19. Rhett
Five days. It had been five days since I’d picked Scarlett up on the side of the road and my world had imploded. I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the fact that I was going to be a father. Ridiculous. Me, a dad. Utter madness.
It still didn’t feel real. Even a few days ago, when we’d gone to the comprehensive exam and seen the babies on the monitor again. They just looked like fuzzy gray blurs to me. Of course, I’d smiled and held Scarlett’s hand through it, grabbing her a tissue when she’d teared up. I’d made sure to go through all the motions. But I just wasn’t feeling it.
I pulled into the curb in front of Scarlett’s apartment building and, switching the engine off, leaned back against the headrest.
Reeling. That’s what I was doing. And to avoid the feeling that I was teetering on the edge of a precipice, I’d thrown myself into action mode. It was all I knew how to do.
I watched as Scarlett came out from her apartment building, walking towards the car. My heart squeezed when she gave me one of those uncertain, shaky smiles. I rubbed at my chest. It was all just too fucking confusing for words.
Leaning over, I pushed the passenger door open for her and took a deep breath as she slid into the seat. Christ, she smelled amazing. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“You ready for this?”
“Not sure.”
“Hey, if you don’t like it, you don’t have to move in.”
“You’ve already bought it.”
I shrugged. “I can sell it again. But as I said, it’ll be good for me to have a base in Esperance. if you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else.”
“Just buy another house, just like that?” She snapped her fingers.
“Of course.”
“You’re crazy, but I’m very intrigued, so let’s get going.”
“Your wish is my command.”
Less than ten minutes later, I pulled up in front of the two-story cream brick house, killing the engine. “Here we are.”
Scarlett stared out the window, her gaze roaming over the facade. Her expression was blank, giving absolutely nothing away.
It took every ounce of my willpower not to ask her what she thought. “Come on, let’s go check it out.”
She hesitated before pushing the car door open and stepping out. “The garden is amazing.”
“Professionally landscaped and low maintenance. I’ll also have this part fenced off,” I gestured along the driveway, “so that cars can still come and go, even if the kids are out front here.” Fuck. That sounded so incredibly surreal. The kids.
Scarlett clearly agreed because she stood there staring at me for a long moment before swallowing heavily. “That’s a great idea.”
Moving right along. “How about I show you the inside?”
“Okay.” She followed me up the cobblestone path to the front door. I unlocked it and stepped inside, holding it open for her.
The entryway opened into an airy living room with gleaming hardwood floors and huge windows overlooking the river. Scarlett wandered in, her arms folded across her chest as she looked around.
The living room flowed right up to the kitchen and had a huge stone fireplace that I knew would be perfect for cuddling up in front of on cold winter nights. Not that I’d be doing any cuddling, of course. This was Scarlett’s home. If she liked it.
“This is... nice,” she said, her voice catching.
Oh fuck. She hated it. “You…you don’t like it?”
It was like she struggled to meet my eyes. “It’s amazing, Rhett. Perfect. But it’s too much.”
“Nothing’s too much for the babies.” Maybe the more I said it, the B word, babies, the easier it would get.
“I don’t know what to say.”
“If you like the house, it’s yours. Just say the word and I’ll get the paperwork happening.”
She gazed around again, rubbing her arms. “It’s a big change.”
“I get it. I feel like I’m living in dreamland right now.”
“Same.”
“Here’s the thing. I’ve bought the house, so it’s available. It seems pointless to just leave it lying around, unused. But also, nothing is set in concrete. You can move in, try it out and if you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else.”
There was that signature eye roll. “It’s not like saying hey, you don’t like that flavor of ice cream, I’ll get you another.”
“It kind of is, to me.”
“You’re a bit psycho, you know.”
I shrugged. “Just let me do this. There’s no need to do it all in hard mode. I might not be father material, but I have a lot of other resources. It would be completely stupid not to use them. Are you stupid?”
That made her smile. “No.”
“Okay then. So you can move in as soon as you’re ready.”
Her lips parted like she wanted to protest, but she simply nodded. “I’m sick of feeling overwhelmed and worried about what to do next. So, thank you for making the next bit easier.”
“You’re welcome.” I kinda didn’t know what to say after that, so I just stood there feeling awkward.
Saved by the sound of a truck pulling up out the front. “Ah, perfect timing. Come with me.”
“Rhett—”
“Shush.”
“Don’t shush me.”
“Just come outside.” Giving her a wink, I took her hand and led her back towards the front door.
