“Leave the city,” I said. “I never… this is my home.”
“I know.” He looked into my eyes and clutched my hips harder. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important.”
I sucked in a breath and slowly let it out. “I’ll lose my job. I don’t know what I’ll do. Where would we even go?”
“Anywhere you want,” he said. “Europe, Asia. California. Texas.”
“Seattle,” I said.
He hesitated then laughed. “Seattle?”
“I’ve always wanted to go there.”
“Okay, Seattle. If that’s what you want, that’s where we’ll go.”
“Seattle.” I chewed on my cheek and looked away. “You know I’m going to have this baby wherever we end up, right?”
“I know,” he said.
“And you can’t… you’ll have to…”
“Get a real job?” He tilted my chin toward him. “I know. Don’t worry. I have some ideas.”
“This is going to be hard.”
“But worth it.” He kissed my cheek, my ear, my neck, my lips. “So fucking worth it.”
I kissed him back and wrapped my arms around his neck.
God, he was right.
It was going to be worth it.
Maybe we’d have to start over. But we could start over in a city I’ve always wanted to live in. We’d start over with new jobs, new lives, a new baby. My father would be on the other side of the country. Don Leone wouldn’t be able to touch us out there.
We’d be free to have a life.
“Let’s do it,” I whispered once he broke the kiss off.
“Good.” He let go of my hips then took my hand in his. “Come on. Let’s go pack.”
“I guess I’ll call my boss and quit.”
“Have you thought about what you want to name the baby?” he asked as he opened the door and stepped into the hall.
“Elise if it’s a girl,” I said.
“And if it’s a boy?”
“Elliot.”
He laughed and made a face. “Okay, that’s a start. But I think we have a lot to discuss.”
I held onto his arm and leaned closer. “What makes you think you have a say?”
He just laughed and kissed my hair as we walked down the hall toward the elevator bank, toward our future, toward our baby and our new life together.30EliseTwo Years LaterI sat on the porch with my feet up on a small wooden table. I rocked back and forth as I watched the rain fall on the street. Cars lined the avenue and an older woman with a black umbrella and a little white dog walked past. I waved to her and she just scowled.
“Lovely day,” I said.
She walked faster.
“Friendly,” I muttered to myself and put my hands behind my head. I leaned back and closed my eyes. I listened to the rain pattering against the porch roof, the rain sliding down the gutters, the rain hitting the pavement.
It was the kind of peace I’d never known before.
“You look happy.”
I opened one eye. Tanner stood in the front door wearing a tight black shirt over jeans. His muscular arms were crossed over his fit chest. He looked exactly the same as he did the day I met him, except his eyes were softer, his smile a little bit easier.
“How’s Julian?” I asked.
“Sleeping,” he said. “Just put him down.”
“I hope he has a better nap today. I swear that tooth is going to cut through any second.”
“He’s been in a good mood today.” Tanner said. “I just wish his mother felt the same.”
I gave him a flat look as he took the chair next to mine. He grinned at me and stretched out his legs.
“You know why I’m cranky,” I said.
“Have you made a decision?”
“Not yet. It’s not that easy.”
“Sure it is. You either want to take the job or not.”
“You came out here and managed to fall into a high-paying, comfortable job with no effort. Meanwhile, I’ve been mostly a stay-at-home mom trying to get my life back together. It’s not that easy for most of us.”
He reached out and touched my knee. “Take the job,” he said. “You’ll be happy.”
“But I’m not sure if I can be away from Julian that much.”
“Julian will be fine. He needs a mom that’s not tearing her hair out every day worrying about the future.”
I looked out at the street and took his hand in mine. Two weeks ago, my old boss called me up out of the blue and offered me a new job in my old role. She moved out to the West Coast six months ago and she was in the process of setting up a new office. I’d be a remote worker, but it was a full-time position with a good salary. We could afford to put Julian in daycare without any issues and still come out ahead.
I just didn’t know if I was ready for that.
“I’m thinking,” I said.
“Okay, but just so you know, whatever you decide is okay with me. I don’t want you to feel pressured.”