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No, I can’t think like that. My attraction to Michail is something I’ll have to deal with. What he’s offering is worth far more than a stupid crush rooted in really good—okay, great—sex. Even if it means making a deal with a man who just days ago could barely stand the sight of me.
“How long would we be married?”
Triumph flashes in his eyes. If he wasn’t offering me the chance of a lifetime, I’d be tempted to tell him to take his proposal and shove it before walking out of the penthouse.
“The baby’s first birthday. Then we can reassess our relationship. You and the baby will live here during that time.”
I glance over his shoulder at the penthouse. It’s stunning, but it screams wealthy bachelor, not family of three.
“Could we lease a different apartment?”
He frowns. “What’s wrong with mine?”
“It’s just…it’s your space. Not mine.”
“We’ll make it ours.”
Ours. A tempting word that threatens to rekindle my yearning for something more.
I step back and cross my arms over my chest. “I need to think about that.”
“Do you want to go back to work after he’s born?”
“Eventually.”
Another big disappointment of having to switch careers. The leave I built up with Kingston would have allowed me to take six months off. Now, I’ll be lucky if I can scrape together three months with Regent before I have the abby.
“But you wanted more time with him?” Michail presses.
“I had hoped for it, yes. But I can’t just take a year off from working.”
“If you reside here with the baby during our marriage, I’ll pay for the rent on your apartment and all of yours and the baby’s expenses here, as well as creating an account you may use at your discretion for personal spending.”
My mouth drops open. “What?”
“You want time with the baby. I’m offering a way to make that happen.”
The bastard should have been a lawyer. “I don’t want your charity.”
“It’s not charity if I’m offering to help make the best scenario possible for both you and the child a reality.”
I grit my teeth. “But you’d be giving me an allowance—”
“A spending account.” His eyes narrow. “You think I don’t know how hard a parent’s job is? My mother sat with me for hours trying to help me with homework. That was after working two jobs and before she went off to night school. I barely saw herfor years, but the times I did, I knew how much she cared about me. I’ve already seen how much you care for our son. Giving you the opportunity to have the kind of time she never did, the kind of time your own mother probably didn’t have, is a gift for all of us.”
I fall silent. Michail inserting himself into yet another part of my life is almost too much. A week ago, I would have told him to go to hell. But the opportunities he’s offering are enticing. Yes, he’s presenting everything in his controlling, pushy way. Yet his reasons reveal more of the depths I glimpsed in Santorini. A man who rose above abandonment and betrayal to incredible success as still remembers and honors the woman who helped him achieve that.
A man who loves my child.
I run my tongue over my lower lip. “And our living arrangements?”
“You’ll have your own room. I won’t demand or force anything, Alessandra. Ever,” he adds with heavy emphasis. “If we decide to mutually enjoy each other’s company, so be it. Otherwise, we’ll have our own quarters while maintaining fidelity for the duration of our marriage.”
I’m relieved. And I hate myself for that. Why does it matter if Michail does or doesn’t sleep with someone else?
I need to take him out of the equation. Focus on the baby. Focus on now and what could be possible for us in the future.
The wind strengthens, whipping up over the balcony and tearing at the leaves of a redbud tree. I’m on the precipice of a second monumental decision in less than a week. One that has the potential to bring me incredible happiness even as it deepens the bond between a man who has the power to break my heart. A decision that makes me feel as though I’m betraying my mother and everything she ever taught me about being independent, resilient.
