Page 101 of Moon's Promise

Moon opened the fridge then moved around, investigating the other appliances. “Then it’s a good thing you’re not the one who’s interested in buying the house.”

“True.” Nervously, she thrust her hands into the pockets of her maternity dress. She would never be able to afford any of the homes Moon had taken her to look at today. With each they were shown, the more inadequate she felt.

“I like this one the most so far.” Moon stepped out of the pantry to stand in the living room. “What do you think?”

“It’s a beautiful home,” she said flatly.

Moon frowned. “Is there something wrong with it?”

“No.” Other than if Moon took her to court to get custody of their child, if it came down to how better he could financially provide than she could, there wasn’t a thing wrong that she could find.

“I can take the largest bedroom and make the one next to it a nursey for the times I have the baby.”

“That would work.” She nodded. Walking to the window, she looked outside. “The construction going on in the neighborhood shouldn’t disturb him there.”

The home Moon was considering had been built in a new subdivision in Treepoint. Spacious lots had been sectioned out into one-acre lots where the larger homes had been built. Another section of the subdivision had been sectioned off to build smaller homes, and construction had just started.

“This area is very pretty. When I was looking for a house, I considered buying one of the three-bedroom ones, but it’s going to take at least a year before any of them will be finished.”

“You toured the model home?”

“I did.”

Moon moved to the window with her. “We had a mild winter; some of them could be completed ahead of schedule. Might be worth a shot to ask your realtor to check it out for you,” he suggested. “You met Drake Hall when we went by his office. Talk to him; he’s the best realtor in town.”

“Before I went to Bowling Green, I was looking on my own and was getting nowhere. I’ll talk to him when you take the keys back.”

He gave her a boyish grin. “I’m glad you’re at least considering moving back to Treepoint.”

Had her heart just double-tapped the walls of her chest? Moon had a lethal charm; she would have been easily taken in if her survival instincts weren’t constantly on the alert. She couldn’t explain the strange tingle of danger that ran down her spine when Moon spoke or moved in a certain way. Only that it happened.

At first, she had blamed it on their terse interactions during their initial meetings. Then she blamed it on finding out she was pregnant and the fear of his interactions. The more she discovered, the more familiar she became with the knowledge that the tingle wasn’t easing—it was becoming stronger.

She turned from the window to give the room another once-over. “You’ll have to buy a lot of furniture to fill all this space.”

Moon shrugged. “One of the women in the club is a designer. I’ll have her take care of it for me. I’ll save the nursery for me to do, with your help, if you wouldn’t mind?”

“I’d like that.”

Moon nodded his head toward the window. “Jet going to be coming along?”

“I’ll talk to Stud.”

Despite the strange tingle urging caution, Larissa didn’t want to backtrack the ground they had gained. Moon was no longer regarding her with hostility and seemed to be making an honest effort of overcoming the uncomfortable situation they had found themselves trying to navigate though. Whether it was a good faith effort or contrived, there was only one way for her to find out, and that involved him gaining her trust.

“Do what you think is best for you. I don’t need Sex Piston breaking my neck if you’re just doing it because I said something. I can get used to having him around. I’d rather not have to look over my shoulder while we’re choosing what to buy for the baby. This is my first child—I want to enjoy the experience.”

Larissa felt a lump in her throat at hearing the sincerity in his voice.

“Same.” She gave him a misty smile.

After they turned off the lights and locked all the doors, they drove to Drake Hall’s real estate office. Once there, she waited in the outer office while they discussed making an offer on the last house they had seen.

She was in the midst of making a list of baby items for Moon when the receptionist told her she could go into Drake’s office.

Drake rose from the desk as she entered, motioning her to the chair in front of his desk. “Moon told me you might be interested in one of the new builds in Contessa Court?” he said, returning to his chair.

“Yes, if I can get it for the right price. When I toured the model home, the developer said it would be the end of the year before any of the builds would be completed. I wouldn’t want to wait that long, so if you could check and see if they’re on the same timetable, I was hoping I would luck out and they will be available sooner.”