Sealing the Deal (8 page)

As far as what he felt for Beth, he figured once she and Emma moved in, he would have more time to ponder the whys of their attraction. Then he could sort out his feelings.

“I want you to move in with me. Here.” He buckled Emma back in her seat and then set the seat on the enormous kitchen island. “Emma needs something bigger than that studio apartment you live in.”

Beth’s cheeks reddened. “I’ve already got Jules looking for a house. We’ve got three showings set for tomorrow.”

That news was exactly what he didn’t want to hear. “What’s wrong with this p-place?” Robert stopped, concentrating so he’d stop stuttering. Beth had him more flustered than any other woman he’d ever known. It had been years since he’d had this much trouble speaking. “What do those houses have that this doesn’t?”

“They’re nothing like this. I can’t afford something this big.”

“Think about it, B. You love this house. You told me so. It’s got plenty of room for all three of us, and I’ll build the best play yard in Cloverleaf in the backyard for Emma. A small climbing wall. A slide. Swings. Only the best for the squirt.”

“Robert… I… You…” She shook her head. “You’re generous to offer, but I would never put you out like that.”

“Put me out?”

“You don’t need to take us in as though we’re street urchins.”

Ah, so her pride was hurting. “That’s not what I’m thinking at all. I just…” He ran his hand over his face and spit out the truth. “I want Emma to have someplace nice to live.”

Her chin rose defiantly. “You think I can’t provide a decent house for her?”

“I never said that. But look around you. Emma would be happy here. She’d have that big bedroom upstairs with her own bathroom. I’ll finish the basement so she can have a place to play with her friends and not get under your feet.”

“She is
not
under my feet. I love Emma.”

“So do I!”

Everything was coming out all wrong. His words only seemed to strike nerve after nerve. He’d wanted to offer her a sanctuary. Instead, she acted as if he’d denigrated her.

Robert put himself in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders. Beth looked everywhere except at him. “Look at me, B.”

“I should go…”

He gripped her chin. “Look at me. Please.”

There were unshed tears in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

“Why does everyone think I can’t raise Emma?”

“Everyone?”

She looked so damned forlorn. “Jules. My parents. You.”

With a shake of his head, he tried to set her straight. “First off, I have never—I repeat
never
—said you can’t raise Emma. In fact, I think you’re doing a fantastic job with her.” He glanced at the munchkin. “Look at her.” Emma smiled on cue, all tiny teeth and drool. “She’s doing really well with you. What did your parents say?”

Beth’s pouty lips strongly tempted him to kiss her again. “They told me it might be better to put her up for adoption.”

“Are you serious?” What kind of grandparents would say something so cruel? How could they even consider giving up their only grandchild?

“Dead serious. They made such a fuss over how much taking care of her while Tiffany was gone inconvenienced them. I was going to take her this summer, maybe even longer.”

What did a person say to something like that? “That’s cold.”

“I know, right? Besides that, my folks are really old-fashioned. They think a child should have both a mom and a dad.” A smile threatened. “I think Tiffany had Emma as a way to piss Mom off. Kind of her way of saying, ‘I’m a single mom. Take that, Carol.’ ”

“They’re wrong. You know they are.”

Although she glanced away, he saw the hurt in her eyes. “They’ve never really had a lot of confidence in me.”

Since his parents always encouraged their gaggle of children to reach for the stars and told them they all had the ability to do just that, he had a hard time picturing what it must have been like to grow up with parents like Beth’s. “Then they’re not too smart, ’cause you’re somebody who deserves their confidence. You’re amazing.”

Her gaze came back to his, but there was disbelief in her eyes.

“I mean it, B. Look at all you’ve done at school. Everyone admires you.”

She gave him a small snort.

One thing he’d have to do when they lived together was help give her more self-esteem. But he had to convince her to move into this house with him first. “What did our ever-tactful Jules have to say?”

“It was wrong to tell you she said I wasn’t good with Emma.”

“She didn’t say that?” Robert asked. He still stood in front of Beth, and now he held both her hands in his. It felt so natural. So right. Like two people in love sharing a conversation.

