She looked confused. “How much money do you have Finn? That seems like an awful lot more than a songwriter should have.”

I smirked at her. “Now Em, that’s awfully nosey don’t you think?”

“Cocky bastard.” She said under her breath.

“Hmmm… what’s that?” I raised my eyebrow.

“Nothing.” She crossed her arms and it pushed her breasts up and showed even more cleavage than before. I swallowed audibly. I was going to need a cold shower tonight and a pep talk with ‘Little Finn’.

Handing her the suitcase I’d dug out, I told her to pack whatever she thought she’d need for tonight and tomorrow, and we’d come back later for the rest of her stuff. She walked away from me grumbling about me being a bossy asshole. I chuckled. It must be the pregnancy hormones.

We drove to the other side of town and into a new subdivision. Besides the music playing on the radio, the car ride was pretty quiet. When I pulled up to the house, I parked and we sat for a moment while I let her take it all in. The house was a brand new ranch style home with a manicured lawn and landscaping around the front of the house. I’d wanted to look at the two-story places down the street, but Harper reamed me for being thoughtless. She said that it would be hard on Em and unsafe for her to be walking up and down stairs with a baby. She was right, so I put the two-story homes out of my mind and decided on this home.

“This is it, huh?” She was looking around at the front of the house.

“Yep.” I got out of the car and walked around to her side.

I reached for her hand and she willingly let me take it. We walked to the front door and before I opened it, I handed her a key and said “Welcome home.” I smiled down at her and she gave me a shy smile in return.

Walking inside I gave her a few minutes to wander around and take in her surroundings. She went from room to room taking inventory. When she walked back to me she said, “It’s very nice Finn.”

“Good, I’m glad you like it. We’ll have to go to the furniture store on your next day off and get this place furnished. Start thinking about how you want to decorate.”

“Me? It’s your house Finn. You decorate it however you’d like.”

“Em, this isn’t just my house. This is your house too. We both live here now, and I want you to be as comfortable as possible.”

“Do you know how long you are going to stick around before you head back to California?”

“At least until you’re settled, but we can worry about my schedule later.”

“You’re not going to make this easy, are you?” Her lips twitched, trying not to grin.

“Not when it comes to this, even if I have to remind you every day. We both live here, so get used to it. Besides, don’t you think this looks like the kind of house that needs a woman’s touch?” I stretched my arms out and glanced around.

“I suppose you’re right.” She put her hand over her mouth and stifled a yawn.

“You look tired. Why don’t you go ahead and sleep, we can talk about decorating in the morning.”

She nodded her head and turned to walk away but paused. “Wait. Which room should I take?”

My brows furrowed. “What do you mean which room? You’re taking the master.”

“Finn, I’m not taking the master. It’s too big for me, and you bought this house so it’s only right that you have the biggest room.”

She was so stubborn. “Em, I planned on you taking the master, and when the baby comes, there will be plenty of room for a cradle and whatever else a baby needs. I’m not taking no for an answer.”

“I’m still saving for a baby set, so I don’t need that much space right now. Really… the master is yours.” There go the hands on those narrow hips again.

I growled out a sigh. “Emilyn, I swear I will carry you down to that room and lock you in there. This isn’t up for discussion. I had a king sized bed delivered and set up in there just for you, in case you didn’t notice.”

Her eyes grew a bit wide. “What would you have said if I’d told you no?”

“No wasn’t an option and we’ll leave it at that.” I stared her down, daring her to say more.

We locked eyes for a long time before she finally relaxed her pose. Without a word, she turned on her heels and made her way down the hall. She called over her shoulder, “My bag is still in the car. Put it outside my door would you?”

I shook my head and chuckled. I liked her being demanding, and I knew that I’d gladly give her whatever she wanted…

It took some adjusting—on both our parts—to get used to being near each other again, but I felt like we were finally getting into a routine. We made small talk and asked questions. I made it known from the start that I wanted to be involved in her OB appointments and anything to do with the divorce. I realized that I was pushing for a lot, especially since we’d only just reconnected, but I couldn’t help it. I needed for her to know that she wasn’t alone anymore. She was still pretty tight-lipped about the talk we’d had the night I asked her to move in with me. I assumed she had questions to ask me about the night I left, but she hadn’t said anything yet. Her eyes had been so lost and hurt when I told her. I decided that I’d let her come to me when she was ready. It couldn’t have been easy being in her shoes. I dropped a bomb on her. I knew she had been hurt badly, and now because of my mistake, she was in this mess. I’m surprised she didn’t hate me. But she kept moving forward, refusing to look back. It was admirable, but I worried that everything was building somewhere inside; like a ticking time bomb. I knew there was a chance that someday she would explode and I would be the one to take the brunt of it. I’ll gladly take it too.

Being here with her has been more than I could have ever asked for. There had been more than several times when the physical tension between Em and I had sparked while we were still adjusting to our new routines. A few days ago Em and I went to the paint store to pick out wall colors for the nursery…

She couldn’t decide on a color so we brought home three different ones. It was good that we’d just taken samples because when she got home, she decided one looked like baby puke, and so that was ruled out. I’d gone to get some plastic from the garage to put down on the carpet before we started painting, but when I walked back in the room, Em had already painted two shades of yellow on the wall and was standing in front of them pondering.

“What’s the matter?” I said, squatting beside her as I lay out the plastic.

“Should we use ‘Lemon Twist’, or ‘Pineapple Cream’?” Her eyes were darting back and forth between the two shades.

“Are we talking about paint colors or dessert?”

She slapped my shoulder. “Finn, I’m being serious. That’s what they’re called.” She looked from my face back at the wall. “This one is a bit brighter and fun, while this one is pretty and calming.”

I chuckled. “Em it’s paint, not rocket science. They’re both yellow, and I’m sure the baby won’t care what color the walls are.”

I could see her rolling her eyes, which made me laugh a bit harder. “They’re not just paint colors. There’s a science behind it. Brighter colors attract a baby’s attention; it’s something they like to stare at. But softer colors are soothing.”

I stood close to her and heard her let out a small gasp. Lowering my eyes to hers, I put my hands on her shoulders. “How about you close your eyes and I spin you around and you point to one?” I was teasing, but my voice had grown huskier. She smelled like sweet fruit, and the paint that she’d already managed to get on her hands.