“Here we are,” he says as the car turns onto his driveway. “Home sweet home.”
I can only smile as I look up at the house that is now my own. It’s incredible that I will be living here. I still cannot believe it.
We walk through the front door, and his housekeeper, Christina, greets us warmly, as she has every time I have come over before. Without thinking, I begin to make my way to the spare bedroom. This is where my things were kept last time, so I just assume it is the same.
“Hey, where are you going?” Blake asks. He watches me with a grin. “You’re not staying in there.”
“I’m not?”
“What? No. You’re in my bedroom with me. It’s your bedroom, after all. I’ve even already made room for your things.”
I beam at him, walk across the living room, and wrap him in my arms. “Incredible,” I say.
“Me or the house?”
“Hmm, let me think about that.”
He laughs and kisses me on the forehead. He takes my hand and leads me to our bedroom.
“Oh, and I’ve made a list of doctors in the area, too. It’s time that we found one, and I want it to be one you feel comfortable with. So, you have a choice.”
“You want me to go to more than one?” I ask, surprised. I know that’s what some people do. Well, a certain type of person. A rich person, but that isn’t me.
“Well, yeah. So you can find one you’re comfortable with. Trust me. They aren’t all the same. At least, that’s what I read. Is that a problem?”
“It’s just, how am I going to afford it?”
“You’re not serious, are you?” He turns on me and takes both my hands in his. “Listen, while you are here, you don’t have to worry about anything. Bills are paid for. Food is paid for. Everything baby-related is paid for. All you have to worry about is being as comfortable as you can, for both your sake and the baby’s sake. Oh, and your writing. I figure that you’ll have plenty of time for that now.”
I stare at him in total disbelief. I am speechless. I knew that he was going to be looking after a lot of the bills, but it hadn’t occurred to me that everything will be covered. And the fact that he has also thought about my writing, factoring that into everything. So thoughtful.
My face hurts from smiling. I can feel tears forming in my eyes and blink them away. I don’t want to cry, not right now. I want the moment to be nothing but joyous. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him tight. He kisses me on the forehead.
“Welcome home,” he whispers.
“Thank you,” I say back, and I kiss him again. For a moment, the two of us stay where we are, wrapped in each other’s arms. Of all the moments we have spent together, this one is by far the most perfect. And the funny thing is, I know there are more to come.
Chapter 37
BLAKE
When I first started doing this with Carrie, I envisioned her as the woman who was going to have my baby and nothing more. I thought that maybe I would develop some sort of feelings for her. Sexual feelings, if nothing else. But I never dreamed I would feel for her the way I do now.
“Should I throw this out or keep it?” Carrie asks.
I look up at her and see that she is holding a hideous canary yellow dress in her hand.
“Burn it. Then throw the ashes out, and then destroy the garbage can you threw it into.”
She laughs and tosses the dress into a large trashcan sitting in the middle of her apartment.
I’m at her place right now, helping her to pack her things. Once I suggested that she come live with me, I decided that would not be enough. If she is going to be living with me, she is going to need to make the house feel as much like home as possible. I have, therefore, also suggested that she move some of her things in as well.
“And this?” She asks, holding up a dress of a similar ilk.
“New rule,” I say. “If you have to ask, the answer is going to be a no.”
I didn’t want a wife. That was never the plan. I want a child. But lately Carrie has begun to transform before my eyes. Or perhaps she has been transforming me. Although I don’t see myself as marrying her anytime soon, I do see myself as being with her.
Once we have this baby, I would be surprised if I want her to leave. I can’t tell her this, though. For all I know, she has no desire to live with me once it is done. For all I know, it is still about the money for her.
“Do your chefs mind, by the way?” She asks suddenly.
My head is buried in a cabinet, and I pull it out, turning to look at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, that they are cooking for three now?” She rubs her belly.