Page 81 of Baby Maker

His head jerks up, eyes widening in disbelief, the file slipping from his hand. "Calliope, what are you doing here?"

I snatch the file from the ground, tossing it to the counter and motioning for him to sit. "I need five minutes."

"Calli, this isn't a good idea—"

"Five minutes, and then I'll go. Want to time me?"

He huffs out his resignation, raising his hand in my direction. I have the floor.

"You're a liar."

His jaw slackens as a huff of indignation flies past his lips. "Excuse me?"

"That weekend on Cape Cod? You knew. This is what you do. It wasn't some surprise when I mentioned the possibility of being pregnant. You knew."

Keegan crosses his arms, a muscle ticking in his jaw.

Bingo.

"Did you come all the way to Long Island to tell me that?"

"Not just that."

"What else, then?"

"You can act like you don't care or that you've moved on, but I know you haven't."

"Is that a fact?" Those blue eyes flash at me, but this time, I'm not backing down.

"It is a fact because you've never done that with anyone, and you did it with me. More than once."

"Your point?"

"You love me. I found your letter to Nigel."

"Calli—"

Oh no, Dr. Russo, I have the floor. "And I love you. So damn much. I can't promise that I won't ever have issues or that things won't back up on me, but I want to work through them with you. I want us back, Keegan."

"What's changed in the last few weeks?"

"Everything. I can't sleep without you. I wake up and don't look forward to anything because I won't see you or speak to you. I dream about the way you touch me. I dream about touching you."

"Calli, how would this work? I don't believe in long-distance relationships."

The man keeps lobbing obstacles at me, but I'm determined to dodge them. Every. Single. One. "It wouldn't be."

"I'm not moving back to Rhode Island."

Damn, but the man is certainly standing his ground. Fine with me.

"I sold my house. Well, it hasn't closed yet, but it will. It sold in two days, so I priced it way too low. But that's fine. I have money to set up a yoga studio and for a down payment on a beach house. With you. I won't be your damn neighbor, but I will be your wife."

Here goes everything.

"Marry me, Keegan. Have lots of babies with me. Be my family."

There it is. Everything spilled out in front of him—my heart, my hopes, my dreams—all revolving around him.

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