Chapter 19 #2
“I have thought that far ahead.” With his ex, things had crumbled without warning.
May mentioning she was pregnant had also come without warning, but at least they had plenty of time to keep things together between now and when the baby was born.
Which made him feel as if he had some control in this situation.
“I have a big house,” Xavier said. “Plenty of space. It would make sense to have the crib at my place. And it would make sense if May was living there with me.”
They’d spent the most nights at his place anyway. Her moving in made sense. The other night, when she’d been asleep next to him in his bed, he’d decided that she might as well live there. They’d see each other more often, and it would save her from having to pack a bag every time she came over.
“Did you tell May she’s moving in?”
“It’s something we’ll talk about eventually.”
“Like after the crib’s built?” Ant’s forehead wrinkled.
“I don’t want her to worry about the details. She has enough going on what with growing a human being in her belly. I’m handling it. We have time.”
Only lately, he was starting to feel as if he was running out of time. The clock was ticking on several things in his life. The app launch had a lot of moving parts, and the staffing issue at Salty Dog wasn’t going to resolve itself. Plus, the baby was coming whether he and May were ready or not.
But this time he could see what was coming. He had a chance to plan ahead and prove his worthiness. Prove that he could make a life not only for himself but for his child and for May. This time around, he could get out ahead of it. Create structure, even if they were doing everything out of order.
Point was, he had a plan. And with him overseeing the details, there was zero chance of things going sideways.
“We’re good.” Xavier cleared his throat. “I’ve got everything under control.”
Ant gave him a side-eye. “Uh-huh. Just don’t forget to loop her in.” A beat later, he asked, “Did you tell your parents yet?”
“Hell no, that can wait.” The last thing Xavier needed was unsolicited advice from Fred and Patricia.
“I said it before, I will say it again. I am happy for you, man. I know this wasn’t planned, but some of the most beautiful things in life are unplanned. Look at me and Lou.”
He wasn’t wrong. Ant had loved Lou a long time before he was able to win her heart.
“You have family man written all over you. You’ll be fine.”
“I appreciate that.”
Sure, the pregnancy had come as a shock, but this was May. A whip-smart, beautiful, slightly challenging, completely erotic experience. There was no one he’d rather end up in this situation with than her.
That being said…
“Not sure I’ll be marching down the aisle anytime soon.”
Ant let that comment float around for a beat. “You don’t have to do that either,” he finally said. “Lots of people have babies and don’t get married.”
Xavier wasn’t a commitment-phobe, but marriage was heavy. Thorny. More so than fatherhood.
“Giving her a key to the house makes sense,” Xavier reassured himself. “It’s a good step forward.”
“Very logical.”
Xavier couldn’t tell if Ant was being sarcastic or not, but he didn’t have a chance to ask. May and Lou were coming over to meet them.
“Hey,” he said when she stood next to him.
“Hello.”
That was formal. He lifted his arm, relieved when she allowed him to wrap it around her waist. Next to them, Ant and Lou embraced, talking low to each other. Maybe Xavier had misread May’s tone.
But before he could relax into that notion, she dropped a nuclear bomb of a question. “Are you…happy?”
“Am I…happy? Like with our primo spot for the concert? Or in general?”
Stoic, she blinked at him.
“I know what you meant.” He took a drink of beer to give him a moment to collect himself. He hadn’t seen that question coming. “Yeah.”
“Yeah?” She raised her eyebrows.
“I mean…yeah. I know we didn’t plan this, but I’m cool with it.”
“You’re cool with it,” she repeated. “Hmm.”
Well, that wasn’t good.
“What about you?” Asking was abandoning his own sense of self-preservation, but he doubted she’d let him change the subject. “Are you? Happy? With everything?”
She kept her eyes on the stage and let him wriggle like a fish for a solid minute. “I’m good. Mostly.”
“Mostly good.” This was dangerous ground, but he tried his best to lighten the mood. “Like in The Princess Bride when Westley is mostly dead?” He was hoping for a smile, but she didn’t give him one.
“When were you planning on telling me about the crib?”
Fuck. Thanks, Lou.
“Oh, that.”
“Yes, that.”
“Ant is the best man for the job.”
“Obviously. I’m not questioning your choice of craftsman.” A delicate wrinkle appeared between her eyebrows. “You told me we weren’t making plans. Don’t you think a crib counts as a plan?”
“Well, no.”
“You don’t think I should be involved in the discussion of where our baby sleeps?”
“It wasn’t like that. I don’t want you to worry about anything. We have—”
“Plenty of time. So I’ve heard.”
“What? We do.” He gave her a smile to test the waters.
She offered a slow blink.
“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t mention the crib.” He hugged her shoulders. “I didn’t want you making eight hundred choices when keeping dry crackers down in the morning is Mission: Impossible.”
A hint of a smile curved her mouth. That was more like it.
“Do you want to talk about this now? If so, I am in. Who the hell needs to watch Asher Knight live on stage, anyway?”
She was fighting a laugh, he could tell.
Xavier made a show of taking in their surroundings. “I think we can squeeze through that family of six and then hang a right. Those trees would probably block the sound and give us some privacy.”
She tagged his chest. When she left her palm there, warming his pec, he took it as a personal win.
“I’ll do whatever you want. I’m at your mercy,” he told her.
She looked up at him, as beautiful as ever, even with fatigue lining her features. “If you introduce me to Asher Knight, I will overlook this misstep.”
“Are you kidding? We’re best buds.”
She knew that he’d met Asher in passing a few times. Hell, Elliott probably knew him better than Xavier did, given the rock star was a regular at Cup of Jo’s.
May rolled her eyes. “You’re hard to stay mad at, you know.”
“That’s good news for me.”
“Next time baby furniture comes up, include me in the conversation, okay?”
“Done.” He leaned down to kiss her, and she tipped her chin to accept. Then Asher Knight took the stage to a screaming crowd.
May pinched Xavier’s side and pointed at the stage, a silent reminder of what he’d promised—and that she wasn’t about to let him off the hook.