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God, he wished that too. He kissed her, then let her go. “Isn’t it time to pick up the kids from daycare?”
Laurel picked up her phone from the table where she’d set it and looked at it. “Just about. Harlan and Savannah are going to keep them tonight and tomorrow during the day so I can finish cleaning up the apartment.”
“Does that mean you’ll be free to stay with me?”
She smiled. “It does.”
“Good. I’ve got some things I need to do. Give me a call after you drop off the kids and we’ll get something to eat.”
“Zack, wait a minute,” Laurel said as they prepared to leave. “Thank you.” Laurel put her arms around his waist and hugged him.
“For what?”
“Everything. For helping me. For listening to me. For being here.”
He tilted up her chin and kissed her. “Where else would I be?”
*
While Laurel wastaking the kids, Zack called Harlan. “How soon can you make the house livable?”
“Livable? Not long. A few days or maybe a week unless something unexpected pops up. You’ll have to avoid parts of the porch but—”
“Can you block off those parts so the kids won’t hurt themselves?”
“Laurel and the kids are moving in with you? That’s great, Zack.”
“Don’t celebrate yet. She’s thinking about moving in with the kids. Without me.”
There was a stunned silence. “Without you? What the hell? Why?”
“Long story.” And not one he was willing to go into. “The point is, how soon can you have it ready for Laurel and the kids to move in? I realize they’ll have to live with the remodeling but it can’t be helped.”
“The electrician has checked it and says it’s safe, though you’ll want to add lighting. The plumber has been there and says there are some problems but nothing he can’t fix. The kitchen is good. I think the master bath is okay.”
“Laurel loves that tub. The plumbing to it is working?”
“The plumber didn’t say it wasn’t, so I assume it is. He said the bathroom in the other downstairs bedroom is good and the half bath is okay. The upstairs I’m not too sure about. I can ask him.”
“What else?”
“The broken windows have been replaced, so that’s good.” He stopped talking for a moment, then asked, “Are you sure you’re okay with this, Zack?”
Okay? Not really. He wasn’t happy about it, of course. But one step at a time. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“I’ll have my team step it up and get a landscape crew in there too. The yard needs help before it can be upgraded to merely terrible.”
Zack laughed. From what he remembered that was being kind. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
Now he just had to wait and see what Laurel decided. And if she still couldn’t move into his house, he’d help her find a decent apartment. Even though it was killing him that she couldn’t bring herself to trust him.
Laurel came over after she dropped off the kids. “I felt guilty leaving them so soon after the robbery but they were so excited about having popcorn and watching a movie they hardly knew I left.”
“They’ve told me before that they always have fun with their uncles and aunts.”
“I know they do.” She sat on his couch and sighed, resting her hand on her stomach.
Recently she’d started showing, though she wasn’t as big as she thought she was. Zack could tell a difference but mostly when she was naked. Which, of course, made him think about sex. Which he highly doubted she was in the mood for.
