about this right now. And I don’t know when I will.”
The baby could stay in their room for the first few months of his life, but after that, he’d need his own space.
But Xander knew Rylee wasn’t ready for that conversation. And because she’d made a lot of concessions without him having to ask, all he did was nod. Absorb her words.
He swallowed his disappointment, internalizing it all… including the rejection of something he saw as a dream for their family.
Xander didn’t know what stung more… her no, or how fast it came.
“Aight. I understand,” was how he ended the discussion.
Xander leaned in and gave her a peck on the lips before turning to his left to switch off the lamp on his side of the bed.
He reclined back on his pillow, one arm over his head, the other resting on his abs, eyes fixed on the ceiling.
He didn’t know how to feel in that moment, but he knew disappointment was at the top of that list.
Rylee shut off the lamp on her side of the bed, the room gradually falling dark.
Still, Xander kept his eyes on the ceiling above them.
The bed shifted. He felt her belly first and then her head on his chest. And even though he was a little upset with her, he couldn’t help the butterflies in his stomach that fluttered from her touch.
He kept his attention above them but moved his hand to her stomach, caressing it softly.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered in the dark. “That was just… you just sprung that on me.”
