Beyond Broken(88)

"The bedroom at the end of the … " Her brow furrowed. "But that's the master bedroom."

He shrugged. "It's yours."

Maddie was already shaking her head. When she'd said that she wanted separate rooms, she'd meant that she would take one of the guest bedrooms, not the master suite. "Caleb, no. That's your room."

"It doesn't matter to me where I sleep," he told her. "I've been sleeping on a couch for the past year."

"If it doesn't matter, then take that room. It'll just make me uncomfortable, knowing that it should be yours."

Just like the stubborn man she knew him to be, his eyes narrowed and Maddie knew she'd lost this round. Caleb could be notoriously single-minded when he wanted something.

What she didn't expect him to do was lean in closer until she could see the pupils of his dark eyes. She swallowed thickly, suddenly warm, as his gaze flicked to her lips and then back up.

"Guess that just means I'll have to find a way to get into your bed sooner," he murmured. Maddie's lips parted, a shock of arousal burning down her chest to pool between her thighs, wondering if she'd heard him right. Before she could say a word, he turned towards the stairs, her bag still in his possession. Right before he rounded the corner at the top, he called down, "Can you go open the garage for them? I'll be right down."

As though in a trance, she floated towards the garage, nodding at the movers as they passed with boxes, thinking about Caleb's words and their implication. She hadn't really thought about what living with him meant for that part of their lives. Maddie knew without a doubt that sex would just complicate their situation, more so than it already was. And Maddie didn't even know if she wanted to have sex with him again. Her first time wasn't exactly spectacular and what stood out the most was the way she'd felt afterwards: abandoned and empty. She never wanted to feel that way again.

She was so lost in thought that she hadn't realized Caleb returned downstairs. He was looking at her as he approached the garage, studying and assessing as he was prone to do.

"Stop overthinking it," he told her.

She frowned. "And how did you know I was overthinking anything?"

He touched the space between her brows, her breath hitching slightly at the contact. "Because of these lines here."

When one of the men squeezed past them, Caleb stepped away, but leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. Maddie stared at him and then her eyes strayed to the hallway behind him. The hallway of their new house.

She looked down at her feet, her eyes straying to her stomach and she wondered when she'd begin to show.

"Does any of this seem real to you?" she asked. It was starting to hit her. Like a sledgehammer. "Because I've had time to wrap my head around all of this, but somehow, it still feels like a dream."

"A good dream? Or a bad dream?"

"I'm not sure yet." She bit her lip, meeting his eyes. "And I'm scared."

Maddie couldn't pinpoint why exactly, but Caleb softened at her words. He snagged her hand and pulled her closer and even with movers milling around, he leaned down until his lips were on hers. And she kissed him back, even though it confused her. It felt good, right. He felt right.

"You don't need to be scared anymore," he whispered. "We'll get through this. I promise."

She looked up at him and said quietly, "I've been thinking about our fight."

His lips quirked. "Which one? We've had a lot."




       
         
       
        
"The one about money."

"And?"

"I want to compromise."

He shook his head. "It wasn't up for negotiation."

"Caleb," she said slowly. "We are going to compromise on this."

He drew in a breath and Maddie became very aware of how closely pressed together they were. "Okay. Tell me."

"I'll use the joint account, but only for the baby. And I want to pay off half of my student loans. My job on campus counts towards them, so I'll work there until the doctor says otherwise."

Caleb looked down at her. If Maddie didn't know him as well as she did, the gaze would've been intimidating. But she knew he was just processing … and trying to figure out a way to dissuade her from it.

"You'll also use the joint account for the house. And you can work until the doctor says otherwise, but after that, I'll pay off the remaining balance. Deal?"

She knew it was the best she would get, so she blew out a breath and nodded, almost solemnly. "Deal."

Then he did something she'd never see him do before. He grinned. A genuine, honest smile. And the result was just as devastatingly beautiful as Maddie thought it would be.