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“I wanted you to get the commission.”

“Don’t worry about me. I have a good deal going with Robert because I explained the situation. But ultimately, I feel better bringing him in to keep things on the up and up.” He starts down the hall but comes back standing at the head of it and asks, “Are you sure about this? It’s a lot of money, money you said you didn’t have. If this is revenge, it might backfire, and where will that leave you?”

“They don’t care about the money. They probably won’t blink an eye.”

Just because I’ve never spent more than half a million at one time before doesn’t mean I couldn’t.” With a hand resting on my stomach protectively, I say, “I want that house.” I now get why Natalie already touches her stomach though there’s no pooch.But there will be. For both of us.Surreal. And now, I want to buy a house.

That house has so many benefits from Natalie being next door to Juni on the other side of her, the backyard, the neighborhood, and the location in the city. Most of all, it felt like a place I could call home with my baby.With Harrison.And if all I am to my parents is an inheritance check, then that’s what I’ll spend their check on too.

It stings. It still stings, what she said.And my father didn’t defend.How quickly, without any hesitation whatsoever, my mom said I was born to satisfy . . .satetheir love of money. I’ve received no text or call since last night to right that wrong either. I thought I also had their respect. I may have lived easily because of their money, but I still got a college degree, and I’m putting that to good use. What Nat and I do at STJ does good for many.And not just those who can afford us.

Harrison heads down the hall, adding, adding, “My mom said she stocked the fridge. Make yourself at home, eat something. There are drinks in there as well. I’ll be back shortly.”

I get a bottle of water from the neatly arranged ones in the pantry and then grab a bag of sour cream & onion chips because I’m pregnant and want them, and those are the excuses I’m using to justify the snack food addiction I’ve recently developed.

Meandering down the hall, I can hear him in the office. I return to the bedroom he showed me on the tour. I like that I get a whiff of his scent in the air. The room has the same killer view as the living room and even a door that leads to the large, shared balcony.

I eat my chips out there, staring as far as the eyes can see, and start to wonder if I could live out here permanently. This is where he’s based. This is where he intends to return to. It’s already set up and waiting for the family to be here.

I finish the snack and crumple the bag in my hand. This isn’t a life I’m familiar with, but I don’t think I can discount it if he plans to live here. Can I live in this foreign city? Do I want to?

All the reasons I love Dolores’s house aren’t replicated here other than it’s a nice home to live with a family. There’s a backyard, and the location seems great, but our friends,his friend, is even in Manhattan. Well, Nat is more sister than friend if I’m honest.I can introduce you to my family, take you to my house, which I think you’re really going to like . . .

His family is here.

A row of surfboards lines the far end of the deck, and it makes me realize I’m taking away all the things he loves best by hoping he stays in the city.

Are we too different to make this work?

The last thing I want is to make him sacrifice a life that he not only created but built. That life is here. I’m staring right at it and everything he loves, the stuff he talks about, what he wants.

Feeling a little dizzy, I grab onto the rail to steady myself. I close my eyes and let it wash through me before it passes. It’s the early flight and the airport crowds . . . I’m probably just tired. I should lie down.

I return back inside and take another sip of water before I toss my trash in the bathroom and climb onto his huge bed. The house is big enough to have some distance between the rooms, but occasionally, I hear Harrison laugh or say something loudly like he’s talking to an old acquaintance.

Whether I had him representing me or how it turned out with me working with another agent, I’m glad I could play a part in helping him establish himself. If I want him to stay in New York, that’s what I’m going to have to do.

* * *

“Tatum?”

My eyes open to the sound of a female voice calling my name. I blink rapidly a few times, but I can’t wrangle my thoughts together. What am I looking at? Where am I? Sitting up, I look around the room, realizing I’m at Harrison’s house. Where is he, and why is there an unfamiliar woman calling my name?

“Hello?” I call back, trying to shake the sleepiness. This baby is taking it out of me already, and we haven’t even officially met.

Going to the door, I notice the office is wide open down the hall. I peek out. “Hello?”

“Hello?” she calls right back and then appears from the other end of the hall to where I’m standing. She’s an older woman with light blond hair, gentle waves framing her face that only touches her shoulders. When she sees me, she smiles, and unlike the voice, there is a familiarity in that. “Hi, I’m Harrison’s mom, Nora.”

“Oh, hi,” I reply awkwardly, unsure of how I look after my nap. I touch my hair and fidget with my clothes. “I was napping.”

Her smile never wavers. “I’m sorry for waking you. Harrison got called to an appointment. Clients he’s been working with for a while want to submit an offer.”

“Ah.” Do I move? Do I walk toward her? She seems nice enough, but I don’t know what to think since she’s not exactly my favorite person based on how she pawned him off when he was growing up.

I should move. I come down the hall, and she retreats into the kitchen, leaning on the counter, looking very much at home. I say, “Can I help you with something, or are you waiting for him to return?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head and laughing. “I’m here for you. He didn’t know how long it would take and didn’t want to leave you stranded. I can drive you somewhere or take you shopping. Do you need anything?”