Chapter 26
Laiken
Kia stares at me with wide, disbelieving eyes.
I certainly can’t blame her for that.
“I couldn’t give them another reason to take her away,” I murmur.
“No, that makes sense.” After a beat, she adds, “I’m really sorry for interrupting.”
“There’s nothing for you to apologize for.
” My voice is firm, leaving no room for doubt.
“You live here now. You’re allowed to walk into the kitchen whenever you want and grab breakfast. You didn’t do anything wrong, and you couldn’t have known they’d drop by for a visit.
” I pause before adding, “But they’ll use you against me in the custody battle.
They’ll try twisting our relationship into something it’s not. ”
Her teeth sink into her lower lip as she nods. “I get it.”
The attraction I’ve been determined to fight draws tight around my ribs. There’s no way to pretend it doesn’t exist.
I hesitate.
Touching her now would change everything, pushing us past a line neither of us is ready to cross.
And yet, that knowledge isn’t nearly enough to stop me from lifting my hand and cupping the side of her face.
My thumb sweeps gently across her cheek.
It’s a surprise when she leans into my palm instead of pulling away.
“I know this came out of nowhere,” I say, studying her expression. “But if you think about it, this arrangement could work for both of us.”
Kia stills, as if barely daring to breathe.
“Elody already loves you,” I continue. “And you’d have a place to live. Stability. Insurance. Security. Not just for you, but for the baby.”
Her lips part slightly, but no sound follows.
“We’d tell people I’m the father,” I continue, even as every instinct tells me to slow down and give her space before I scare her off completely. “No one would ever have to know the truth.”
I watch her closely as the weight of what I’m asking and what I’m offering in return settles in. This wouldn’t just protect me. It would give her a soft place to land when she needs it most.
“But I’m not going to force you into it,” I add, the words scraping their way out of me. Even though every part of me wants her here, tied to me in a way that feels terrifyingly permanent, I won’t take that choice away from her. “You can say no and walk away. It’s your decision.”
She remains quiet.
Before I can stop myself, the truth spills out.
“I always wanted more kids, but Sarah didn’t.
” I glance away, unable to hold her gaze before forcing out the rest. “She didn’t even want Elody.
She was an artist and wanted her freedom.
Space.” My jaw tightens. “At first, I mistook her tolerance for love. I thought once Elody was born, her perspective would change. That she’d look at our little girl’s tiny face and fall head over heels in love the same way I did, but it never happened. ”
The growing silence from her is unbearable.
I look back at the woman I’m proposing marriage to. “This could work,” I repeat, my voice rougher now. “It doesn’t have to be real. It can be a marriage on paper.” I pause, letting the offer stand as it is as my hand falls away. “If that’s what you want.”
With nothing more to say, I let the words hang between us.
I’ve laid it out as clearly as I can. And, in the end, it still might not be enough.
My pulse is a relentless beat in my throat as I brace myself for her to take a quick step in retreat, all the while looking at me like I’ve lost my damn mind.
To remind me that this is reckless and impulsive and exactly the kind of mistake a man in my position can’t afford to make.
And she’d be right.
Because it is insane.
It’s the kind of decision people make when they’re desperate or not thinking clearly, when they’re backed into a corner and grasping for the first solution that offers relief.
But that’s the problem.
This doesn’t feel like desperation.
It feels more like clarity.
A possibility that’s been circling the edges of my consciousness since she walked into my life, waiting for the perfect moment to snap into place. And now that it has, I can’t pretend I don’t see it.
The idea doesn’t feel reckless.
It feels right.