But Beth didn’t love him, and he was still pretty mixed up about how he felt about her. That was why he thought she and Emma moving in would be so great. He would have Emma in his life, and he and Beth would have time to share their lives, to see if the kisses and caresses led to—or away from—something special.

Beth shook her head. “She got weird when I asked if her nanny could watch Emma when I go back to work next week.”

“You’re going back so soon?”

This time, she nodded. “I’m out of paid time off.”

“Why not take a leave of absence?”

Her laugh was always so sweet to his ears. “ ’Cause I like to eat, and I imagine Emma does, too.”

“Didn’t Tiffany have life insurance? I thought all soldiers did.”

“I won’t touch that money. Not unless I absolutely have to. It’s a nest egg for Emma. She can pay for college and maybe even buy her first home with it.”

The response was pure Beth. Always putting others before herself. She was going to raise that baby on a teacher’s salary, a salary that seldom saw increases. She’d have her work cut out for her being a single mom who got paid diddly-squat.

“Well, then,” Robert said. “That seals the deal. You move in here. There’s one less expense.” She had to agree. She just had to.

“I’d pay you rent,” she insisted.

“The hell you will!”

She jerked her hands free. “I’m not a charity case, Robert. Emma and I aren’t living in a homeless shelter or anything. I already told you Jules is looking for a house for us.”

Why had everything he said in this conversation come out wrong? After raking his fingers through his hair, he tried again. “B, p-please. Please move in with me. I want Emma here. I want you here.”

“Why?”

A man could only take so much provocation. Her belligerent frown that wouldn’t scare a fly. Her brown eyes that flashed with fire. The way she crossed her arms under her full breasts. Everything about her made him want to kiss her.

So he did.

Robert grabbed her hand and tugged Beth into his arms. He stopped when his lips were almost touching hers. “Because of…
this
.”

* * *

When Robert kissed her, every ounce of Beth’s anger evaporated. All there was in her world was the feel of his warmth surrounding her, invading her. His lips were firm and insistent, and she opened her lips before he even tried to nudge them open. A throaty groan followed as his tongue thrust into her mouth, rubbing across her tongue in a caress that reached down to her soul.

Instead of looping her arms around his neck, she grew bolder, pressing her palms against his butt. She’d admired it for so long as she’d watched him work. He had such a sexy backside.

The kiss went on and on, drowning her thoughts of buying a place of her own. She wanted to move into this gorgeous house with this handsome man she cared for, but she wasn’t sure why he’d extended the invitation. Every time she asked him, he evaded a true answer.

As though he realized her mind was wandering, Robert eased back, still keeping her in his embrace. “Don’t you want to see where this is going?”

“This?”

He nodded. “Us. If we’re here, spending time together, maybe I can figure out why I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“That was blunt.”

With a little laugh, he shrugged. “I can’t stop touching you. It’s the honest truth.”

She had to ask, but finding the words wasn’t easy. “Would you… I mean, would we… Do you expect…” She sounded like an idiot.

A smile bloomed on his face that told her he understood. “You’ll have your own room, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It was. I just wasn’t sure.”

“Neither of us is ready for more. Right now, we need to focus on Emma.” Robert grasped her shoulders again. “Look, B… it’s a good idea. Besides. I w-want you two here. With me. I’m kinda lonely.”

“Lonely?”

He nodded. “Admit it. This is the r-right thing for all of us. Don’t let your stubborn pride convince you otherwise.”

He was right. Of course he was right. Beth only wished she could have a few moments of being able to read his mind to know what was truly driving his invitation. Was it how he felt about her? Or how he felt about Emma?

When Robert talked about them moving in, he spoke of how much he loved Emma.
Would he even be interested in me if Emma hadn’t come into my life?

Not once in all the years Beth had known him had he ever shown the smallest amount of attraction to her. Now he claimed he couldn’t leave her alone. It seemed so convenient that the fascination appeared when Emma did.

