Page 74 of About That One Night
Her expression softens, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. “San Diego? The restaurant, the groceries . . . the flowers.” She sighs, her eyes searching mine. “I don’t understand why you didn’t tell me why you were doing it.”
I run a hand through my hair, frustration evident in my voice. “I was going to do it that night at the beach, after the wedding,” I explain. “But I had to leave and since then it’s been hard to get away from assignments. Ethan is a newlywed. Liam is on his honeymoon, and . . .”
“And?” she asks expectantly, leaning forward slightly.
I take a deep breath, my shoulders sagging as I admit, “Like you, I have control issues when it comes to work. If the right people aren’t there, I take over.” Regret washes over me. I press my lips into a thin line. I meet Zoe’s gaze, determination replacing the regret. “That has to change, though. You and our baby are my priority now.”
Zoe’s eyes dart away, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. “I want to believe you, that you’ve done this out of love—or at least out of wanting us to be in a relationship and fall for each other,” she says, her voice soft and uncertain. “I really do because I’ve witnessed everything you’ve done for me.”
“But?” I prompt, leaning forward, my heart racing.
“That was before,” she says as if that explains everything.
“Umm . . . care to elaborate?”
She bites her lower lip. “Before, if it didn’t work, no one would be affected. Now it’s different. We have to be careful because we haven’t seen our uglies yet. What if you don’t like me? What if the haze disappears and you realize that the real me is not someone you want to be with at all?”
I want to hug her, erase the vulnerability etched in her face, but I don’t. We have to come to an agreement before I touch her again—and especially before I try to kiss the fuck out of her. Can anyone blame me? I miss her.
Focus, McCallister.
“Hypothetically, if I don’t like your uglies, what would happen?” I ask, but then add, “Which, let me tell you I like your flaws too, but enlighten me. Why the fear?”
“If we break up, then our relationship would become difficult and raising a child together will be hard,” she concludes.
There’s so much I can tell her about this unfounded theory, but instead, I take a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions inside me. “Okay. So what do you propose? We’re having a child together, Zo. That in itself makes us a family—even if we never end up together. We have a link that binds us for the rest of our lives. I won’t stop loving you just because you’re expecting my baby. Actually, I’ll probably love you more because of that.”
Her lip quivers and I probably said something that melted her heart but she’s fighting it. That gives me some hope. She has feelings for me—hence, how she ended our friends with benefits arrangement. Now I just need to remind her heart that I’m safe—and I love her.
“Zo, I’ll work with you. But keeping me away and friendzoning me didn’t work the first time. You might as well try something different to deal with this,” I propose.
Zoe taps her chin thoughtfully, her eyes distant as she considers. “We date openly. You get to deal with all my moods and my family, and . . . we figure out if we really like each other enough to spend the rest of our lives together.”
Confusion furrows my brow. “Like, not love?” I ask, my voice betraying my uncertainty.
A soft smile plays on her lips, her eyes sparkling with an idea. “I have the theory that when you like someone, really like the person, you keep falling in love again and again forever.”
Her smile, genuine and warm, sends a surge of hope through me. I can’t help but grin back, feeling lighter than I have in weeks.
“Then we’ll date until I convince you that I like you, I love you, and I plan to do so for the rest of our lives,” I state and then add, “Sorry about my family, but they’re part of the package.”
Zoe chuckles softly. For the first time in what feels like forever, I feel a genuine connection forming between us.
She meets my gaze, her eyes filled with a mixture of hope and trepidation. “Alright, Max. Let’s see where this takes us.”
“Should we seal this with a kiss?”
“A kiss?” She gapes at me, appalled, and somehow this makes me believe that everything is going to be okay. At least I hope we will.
Chapter Forty-Six
Zoe
“A kiss?”I ask, arching an eyebrow as if he’d insulted my entire family lineage.
He smirks. This man and those smirk-grin-winks that make my blood boil and yet make my heart melt are going to be the death of me.
I take a deep breath, trying to ignore the flutter in my stomach. “You understand what dating means, right? I’ll bring you to my parents for brunch—Cleo will be there. Your Saturday and Sundayare booked with the Harpers. Mom might want you to help her with the garden since Dad’s busy playing golf and my brother can’t be bothered to even call during weekends.”
