She nodded softly. “I’ve heard the heartbeat.”
He cursed and shook his head, his lips set into a firm line. “I should have been there for that.” Anger tinged his voice. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
She drew in a long deep breath, admitting the decision she’d made after the doctor told her the six home pregnancy tests she’d taken weren’t wrong. “For the first couple weeks, I was in shock.” She glanced down to his hand over hers. It suddenly occurred to her how much she liked that. “After reality finally sank in, I didn’t know how to blow our worlds apart.”
A long moment passed. A heavy minute when he stroked her fingers with his. He finally lifted his unfamiliar gentle—and serious—gaze to hers. “We’ll get through this together.”
She swallowed back the sudden thick emotion in her throat. She hadn’t known how much she needed to hear those words. “I know this is all shocking and a big mess—”
He placed a hand on her belly. “Not a mess,” he said softly. “We’re having a baby.”
The world all but somersaulted around her. She’d seen many sides of Nash over the years of knowing him. The arrogant, cocky side that turned her on. The strong, loyal side he showed to his family. But this soft side was new and wonderful, and had the power of melting her into a pile of goo. “All right then, where do we go from here?” she asked, hoping he knew. She’d been struggling with that question for weeks.
“We cut the bullshit and give this a go.”
Shocked by that answer, she slowly looked up at him.
He pressed his hand tighter against her belly. The single action felt like a promise he was making to her and the baby. “The game between us has been fun,” he explained, voice thick with emotion. “I’ve enjoyed the hell out of every minute of pursuing you. The chase, the hunt, and the win were all equally as fun.” He paused to smile. “Even this second round of chasing you has been enjoyable, to a point.” He leaned in closer and said, with total certainty, “But we both knew this is where we wanted to end up. No more games. You’re with me now.”
Her mouth parted. Oh, how it easy would be to say yes. To believe that this sweet side of Nash could stay forever. That she mattered above all else. That the baby mattered. But Nash was cocky and reckless, and history told her the reason Nash was so invested now was because she was having his baby. When it came to family, Nash was loyal to the bone. But where did she fit into in all that? “Our situation is not that easy, and you know it,” she reminded him. “There’s a lot standing in our way.”
“Oh, yeah, like what?”
“My father.”
He snorted and slowly removed his hand to cross his arms. “Your father isn’t standing between us. He is an annoyance that I’ll deal with.”
Nash’s clipped tone only proved her right. The anger her father and Nash shared ran deep, on both sides. “I don’t think dealing with him is that simple.”
“It is that simple.” In Nash’s typical style, he switched the subject. “What else?”
All right, if he wanted honesty. “You take nothing seriously,” she said. “You’re the wild child of the family. The guy I’ve never seen in a committed relationship.” She paused, wondering how far she should push. Then she realized she couldn’t hold back now, not with a baby on the way. “You’re the man who’s running from a past he refuses to face.”
Nash jumped off the cab and stepped in between her legs, sliding his callused hands along the sides of her bare thighs. “I take you seriously. I take the baby seriously. I will take our life together seriously.” He dropped his head into her neck and pressed his lips against her skin there in the way he obviously realized—all too quickly—drove her insane. “Right now, you and the baby are the only two things that matter.”
Just as he began sweeping her away with his mind-boggling kisses, she pressed her hands against his chest, stopping him.
“It is not that easy, Nash.”
His eyes searched hers a moment, then he frowned. “Are there obstacles between us? Yes, there are a few things we’ll need to work through. I see them there too. But you aren’t even letting us try and figure this all out. Will it be a little messy? Maybe, but that also doesn’t mean we should run away. I’ve wanted you for a long time, Megan. I’ve never kept quiet about that.”
“You wanted to win me,” she pointed out.
With no hesitation, he inclined his head. “You’re damn right I did, and I have zero qualms about it.” He cupped her face, those gorgeous eyes seeming to look right through her to places no man had looked before him. “I’ve let the game play out because I thought what we had was fun, and I wasn’t looking for anything serious. You needed more time. I gave it to you. But things have changed now. You’re having my baby. The game ends right here, right now.” He stepped closer, bringing her against his strength. “Stop being so damn afraid of me. The last thing I want to do is hurt you.”
At that, she paused. Something soft and unfamiliar crossed his expression then. For months—hell, years—she’d been putting up a wall between them because Nash made her weak. Hell yes, she was scared. Terrified that he would take and take from her . . . until there was nothing left, and she was merely someone who had once resembled a strong woman. Nash had demons from losing his PBR career. Demons that were clear in his eyes. Demons that had him keeping everyone at a distance. And that could break her heart. Easily.
Whatever showed in her expression had him cupping her face tight in his hands and murmuring, “One chance. That’s all I’m asking. If I fuck up, fine, I fuck up, and we’ll figure out how to co-parent and make that work. But give me a chance to show you we’re going to be fine.”
The desperation on his face clenched her heart. This man . . . this man . . . the tenderness, the support, the heat of his touch . . . she couldn’t ignore her draw to find out if perhaps she had misjudged Nash, and in this life-changing moment, the rest of the shit between them would fade away to somethi
ng good and healthy and happy.
The perfect safe place to raise their baby.
They both deserved that, didn’t they?
Instead of finding impossible words to answer him, she stared into his potent blue eyes, wanting to let her guard fall away. They were born to hate each other. But even so, the children of Blackshaw Cattle Company and Irish Creek Ranch had ended up being friends. Great friends. She cared for both Shep and Chase, but Nash . . . he was on an entirely different level.