Page 29 of Haden

“You’re not even going to pee without me hovering.”

Her cheeks turn pink. “That might be a bit too far.”

I lift a brow.

She licks her lips. “You’re not kidding?”

“Nope.”

She scrunches her nose. “Gross.”

I chuckle. “Baby, peeing is not gross. When was your last period?”

Her eyes pop out. Just as I expected. Adorable. “Haden…”

“Emilia…” There’s a warning tone in my voice. “Overbearing, remember?”

“But come on. Now you want to know when I bleed?”

“I want to know everything about you, including your cycle. I want to know if you’re regular and what I should expect with regard to cramping and mood swings. I want to know if you prefer tampons or pads.” I lean in closer so that my face is two inches from hers. “I want to monitor your periods and change your pads and tampons, Emilia.”

Her breath hitches. She blinks a few times.

“I’m a hands-on kind of guy.”

She winces. “But my periods?”

“Including your time of the month. If we’re going to be together, why on Earth would we tiptoe around a topic that’s a perfectly natural part of life and happens one quarter of the time? Why would I leave you to handle that on your own? If you need clothes, I will buy them. If you’re hungry, I will feed you. If you’re cold, I will cover you. I’m not going to ignore your periods and pretend they aren’t happening. If you have cramps, I’ll get you some medicine. If you’re grumpy, I’ll listen to you. If you need chocolate, I’ll give it to you. If your flow is heavy, I’ll make sure you have enough padding. If you need to orgasm to help with the cramping, I’ll make sure that happens too, baby.”

She’s staring at me. Stunned.

I know I’m not like other men. I’m well aware. But I’m me. And Emilia needs to know all of what to expect up front.

I know she’s not Renee. I get that. Brody even reminded me of that fact this morning. But I need to protect my heart to some extent, and the best way to do that is to lay all my cards on the table so that there are no surprises down the line. If Emilia can’t handle my level of dominance, I need to know that now.

She narrows her gaze and changes the subject. “Are you going to have sex with me?”

I grin. “Millions of times, I hope.”

She rolls her pretty brown eyes. “Tonight, Haden. Are we going to have sex tonight?”

“Not a chance, sassy girl.”

She glares. “Please tell me you aren’t planning to wait until marriage or something. That’s so barbaric.”

I laugh. “It may be barbaric, but it’s brilliant.”

She groans. “You’ve been talking to my brothers and cousins.”

“Yep.”

“You haven’t mentioned marriage. You left that out when you ordered me to stop drinking coffee as if you planned to knock me up.”

“I fully intend to knock you up, baby. But you’ll be wearing my ring when I do so. My cock isn’t going inside you until then.”

“I’m not getting married this week, Haden.”

I shrug. “Then you’re not having sex this week.”