I snort. “Two truths and a lie?”
He laughs at the pivot in conversation. “Go on.”
“I love you.”Kiss.“You give the best foot rubs.”Kiss.“And…I’m the most incredible cook in the world.”
He flounders for a response. Busted. Not that it wasn’t obvious how much he despised my cooking.Idespise it,and it’s beyond me how neither of us have ended up with food poisoning.
“You’re not so good at lying either.” My mind replays the way he called my bluff at the top of the Ferris wheel. An evening that feels like both yesterday and a lifetime ago.
He strokes a finger down my cheek. “And your blush is even prettier than the day we met.”
“So you’ll move in?”
A smile he first only gave me glimpses of lights up his face with ease. “If you’ll have me.”
I nod excitedly. “I’m happy to reach out to Michael and amend the tenancy agreement. You’ve got enough on your plate.”
His smile morphs to guilt. “I might’ve told another a little white lie.”
I narrow my eyes. It was all too perfect when the cottage became available. At first, I suspected Michael didn’t exist, considering he’s never once mentioned this “friend” to me, but I’ve paid my rent into an account under the nameM. Walterssince January, so my suspicion disappeared.
“Michael isn’t real, is he?”
“Ah, no, he is. I’ve just never met him.” He attempts to distract me with soft touches, but I swat him away. “Michael lives in the city, and the cottage wasn’t exactly on the market when your apartment became uninhabitable. He didn’t need much convincing to rent it to me.”
“Okay…so what’s the lie?”
Warren’s lips flatten into a firm line.
And it clicks. “The rent! Warren!”
He winces at the rise in my voice. “Hear me out.”
“Oh, I’m listening.”
His face reddens, and he tugs me closer as he explains. “I knew you wouldn’t accept charity, and I didn’t want you to spend your pregnancy stuck in someone’s guest room or settling for a property with no space for you, let alone the baby.”
“Continue…” All ire has vanished at this point.
“I’ve covered the rent, and every cent you’ve paid has gone into a trust fund.” He peers at me through lowered lashes. “For Button.”
“Warren,” I groan. My forehead thumps softly into his shoulder. “You make it very difficult to stay mad at you when you act all chivalrous and sweet.”
His body vibrates with his chuckle. “Apologies. I promise, from this moment forward, no more secrets.”
He seals it with another kiss, one that makesmy skin tingle until my phone vibrating on the table interrupts us. Warren reaches over to grab it and passes it to me.
“Oh, it’s an email from my lawyer.” I scan the screen then read it again. “Holy shit.”
“What?” Warren steadies my hand as he reads the email from Steven over my shoulder. “This is good, right?”
The copyright lawsuit has been the last thing on my mind. Warren and giving birth were my priority; plus, we hadn’t expected a response from the record label for a while. Steven warned me there would be a lot of back and forth, so his email advising me they’ve requested a pre-litigation settlement meeting in June leaves me shell-shocked.
“Guess this is really happening.”
SIXTY-TWO
Harriet: I hope therapy goes well today. We’ll be waiting for you at home.
