Accidentally Expecting. Michelle Celmer

She sipped the tea and smiled. “It’s perfect. Thanks.”

      He took a seat on the couch and glanced out the window. The moving van was still there, but Taylor, his sister-in-law and relocation coordinator, assured him she would have everything in order by lunchtime.

      Miranda took another sip of her tea and set the cup down. “Nice place across the street.”

      “Very nice,” he agreed. Smaller than he was used to, but it would suffice.

      “Tell me you didn’t really just move there.”

      Unfortunately he couldn’t do that. “I told you I wanted to be closer.”

      “Yeah, but right across the street? Are you nuts?”

      “Not the last time I checked.”

      “We’ve talked every day for a month and you never once thought to mention it? I was thinking you would move to Dallas, or Fort Worth, even. I thought you would at least have to get in the car and drive to see me. This could be incredibly…awkward.”

      “It doesn’t have to be.” It wasn’t as if he hadn’t expected this. He knew there would be an adjustment period while she grew used to the idea of having him around. He didn’t doubt that everything would work out. Given time, she would see things his way.

      She may have been strong willed and determined, but so was he.

      “That’s easy for you to say,” she snapped back. “You get to leave whenever you want. You can go back to Chicago or lecture. I’m stuck here. All my work, all my research material is in this house.”

      “You make it sound as though I’m holding you prisoner. And I do have to point out that right now, you could use my help. At least until the morning sickness passes.”

      She didn’t look convinced. “You don’t think it will be weird, us living so close?”

      Across the street wasn’t close enough as far as he was concerned. He was determined, by the time this baby was born, to convince her to marry him. Preferably sooner than later. The only way he could do that was to spend as much time with her as possible.

      He had every intention of seducing her, as well, although that part of the plan might have to wait until she was feeling better.

      “You should have talked to me about this first,” she said. “We should have discussed it.”

      “We did discuss it. I said I was moving closer, you said okay. In fact, at the time, I thought you sounded relieved that I was the one doing the relocating.”

      He could see that she wanted to argue but couldn’t deny he was right. She had been relieved. And had he used that to his advantage? Maybe so, but he was only doing what was best for her and the baby. She needed him around, even if she wasn’t willing to admit it yet.

      Instead, she tried a different angle. “I thought you wanted to keep this quiet. You don’t think people are going to see us together and catch on?”

      “The house is under a different name, and I have my disguise.” He plucked the sunglasses from the front of his shirt and put them on then he tugged the baseball cap low over his eyes. “See.”