Chapter Three #2
“First of all, your delivery needs a ton of work. Second, there’s no way in hell I’m marrying you just because I’m pregnant. That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
Ryan’s lips thinned. “It’s not ridiculous.
I always planned on having a family with children I could pass the ranch to in the future.
And despite what you might think, I won’t be part of my child’s life just whenever I feel like it.
I will be hands-on and that includes being supportive of you, too. ”
“I can take care of myself,” she insisted. Wasn’t he listening?
“I’m aware that you can, but you don’t have to and you shouldn’t have to.” He held up his hand just as she opened her mouth. “And I’m not only talking financial. This will be emotional, as well. We’re going to have to work as a team from here on out despite what either of us wants.”
He set his hat back on top his head and continued to stare at her as if waiting for her to say something about that preposterous proposal.
Over her dead body would she marry a man simply because they slept together and she carried his baby.
That was not only archaic, that was a recipe for disaster.
Why would she settle for a loveless marriage that would likely end up in divorce?
“I will be perfectly fine,” she reiterated. “I’m glad to hear you want to be part of our baby’s life, but that doesn’t mean you need to be a permanent fixture in mine.”
Ryan took a step, then another, until he closed the distance between them. In an instant, his familiar, masculine scent enveloped her and those blue eyes captivated her. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think.
“Maybe I want you with me,” he murmured. “Maybe I want to protect you. Maybe I want to make sure you’re safe, that our baby is safe.”
He reached out and trailed a fingertip along her jawline, causing a whole host of shivers to race through her. Damn her hormones for betraying her.
“Are you going to tell me that you’d rather ignore the chemistry between us and skip to coparenting and maybe friends?” His thumb grazed her bottom lip. “Can you be just my friend after what we shared?”
That heated night full of passion and fulfilled fantasies had been well beyond friendly. Was it any wonder she kept scrolling through those memories? She had to keep reliving it because it had seemed like a dream. No intimacy had ever been that intense, that...memorable.
And now he was tempting her with more nights.
But marriage? She wasn’t about to fall into that trap. They’d barely gotten along in the past—why did he think living together and playing house would solve things?
Her sister Layla recently married Josh, and her other siblings would be heading down the aisle soon, Chelsea to marry Nolan and Vic to marry Aubrey.
Morgan was clearly the only one being logical. Love and happily-ever-after seemed fine in theory, but in reality, did that even exist anymore?
Just look at her uncle Daniel, who’d had a fling for a few months with a young woman named Cynthia.
He never knew she had been pregnant with his daughter when he headed back to Paris.
When baby Ashley was three, Cynthia married Ladd Thurston and later had twins Heath and Nolan.
No one ever said a word about Cynthia and Ashley’s past. The web of lies and deceit was woven so tightly in this town, Morgan had to watch every single step she made so she didn’t get tangled up in it.
Yet here she stood, fighting every emotion she had against temptation with her own secret pregnancy.
“I’m sure there’s a space between friends and lovers we can settle into,” she explained, trying to ignore the tingling from his touch. “We’ll be parenting together, that’s all. I’m not wearing your ring or taking your name.”
Ryan dropped his hand, but remained right in her personal space. Damn that man and his potency. Why did she have to be attracted to him physically? If she wasn’t pregnant, maybe they could revisit that evening.
But she was pregnant, and the fun times and careless ways were over. Now they had to focus and do what was best for the child, and that sure as hell didn’t include a wedding. Maybe they needed to get back to arguing. At least she could ensure her clothes would stay on.
“I don’t have to buy you a ring, and feel free keep your name if you want.”
He stared at her like he’d just come up with the most logical solution. Morgan took in a deep breath once again and attempted to make sense of how her day had been a total roller-coaster ride from the moment she awoke.
Morgan shook her head and moved toward her checkout counter. She needed a barrier between them to gather her thoughts and get a grasp on common sense.
“I’m not marrying you,” she repeated as she shut down her laptop and tidied up her space. “And if you were not being so territorial, you’d see this is a bad idea.”
She moved her favorite gold pen, lining it up with the computer. Then she shifted it to the top, then the other side. Finally, she plopped it into her glass holder with the others.
“Are you going to keep fidgeting with that pen instead of looking at me?” he asked.
Morgan sighed and glanced up. She hadn’t heard him move, but once again he stood so close. Too close. Close enough to touch, to kiss.
She seriously needed to get ahold of her hormones because she couldn’t be selfish and take what she wanted. Having a physical relationship with Ryan at this point would only be confusing and likely make him think she wanted that marriage.
“I don’t need to look at you,” she countered. “I’ve already given you my answer. I’m not getting married, now or ever.”
Ryan’s blond brows rose and his tanned forehead wrinkled as he had the audacity to smirk. “Is that right? You’re the only one from your family not married or engaged.”
“And? What’s that supposed to mean? Just because that’s what they want to do doesn’t mean that’s what I want to do.
” Morgan crossed her arms over her chest and tipped her chin up.
“They also all want to live the farm life and that’s also not for me, which is another reason we aren’t getting married. ”
“I wouldn’t ask you to run my ranch,” he scoffed.
“I’m asking you to move in, marry me, and build the next generation of Carters.
I have no motives to steal you away from the life you’ve created for yourself here.
I’m not asking you to grab your leather gloves and rope cattle.
I’m asking you to join me in a legacy I’ve created and can pass to our child. ”
Good grief, this man was totally serious.
The only thing that gave her pause was that he was hot, he rocked her world, and he was stable in his life.
But that didn’t mean she wanted to share that life with him.
Ryan wasn’t a bad catch...if she wanted to catch someone.
He would make a great husband, just not her.
She had to get him to the point where he understood or at least thought she denied the request for his own good.
“Listen,” she began again. “We’re not getting married just because I’m pregnant. One day you might actually fall in love and want to spend forever with that person. I don’t want to be the one to hold you back.”
“When I have a family, we will all live on my ranch and be one unit.”
Apparently they were at a stalemate because there was no way in hell she was budging. She refused to marry, but even worse, to settle for a marriage out of some archaic obligation. They would be surrounded by resentment, and that was no way to raise a child.
“You think about it,” Ryan added. “I don’t need the answer right now.”
“Are you listening to me? I gave you my answer.”
He leaned in. His chest bumped hers as his mouth hovered a breath away from her own.
“You heard me as well, so here we are,” he murmured. “Two people who are stubborn.”
Another reason they couldn’t marry. They couldn’t stop arguing.
“I always get what I want,” she volleyed back, more than ready to stand her ground.
In an instant, Ryan’s arm snaked around her waist and pulled her body flush with his.
Before she could even gasp, his mouth covered hers and that fire he’d ignited a month ago fanned to life once again.
Morgan gripped his shoulders and couldn’t help the way her body responded.
No matter what her head said about common sense, she couldn’t help the physical pull that swept aside all rational thoughts.
With his lips on hers and that strong hold, not to mention the hard planes of his body, Morgan was having a difficult time remembering why she’d turned down that oh-so-romantic proposal.
Ryan shifted, easing back just enough to brush his lips along hers. His hand settled over her stomach as he murmured, “Think about that marriage for our baby.”
His abrupt release had her grabbing for the counter to steady herself. She watched as he walked toward the door, flicked the lock, and stepped outside—leaving her confused and sexually frustrated.
If he thought one heated kiss would sway her, he would have to try harder than that. Morgan refused to let her emotions guide her choices...that was how she got into this mess to begin with.