“What have you done?”
“You’ll see. Come on.” I dragged her through the front door, where a large flatbed truck with a Mercedes logo on the side had just pulled up.
“What the fuck is that?” Scarlett asked, her eyes narrowed with suspicion.
The driver got out, went to the back of the truck, and lowered the ramps.
“Rhett, what is going on?” Scarlett’s tone carried a hint of exasperation, but also that undercurrent of amusement that she tried so hard to hide around me.
“Just a little something for you,” I said nonchalantly as the men began maneuvering a sleek, gun metal gray vehicle down the ramps.
Scarlett’s eyes widened as the brand new Mercedes Maybach EQS SUV came into view. “You didn’t...”
“I absolutely did.” I gestured towards the car with a flourish. “Your new wheels, my girl.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “This is too much, Rhett. I can’t accept this.”
“Of course you can. You need a safe, comfortable ride now that you’re carrying precious cargo.” I gave her still-flat belly an affectionate rub.
Her eyes narrowed at me again as she pushed my hand away, but I could see the struggle playing out on her face.
“It’s for the babies.”
“I can buy my own car. Or just pay to get mine fixed. Which is another thing.” Her eyes flashed as she poked me in the chest. Fucking adorable. “You still haven’t said where you had it towed to, or how much the repairs are going to be, or —”
“It’s at the wreckers.”
“What!”
Okay, so the shrieking was less adorable, but justified. “Just jokes. It’s at a place I use in Raleigh. But all of that is irrelevant now. Because, my girl, you’re not going to win this one. I’ve already bought the damn car, so you might as well just accept it gracefully.”
She was not, in fact, going to accept it gracefully. Her arms were folded over her chest, her eyes bright with irritation, and she was tapping her toe. Clearly, she needed the hard sell, and I was just the man to deliver it.
“This car is perfect for you - it’s big, safe, and comfortable. Exactly what you need to haul around those babies of ours in style. Plus, it’s all electric, so it aligns with your whole tree-hugging, save-the-planet thing.”
“It’s…it’s electric?”
“Of course. What else?”
“I thought you didn’t care about that stuff.”
“I don’t. Couldn’t give two fucks, not gonna lie. But you do, so here we are.”
“Oh.”
The toe tapping had stopped. The heat in her eyes had died down. Shame. She looked super-hot when she was annoyed. Sooo, “And let’s be honest, you’re going to look damn good pulling up places in this beast. Those impossibly perfect legs of yours are going to look incredible climbing out of this vehicle. Not that anyone will be able to look away from your amazing tits, of course.”
She made a strangled sound in the back of her throat. “You’re the worst!”
“You gonna quit your bitching and take the damn keys? You know you want to.”
She was still hesitating. I wouldn’t be the man I am if hadn’t figured out the perfect lever to overcome her objections. “As I keep saying, it’s for the babies.”
Now her mind was ticking. I could almost hear it.
Time to close out the deal. “It has the latest safety features to protect you and our little ones.” I held my hand up, ticking off each item on my fingers. “Advanced driver assistance systems, such as active lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic emergency braking. On top of all that, you have a crash in this thing, it’ll have as much impact as a cloud, since there are airbags every fucking where. It’s also super roomy, with plenty of room for car seats, strollers, and all the other shit that comes with twins.”
“You’ve actually really thought about this, haven’t you?”
“Yes.”
She turned away, watching the men continue to unload the vehicle. The way she chewed at her bottom lip made me want to kiss her. But we weren’t doing that, so I pushed on. “You’ll take it.”
“Yes. I’ll take it.”
The men positioned the Maybach perfectly in the driveway and one approached us, keys in hand. “All set, Mr. Rivers.” I gestured for him to hand the keys to Scarlett. “Ah, sorry. Here you go, Mrs. Rivers. Enjoy. Just need you to sign here, sir.”
I took the electronic clipboard and scribbled my signature quickly before handing it back. It took some effort to ignore the weird flip in my stomach when the guy called Scarlett Mrs. Rivers. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
As the men climbed back into the truck, I dangled the keys in front of Scarlett’s face. “What do you say? Take her for a spin?”
“Yes. Thank you. That would be lovely.”
I raised a brow at her overly prim tone. “Why are you talking like that?”
“Because you’ve just given me a house and a really expensive car. I should at least be polite to you.”
Both eyebrows went up now as I eyed her with faux astonishment.
“Jackass.”
“There we go.”