Page 22 of Reticent

“I guess it can’t hurt.”

I’m not entirely comfortable with the idea of my baby—our baby—spending some nights alone with Hunter. But it’s something that I have to get used to. He’ll be mine as much as he’ll be Hunter’s. The sooner I accept that, the easier this all will be.

“Did you want me to move this crib to the nursery?” Hunter asks.

“There isn’t one. He’ll stay in here with me.”

Hunter looks around the room. “It’s a little crowded in here, don’t you think?”

My shoulders tense. “We’ll make do just fine. I’m used to small spaces. I’m a New Yorker. Remember?”

“I can find you a place of your own.”

“No thank you,” I say tersely. I don’t like where this is going, but I’m trying really hard to play nice.

“How many roommates do you have? If it’s a matter of the lease, I can buy you out.”

Like I would ever let him do that for me. I turn to face him. “I live here with my brother. He owns this house.”

“You live here with Niko,” he says carefully. It’s not a question, but he seems surprised.

My brows pull together. “Yes.” Did I tell him Niko’s name?

“I … didn’t know that.” Yep. Definitely surprised. But why? What does it matter if I live with my brother?

“There’s a spare room, but it’s downstairs at the back of the house. Niko uses it as an office, but he’ll clear it out if I want him to. I’d rather have the baby up here with me, though.”

Hunter cocks his head, and it feels like he’s judging me, or worse, looking down on me. “How long do you plan to live here?”

“I don’t know.”

“He needs his own room. I can buy you a house.”

My brows lift in surprise and then I remember how rich he is. “I’m not letting you buy me a house.”

“An apartment, then. We can find you something in my building.” Why won’t he let this go? He hesitates, and I can tell he’s about to say something I don’t want to hear. “I don’t like this neighborhood.”

I glare at him. “Why? What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s not good enough.”

“Not good enough?” I cross my arms over my chest.

“No. Not for my son.”

I chuckle to myself, but I’m fuming over Hunter’s audacity. “Wow.”

Turning to face me, he pinches the bridge of his nose as if I’m the one frustrating him. “I didn’t mean it the way you’re implying.”

“What am I implying? Please. By all means. You have the floor.” I make an elaborate gesture with my hand toward the carpet.

He rubs his brow and sighs. He’s not amused. That makes two of us.

“Have you checked the crime statistics for this neighborhood? The schools? The average median income? Because I have.”

Damn. He’s worse than I thought. “The average median income? Are you kidding me right now? My brother chooses to live in a transitioning neighborhood rather than some stale, bougie-ass suburb.”

The half eye roll he gives makes my blood boil. “How very woke of him,” he deadpans.