“How much?”
“Enough,” he confesses, confirming what I already knew. He gave him the money he needed. “I also made it very clear that he better never come back.”
“I heard.” I heard most of it. “I showed up somewhere around you clarifying that Gray and I are your family.” He smiles, throwing his arm over my shoulder as he starts to lead me back to the cafe.
“So about this apartment of yours.” I pinch his side and he laughs. “I’m just saying, it’s wasted money when we can use it to get ready for the baby.”
“You don’t want Gray and me there forever. I’m holding onto it so when you are sick of us we have a place to go back to.”
Pausing in the middle of the parking lot, he spins me around so I am now standing in front of him. I expected him to be scowling but instead I’m met with a smile.
“I will get annoyed with you, hell you’re annoying me now.” I try not to smile but it’s pointless. “Babe, you annoy me at least once every couple of hours, but I love you too much to let that sway me. I’d rather be annoyed than have you across town in some rundown area where I can’t keep you safe.”
“I don’t need you to keep me safe.” But it sure does feel great having him so close.
“I know you don’t.” He knows me well, too well. “But it’s who I am.” Zac offers me a kiss, dragging his tongue over my lips and pulling away much too quickly. “But that apartment is gone. Already talked to the landlord, we reached an agreement.”
“What kind of agreement?”
“He’s letting you out of your lease and I’m gonna help him out by doing a few things around the complex for free.”
I start to argue and he kisses me silent.
“Babe, I’d scrub the floor with a toothbrush if it meant I had you and the boy at home with me where you belong.”
Leading me back into the cafe, he pats me on the ass and tells me to grab him a shake. I don’t argue, but instead walk back to the kitchen and place an order for a chocolate shake with extra whipped cream and two cherries. And I do it all with the biggest smile on my face.
* * *
“Let me check your measurements,” the tech says as she moves the wand over my stomach. Gliding it easily through the warm gel, she taps away on the keyboard. “I’ll get you all these images,” she assures us and I glance up to catch the smile on Zac’s face.
He is so mesmerized by the grainy images on the screen. At this point our baby is nothing more than a blob, but I’ll admit it’s an adorable blob.
“When will we be able to know the sex?” Zac asks, still staring at the screen like he doesn’t want to miss a single second.
“Do we want to know?” I ask and for the first time he looks away from our child. A look of what I would describe as offended covers his face. His brows are furrowed, his nose is crinkled up, and his eyes are narrowed, not to mention his lips parted slightly. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.
“Yes, we want to know,” he states. “I’m not patient and it’s already driving me crazy. If I have to wait until the day he or she is born to know, that’s going to be maddening. Plus, I want to decorate the room.”
“You sound like such a girl right now.” I hear the tech snicker but it does nothing to distract Zac.
“I wasn’t a girl two nights ago.” With one brow arched he dares me to argue. I’m too shocked at the moment to say anything. “And you won’t think I’m a girl when we get out of here and I get you alone.”
“Zac.” I cover my face feeling my cheeks heat.
“What?”
“We aren’t in this room alone.” I can’t even look at the tech.
“I’m aware, which is why I’m not proving how much of a man I am right now.”
“Oh my God!”
I hear her laugh.
“Please babe, Michelle, understands how babies are made.” I lower my hand and look at the girl. How does he know her name? “I’m pretty sure she knows that you and I have sex.”
“She doesn’t need details.”