That gave her pause. Her head tilted and her gaze slid sideways as she considered. “How much would rent be?”
“No rent.”
She straightened, her gaze snapping to mine. “I’m paying rent.”
I shook my head. “It’s in both of our best interests that you don’t. The more you can save, the faster you can find a permanent place to live.”
She folded her arms and frowned at the floor while she thought it through. I didn’t rush her. Chloe wasn’t unreasonable. She’d do the right thing for her and her baby. I cut another slice of bread and pushed it to her. She stared at it for a moment before taking it. Then she looked up at me.
“At least let me help with food and utilities,” she said.
I shrugged. “Sure.”
Her shoulders tensed. “What if I can’t find a place before Radish is born? You really want a newborn baby living with you?”
Radish. She’d kept my silly little nickname. Warmth spread through my chest. “I happen to like kids, Chloe.” Probably. I didn’t actually know any, but I’d seen several from a distance and they seemed fine. “I wasn’t a huge fan of Amy when she was born but in my defense, she cried a lot. I think she’s great now.”
Chloe stared at me. “Amy is eighteen. She’s not a kid. And babiesdocry a lot. That’s what they’re known for. They cry when they’re hungry, they cry when they need a diaper change, they cry when they’re sleepy, they cry when they wake up. Oh, god.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “This isn’t going to work.”
“It will be fine,” I insisted. “I won’t even notice. My room is at the opposite end of the house. The room you’re taking has its own bathroom, too, and it’s big enough for a bed and a crib, so you don’t have to worry about waking me up in the middle of the night. And if I hear the baby cry, so what? You cannot be homeless, Chloe. Your baby cannot be homeless.”
Her forehead creased as she searched my face. “Why are you doing this?”
Because when I think of anything bad happening to you, I want to tear the world apart. But that didn’t seem like the kind of thing I should say out loud. “I don’t know,” I said. “It must be that basic human decency I’ve heard so much about.”
“No.” She shook her head slowly. “No, that’s not it. You’re?—”
I cut her off. “Yeah, I know what you think I am, princess. I don’t need to hear it again.” I jerked away, bracing my palms on the countertop.
There was a beat of silence. Fuck me, why did I go and say that? I felt so fucking exposed.
And then her hand ghosted over my shoulder, skimming against my thick flannel shirt, no weight to her touch. I would have thought she was flicking away a fly or schmutz if she hadn’t hesitated, the barest flex of her fingers grazing my collar.
I couldn’t breathe for hoping.
“I was going to say,” she said quietly, pulling her hand away, “that you’re doing so much more than that. This isn’t basic human decency. This is—” She sucked in a deep breath. “Anyway. Thank you.”
“It’s fine,” I said, when what I wanted to say wasplease put your hand back on my shoulder immediately.
We stood there for a moment, neither of us speaking.
Then she cleared her throat. “Would Amy be okay with me moving in?”
I turned so I was facing her again. “I don’t see why not. She likes you. I’ll talk to her, though.”
Chloe chewed her lip, twisting her fingers together. “Seven months is a long time. I’m sure I can find something else before the baby comes, but what if I can’t? I don’t want Amy to feel like she was tricked.”
“Do you want me to tell her you’re pregnant?” I asked.
“Yeah.” She sighed. “She’s going to figure it out pretty quickly, anyway. I’m so nauseous all the time that I can’t hide it, so she’ll know I’m either pregnant or dying. We might as well tell her the truth straight off.”
I studied her for a moment. “You don’t seem very happy about that.”
“Steven.” She huffed my name. “I’m a therapist. I’m supposed to have my shit together. Of course I don’t want to tell people I’m pregnant from a one-night stand. I can’t even claim the condom broke. It’s embarrassing. I should know better.”
“Well, yeah, Chloe. Youdoknow better. So does everyone else. It still happens. What would you say to one of your clients, if they were pregnant from a one-night stand because they didn’t use a condom? Would you tell them they should be embarrassed?”
Her eyes rolled to the ceiling. “No, of course not. A lecture wouldn’t do anyone any good.”