He’d hit the nail squarely on the head when he’d called her stubborn. It was Beth’s worst fault. Would she let that pride and a touch of unreasonable jealousy be the reasons she denied Emma the privilege of living in this veritable mansion?

“I should pay rent at least,” she insisted.

“Nope. You can earn your keep by helping me finish this place. We need to choose furnishings; then there’s the basement to work on. You’ll do plenty to work the rent off.”

“You’re being ridiculous, Robert. I can’t live here rent-free.”

“Pay for your groceries, then.”

“I was going to do that anyway.” If this was going to happen, she didn’t want to feel like a charity case. “I won’t take a dime for decorating this house—or any others for as long as I live here. All right?”

“We’ve got a deal!” With a quick kiss, he whirled around to fish Emma out of her seat. “Hear that, squirt? We’re gonna be roomies!”

Chapter Seven

“You’re
what
?”

Beth winced at the way Danielle screeched the question. “I’m moving in with Robert.”

“But… but…” Danielle stared at her wide-eyed from across the table at the coffee shop. “You didn’t even tell us you were going out with him.” Her voice held a note of censure, as well as a touch of hurt and a lot of anger.

Mallory and Jules were glaring every bit as hard, and Beth was sure to hear their displeasure soon as well.

Why were they all against her when they didn’t even know the particulars of the situation?

“That’s ’cause we’re
not
going out,” Beth said. Knowing that answer was going to trigger a slew of questions from the three Ladies Who Lunch, she hastened to explain. “Robert and I are friends. That’s all. He knows how hard it is for me to raise Em all by myself. He built that big house over in Stone Haven for himself, and he decided he wants us to move in with him.”

“I don’t get it.” Dani pushed her empty coffee cup farther away. “Why build a house like that for himself?”

Beth shrugged since she’d been asking herself the same question. “Maybe he wanted to hold it while the value appreciates? Maybe he decided he liked it while he was building it? All I know is Emma will have a great place to live, and I’ll have a friend to help with watching her.”

The scowl Jules tossed her way told her she’d hit a nerve.

Good
. If Jules hadn’t been so selfish about letting Aubrey watch Emma with the twins, Beth might not need Robert’s help.

Who was she kidding? Her feelings for Robert grew each day, and Jules’s rejection would never change that. Even if Aubrey had Emma every school day, Beth would still be taking Robert up on his generous offer. They needed time to see if they could become more than friends. Much more, she hoped.

Dani’s brows knit. “So you aren’t a couple?”

“No. No way,” Beth replied.
Not yet.
Although she feared her heart had already settled on Robert. She had no plans for a relationship beyond sharing the home and seeing if a true relationship grew from the time they spent together. For all she knew, he might decide she wasn’t at all what he’d expected, especially because living together he was sure to see her at her worst.

Since when did she feel the need to lie to her friends, especially Dani? The Ladies shared everything. The four of them had always been close and entirely open with one another. Now there was a wall between Beth and Jules over the nanny request, and more walls were going up between Beth and the group with each half-truth she told.

She just wasn’t ready to share what was budding between her and Robert—if there was anything even budding between them. She had no confidence it would last, and if the Ladies knew, things could get awkward if Robert changed his mind and just wanted to be platonic roommates.

Once she was sharing a home with him, he might realize exactly how high maintenance she could be and give up on even thinking about being intimate. Isn’t that what her last two boyfriends had told her? She was too fussy, too particular? Why should Robert be any different?

Beth liked what she liked. That was that. She tried to never be insistent or contrary, but when it came to food or beauty products or even clothing, she had certain preferences. She also hated things to be disorganized.

Emma had thrown a kink in Beth’s orderly life from the first moment she chose to take over her care. Having a baby and keeping things neat and clean weren’t compatible. After seeing how much Robert had straightened up her apartment while she slept the other night, he might have assumed she was as messy as he was. Far from it.

She’d been to his home and his office. God love him, the man was a slob. Surely once he realized how fussy she was, he’d ask her to move right back out. If she hoped to keep her sanity, perhaps she needed to learn to relax some of her standards, which might make things easier for Robert and Emma.