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I exhale. “I know. And I’d change that if I could—and not just because you’re pregnant. I’d flirted with you for years, and you shot medown every time, except once. I figured you wanted a one-night stand, and waking up alone pretty much confirmed that. Monday, I started at Kensington Consolidated, work got crazy, and then the next thing I knew, you were accepting the job. I neverlost interest, and there’s no chance I wouldn’t have begged for another night the next time I saw you if it were under different circumstances.”
A reluctant smile plays across Collins’s lips. “Begged, huh? I would pay to see that.”
“For you? I’d do it for free.”
“For sex, you mean.”
“Do I want to have sex with you again? Fuck yes. But I’m talking about a relationship, Monty. Exclusive, monogamous, committed. The real deal.”
“Have you ever been in a relationship?”
She already knows the answer, and I’m sure it’s contributing to her uncertainty. “No. If I had been in a relationship, I wouldn’t have been free to flirt with you.”
Collins rolls her eyes. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m also completely serious. If I’d met a woman I wanted more than you, I’d have dated her. Never happened.”
“You’re serious,” she realizes, almost to herself.
“I’m serious,” I confirm.
“Can I think—I just need to think.” She squeezes my palm. “Not because I don’t—I’m just a little overwhelmed.”
“You can think about it as much as you want,” I reassure her. “But fair warning: I’m taking you out on a date the first weekend you don’t work for me. We never properly celebrated the pregnancy, and we’re going to. After that, you can decide if you want this to go anywhere.”
“Like a trial run?”
“Sure,” I agree. “If a trial run ruins you for all other runs.”
She laughs. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I echo.
I’ve said everything I needed to. I should stand. Leave. Let her head inside and get warm. But despite the fact that my butt went numb a couple of hours ago and my stomach’s rumbling, I’m hesitant to leave.
“I was thinking …” Collins starts.
“Yeah?” I prompt.
She glances at the ground, then meets my waiting gaze. “I was thinking that since I won’t be working for you, starting next year, it might be a good time to give theliving togetherthing a try. That way, if it doesn’t go well, we’ll have time to figure something else out before the baby arrives.”
I blink at her.
Collins misreads my stunned silence. “If you’ve changed your mind, that’s totally fi?—”
“I haven’t changed my mind,” I tell her hastily. “In fact, when your landlord came home an hour ago, I pretended I was interested in living here. He said he had thirty applicants for a unit that changed tenants a couple of weeks ago. Doesn’t sound like you’d have any trouble breaking your lease.”
And if you do, I’ll take care of it.
She shakes her head in exasperation, but she’s smiling. “Okay. I’ll talk to him. One other thing …” She bites her bottom lip. “My, uh, parents want to meet you.Remeet you, I mean. It’s not urgent; I’ve just been meaning to mention it.”
“What about next weekend? Does that work?”
She blinks rapidly, clearly taken aback. “Uh, it should. I’ll check with them, but it should.”
I nod, squeeze her hand one final time, and stand. “Great. Set it up.”
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