I rode the elevator to the penthouse. It was strange that here I was carrying Cooper’s child, but this was the first time I’d been to his apartment. By the time the doors opened on his floor, I was crying. Stupid hormones.

“What’s wrong?” Cooper came rushing over and pulled me into his arms. “Talk to me, Baby. Tell me why you’re crying.”

I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand and sniffed. “It’s nothing. This is me pregnant. I cry over the stupidest things. The other day, I cried for a solid five minutes over a beer commercial with a dog and horse. And I’m not talking about pretty, girly tears. No, I was ugly crying.”

“Well, we can’t have you ugly crying in the elevator. The neighbors will talk. Come in, and I’ll get you a tissue.”

Cooper’s place wasn’t anything like I expected. I was expecting something more masculine. Dark wood and leather. Maybe a little messy, with lots of sports memorabilia. But instead, his place looked like they just finished a shoot of minimalist living.

The focal point of the room was definitely the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked Central Park. The main room itself was dominated by a large modern sectional in dark charcoal that would be a perfect place to gather with friends or family. The walls were a light gray. And there were little pops of blue and green in the art and plants scattered around the room. The space wasn’t completely impersonal. Under the massive TV, there were a handful of glass framed photos of his family.

“The view is the main reason I bought this place,” he said, coming up behind me.

“It’s beautiful. The whole place is amazing.”

“You were expecting a bachelor pad weren't you?”

“Maybe,” I said shrugging and took the tissues. The annoying tears had stopped, but I held on to the box just in case. “I like my clutter, but I have to admit, it’s really peaceful up here.”

“You can come by anytime you want.”

“You’re getting ready to leave for Florida. I’m not going to come by your house while you’re out of town. That’s just weird.”

“I need someone to water the plants.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s a service for that.”

Cooper sighed and took my hand in his. “Give me another chance. Not because of the baby, but because I want to be with you. I said some awful things that I’ll never be able to take back. It wasn’t about you. I was an insecure asshole.”

“I’m not going to give you another chance just because you apologized.”

“I didn’t ask you to.”  He trailed his finger along the curve of my jaw. “I am, however, asking you to consider forgiving me.”

“This isn’t the right time. You’re leaving in two days.”

“I’m a ballplayer. There’s never a right time. Give us another chance. I promise you won’t regret it.”

I sighed and met his gaze. “I’m considering it. But there’s a lot we need to talk—”

His lips were on mine before I could get the words out. Everything he couldn’t express with words was there in that kiss, begging me. And I was listening.

We broke apart, but he still held me in his arms. “We’ll talk, but first dinner.”

His finger traced down my arm, causing a shiver to run down my spine. I was struggling to catch my breath when he stepped away to get the plates from the kitchen.

“Let’s eat.” He kissed me as he passed on his way to the dining room, leaving me completely breathless again. Shit. Maybe we should have had this conversation over the phone.

He’d picked up my favorite spinach fettuccine alfredo with broccoli. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the sight of broccoli made me nauseous.

“This looks delicious,” I said, sitting across from him.

“I was reading in that What to Expect pregnancy book that you might need extra iron.”

I looked up from my plate where I’d been casually pushing the broccoli to one side and stared at him. “You’ve been reading a pregnancy book? Why?”

“Because you’re carrying my baby. Our baby. And I want to be part of that even if I can’t always be here.” He put down his fork and came around to the other side of the table to take my hand. “I’ve been giving you space because you asked me to, but I want to be part of this. I don’t want to miss a thing. I was talking to Greg. He said that they hired a doula to do private birthing classes and to help Joni while he was on the road. I was thinking—”

“You talked to Greg about the baby?” I asked, blinking back tears.

“Oh, man. I didn’t think you were keeping it a secret. I might have also told Kevin. And Ramon. Maybe, Calvin.”

“Who’s Calvin?”

“The doorman downstairs.” He wiped away a stray tear; a panic stricken look on his face. “Fuck. I should have kept my mouth shut. I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.”

He’d told people. Not just his sister and mom. That, more than his words, convinced me that he really did want the baby. I looked up and saw the concern etched on his face and laughed. Then kissed him.

“Are you sure you want this? Me? The baby? All of it?”

“More than anything,” he said without hesitation.

“I do, too,” I said.

My chest swelled with emotion, and I hated myself for keeping him away for so long. He was leaving in a couple days, and I’d wasted all that time. My hand slipped under his shirt, and I sighed as it met bare skin. I wasn’t going to waste another second.

“Emily, baby, you need to stop touching me,” he whispered against my lips. “You don’t know how much I want to touch you, but you wanted to talk.” He pulled away and stood up, putting distance between us. “I’m trying to prove to you that I want more than just sex.”

I followed him, smiling seductively. “I believe you,” I said and laced my fingers through his soft hair. “But that doesn’t mean sex is out of the question.”

“Emily…” He moaned as I pressed against his hard erection. “I can wait until we’re ready.”

“And I say we’re ready.”

Without saying another word, his lips were on mine. His hand went to the waist of my pants, deftly unbuttoning them in one swift motion. His fingers slid between us, finding my panties already soaked. As his fingers teased me through the fabric, his other hand slid under my sweater and cupped my breast. The dual sensations against my overly sensitive skin made me moan.

“You have no idea how much I’ve missed the sounds you make when you get turned on” His fingers teased my clit again and then slid under the elastic band to my slick heat. “Or how wet you get for me.”

“Is that all you missed?” I asked, pressing into his touch.

“If it was, you wouldn’t be here right now.”

There were too many clothes between us. I stepped back and pulled the sweater over my head, dropping it to the floor and wiggled out of my pants.

He took a moment to admire my body, then wrapped his arms around my waist, lifted me up, and carried me back to his bedroom. After gently setting me on the bed, he undressed and went to the nightstand for a condom.

“You don’t have to,” I said, biting my bottom lip. “It’s not like I can get any more pregnant.”

“Are you sure? I swear I’m clean. I haven’t been with anyone since our last time.”

“Yes. I trust you. Now come here.” I pulled him back to the bed and wrapped my legs around him.

“I missed you.” he groaned, sliding inside me. “So fucking much.”