“Cute. Baby talk about kicking ass,” Rob grinned. “You fit right in.”
“I don’t intend to ever be in that position again. Besides, I was fighting back, not joining in for the fun of it.”
I started walking around the room again, bouncing my little niece as she slept in my arms. The longer I held her, the more I could see the appeal. It was hard to walk away from something so cute.
Rob hobbled further into the room, sinking down onto the couch. “So, is this what we’re doing today? Watching a baby?”
“Just while my sister’s sleeping. She’s in the guest room.”
“Things are rough, I’m guessing.”
“Well, she doesn’t have anyone to help her. I should have been here for her,” I murmured.
“You were trying to stay alive. I don’t think she’ll blame you for that.”
“Maybe not, but I still feel bad I missed out on so much already.”
“You’ll have your own chance one day.”
“Yeah,” I snorted. “You think?”
“You’re beautiful and smart. Someone will snatch you up in no time.”
My steps faltered at his words. I wasn’t sure why I took the chance, but I did, turning to face him. “You said you cared about me. You said you liked me. Has that changed?”
Sighing, he ran a tired hand over his face, looking at the fire instead of me. “How would it work?”
“I don’t know, but…but we’re married and…doesn’t that count for something?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. We’re married, but we only got married because we were in Vegas and we were running for our lives. That doesn’t exactly seem like wise decision-making.”
“But since then…things have changed. I mean, they have for me.”
His eyes drifted away from the fire and landed right on me. The intensity with which he stared at me nearly made me choke.
“You said you could never live around what I do. That’s not what you want.”
“Yeah, but…you could do that anywhere. You’re an IT genius. I mean, why not here?”
“Why not someplace warmer?” he countered. “This place is an icebox.”
“It’s not always this cold.”
He chuckled at that. “What would I do out here? Seriously, there are no close towns. It would make more sense for you to move out by me since you don’t have anything holding you here.”
That got my back up, and I immediately snapped instead of staying calm and rational. “What? Because I don’t have animportant job holding me, there’s no other possible reason I could want to stay?”
“Family is the only reason you’re here. You don’t like your job. You even said so. It’s not what you want.”
“No, but I’m working for my family. They’re struggling right now, and family always helps each other.”
“Like they’re helping you?” he asked. “When I first woke up here, it was freezing in the house. You don’t have enough money to pay your bills.”
It wasn’t an assumption. It was like he already knew.
“Excuse me?”
I thought he would look away, but instead, he held my gaze, refusing to back down. “I looked into you.”