CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Sam had been so close to kissing Riley earlier but he’d backed away at the last minute, not wanting to presume too much. He’d invited her here to show how great they could be together. He’d vowed to woo and court her but as usual his career wasn’t making it easy. The long hours and the physically demanding shoot weren’t a good mix for a robust romantic life, too.
Now he was sitting across from her at the kitchen table wishing he’d gone ahead and kissed her. At least he’d know one way or the other. She would have either smacked his face or kissed him back. As it was, he didn’t know where they stood and that was maddening. She was sharing his bed, but she wasn’t sharing it.
In the carnal sense. They were like an old married couple who didn’t care about sex anymore. Except that he cared a great deal. He hadn’t thought it could be possible, but Riley was even more beautiful than when he’d left her over two months ago. He wanted her with a strength he’d never experienced before. It scared him and energized him in equal measures. If he had any sense at all, he’d be running away. Turns out he was dumb as a stump.
The silence had begun to feel awkward so he tried to fill it. “This is good and just what I needed.”
“I have a feeling that Callie knows all the good restaurants in town.”
“She does,” he confirmed with a chuckle, thinking about the mass amounts of data his assistant kept in her head. Callie had the best memory of anyone he’d ever met. “She’s got this town under her thumb. Anything you need, just ask her. She knows where to get it.”
Riley set her fork down and dabbed at her lips with a paper napkin. “I have a doctor’s appointment coming up.”
She didn’t say it like it was a good thing.
“I know you probably wanted your regular doctor–”
“It’s fine,” she said, shaking her head. “I just wish you would have talked to me about it first. It’s becoming a…habit.”
He didn’t know what she meant by that.
“A habit? Making an appointment?”
“No, doing things without discussing it with me.”
Ah, he knew what they were talking about now. But she couldn’t be angry with him for wanting to provide for his child?
“In my defense, I didn’t know Alex was going to be coming over today. I thought we’d have time to talk about it before he did.”
Sighing, she rubbed her temples before she spoke. “I shouldn’t have brought this up now. You’re exhausted.”
But…she had brought it up.
“It’s been bothering you all day.”
“Yes,” she admitted, her shoulders slumping. “I know this is going to sound stupid because I should be thrilled that you want to make sure that the baby is taken care of – and I am – but I just kind of feel like you’re off making decisions about the future and I’m sitting here.”
She didn’t mention that others might think she was here for his money. An idea that was so silly it couldn’t even be contemplated. Riley wasn’t that type of person and he would know. He’d had more than his share in his life and she wasn’t even close.
“You have a point and I should have discussed it with you. I guess I don’t know much about being partners or a team.”
Sam pretty much did whatever he wanted when he wanted to. Clearly, that wasn’t going to work going forward. He had Riley to think about now.
And hopefully for a long time.
“That makes two of us. I’ve never actually lived with a man before so this is all new. I just want to make sure that we make the big decisions together. The small ones I’m not so worried about.”
“What would you classify as small?”
Tapping her chin, she smiled. “If you want to buy the baby a stuffed animal, that’s small. If you want to buy him a pony or a car, that’s big.”
Fair enough.
“And if I want to buy you a pony or a car?”
“We would need to discuss that.”
It was probably lack of sleep but he was feeling brave.
“What about a wedding ring?”
Riley’s cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink and she didn’t throw her leftover food at him. This was real forward progress.
“We’d need to discuss that too. But you said you’d give me the summer, remember?”
“I do. I was just checking to see how things were going a couple of days in.”
She giggled at that and his chest tightened in response. “It’s going good. I just want to see how I can integrate into your life, Sam. If we’re going to make this work I want to be a true partner to you. Not just the mother of your child who’s off in a corner doing her own thing.”
“That’s exactly what I want.” Their gazes locked and he could feel the awareness between them build. She definitely wasn’t indifferent to him. “Callie is going to take you to the appointment tomorrow and I’ll meet you there. Then if you want, we can go back to the set where I’m filming. I’d love to show you around and introduce you to my co-stars.”
It might sound corny and stupid but he wanted her approval of his chosen career. In simple terms, he wanted her to be proud of him.
“I’d love that. I have to admit that I’m sort of fascinated by the whole movie making process when you talk about it. There’s much more involved than I ever realized.”
“I felt the same way when I got my first role,” he agreed, remembering back to the bit part he’d taken in a low-budget horror movie. “Just be sure to tell me if you don’t feel up to the visit. If you don’t feel well, I can bring you right back here afterward.”
Wrinkling her nose, she shook her head. “Is it awful that I’m already tired of morning sickness?”
“I think that sounds normal. We can talk to the doctor about it tomorrow.”
“If men got morning sickness they’d have cured it a couple of generations ago.”
“Of that I have no doubt.” He stood, picking up their empty plates. “Are you ready to head to bed? We have a big day in just a few hours.”
Riley stood as well but she surprised him by taking the dishes from his hands and heading to the sink. “Fine, but I’ll clean up in here. You go ahead.”
“But–”
“No arguments,” she said firmly, in that schoolteacher voice he was beginning to love. “You need your sleep and I’ve already had a few hours. I’ll be there in ten minutes. Go.”
It would be churlish to refuse. “Thank you. I will.”
Sam could get used to this. Someone other than his own mother fussing and caring over him. Someone who would occasionally put his needs ahead of her own. That wasn’t something he experienced often in Hollywood. He’d make sure that he returned the favor often. He wanted this to work and for more reasons than just the baby.
Riley. She was so different than any woman he’d ever known even before he’d made it big. She was honest, trustworthy, caring, and positive. She made him happier than he could remember being in a long time. Even just sitting and eating leftovers with her was better than just about anything else with some other woman.
She might be the one.