Free A Dad At Last by Marie Ferrarella

she wasn’t following him. He could see it in her eyes.“What I’m trying to say is that I think, taking everything into consideration, it’d be best if we got married.”
    For the second time in the space of an hour, Lacy felt her jaw slacken and her mouth drop open.

CHAPTER FIVE
    â€œB EST ,” Lacy repeated slowly, finally getting the use of her tongue back.
    â€œWell, yeah.” Uncomfortable, Connor wasn’t sure if she was agreeing with him or just echoing the word he’d used. “For Chase.” He turned his back so that it shielded them from any prying eyes should someone come into the room looking for them. By his reckoning, it bought them a couple of seconds. Judging by the unreadable expression on her face, he had a feeling he was going to need them. “He’s got a right to grow up in something besides one room in a boarding house.”
    Something set to flower within her withered. “And that’s why you want to marry me? To give Chase more rooms to grow up in?”
    Her voice was low, hardly above a whisper, as numbness temporarily took her newfound strength away.
    He didn’t want her.
    Well, what did she expect? her mind mocked. How many different ways did she need to be told, to be shown that Connor didn’t love her—would neverlove her? She had to focus on what was important here. Her feelings couldn’t take priority. At least Connor was a decent man who cared about the welfare of his son and wanted to take care of not only his son, but his son’s mother, too. At the very least, she could have been excluded from the package.
    It wasn’t enough.
    She said the word she never thought she would in response to a proposal from Connor. It was the most difficult word she’d ever uttered.
    â€œNo.”
    Astonished, he could only stare at her. The foundations for all his plans threatened to break apart, like plastic bricks left out too many days in the hot sun.
    Maybe he’d heard wrong. “No?”
    Her throat felt dry. The word crawled out again, sharp and scratchy. “No.” She drew in a deep breath, feeling as if she was choking. “No, I won’t marry you, Connor. Not to get real estate.” Did he think so little of her that he’d imagine she’d sell herself so cheaply? She didn’t need him for money. She needed him for many reasons, but money was not one of them. “And you don’t have to worry about Chase being trapped in one room.” A hint of sarcasm infiltrated her voice, though she hadn’t meant it to. “By the time he notices the difference, I’ll be earning enough to rent an apartment. Maybe even a smallhouse. Shelby said I’m bringing them in at the diner. I’m sure that in time—”
    Damn it, why couldn’t she just say yes instead of giving him grief? He was trying to do the right thing here. “There’s no need to wait for time—”
    She drew herself up to her full height, her eyes meeting his. It suddenly occurred to him that she would make a worthy opponent, if it came to that. The woman was not the shy, retiring violet she’d been when she left his house. A vague stirring of admiration began to poke its way forward.
    â€œThere is for me.”
    Still, there was a small boy’s life at stake here. “Maybe you shouldn’t be thinking just about you. Maybe you should think about Chase.” He looked at her pointedly. Under no circumstances did he want her to know that he found her more attractive than ever. That if he wasn’t so damn honorable, he’d give in to feelings that were circling him like hungry vultures, waiting for a break in his vigilance. “I am.”
    She would have felt the slap no less hard if he’d actually used his hand. “Right. And you’re making a magnificent sacrifice, tying yourself to me just to make certain your son has a decent place to live.”
    Damn it, she was