Off Her Rockers (Loving All Wrong #3.5) by S. Ann Cole Read Free Book Online Page B

neighborhood. I didn’t really understand what we were doing there. On the wealthier, family-oriented side of town, farther away from all the noise of the city. Lovely detached homes with manicured lawns and cute little mailboxes, birds chirping and flitting from tree to tree, butterflies fluttering around...
“Any minute now,” I murmured flatly, “you can start telling me why we’re here.”
Davian stepped up beside me, gaze trained in the same direction of the neighborhood, and we both raised our coffee cups to our lips and sipped. “House shopping.”
I almost snorted out my coffee. “Excuse me?”
“I spent yesterday looking at houses with a real estate agent. We narrowed it down to two. The one I’ll choose depends on your approval.” He swung his free hand around my waist and twisted me to face the gate of the home we were parked in front of. “Starting with this one.”
Low wooden gate, redbrick columns, shapely shrubs, and beyond was a gorgeous two-story colonial style house.
“Got the keys from the real estate agent before I came here.” His arm left my waist and he clasped my hand in his. “Come on.”
But I remained rooted, repeating, “ Excuse me ?”
In a long-suffering tone, he crooned, “What now, baby?”
I slipped my hand from his. “Firstly, please refrain from using any kind of inappropriate endearments where I’m concerned. Second, why the hell am I house-shopping with you? We’re supposed to be discussing moving our son here.”
He waved a hand at the house. “This is a part of the discussion. Do you think I wanna raise my son at that villa?” He seized my hand again. “I don’t want this life for him. He’s going to be a boring accountant or a brain surgeon or some shit. Dad never wanted this life for me either, but I’d been determined to ‘make him proud’, follow in his steps, so I kept pursuing…and look where that’s gotten me. I’ve lost the woman I love along with the life and family I’ve always wanted.”
My hand in his trembled a tad, but I did my best to keep it together, and for the second time that morning I thanked the heavens I wore my shades—even though Davian stared intensely, as though he could see right through the lenses. Who was I kidding? I never could hide with Davian. Sometimes he knew me better than I did myself.
“I’m not a real rock star, Ally.”
“I know.” I jerked my head at the house. “How many rooms?”
A grin brightened his face again as if the gambling ball had landed on his Russian roulette number, and he tugged me toward the house, enthused. “Three.”
I let him lead me inside the house and show me around, ebullience in each word as he told me what room would be Jacob’s and what he planned to put in it. Mostly I nodded and made sounds of agreement, as his excitement did not allow room for much else. He was completely dotty about a son he hadn’t even met yet, and I wasn’t quite sure how I was supposed to feel about that. I couldn’t recall ever seeing him this giddy—about anything at all—before.
I liked the house, it lacked nothing, and the bedrooms were massive, decent size yard space with a pool and gazebo…a nice little family home.
There was another place I had to see, he’d said, so we locked up and headed out.
“Ride with me,” he suggested as I started for the Range.
My contemplative gaze darted between his sports car and the Range. “I don’t think that’s a—”
“What has he done to you?”
“I’m sorry?”
“The Ally I used to know was fearless. ‘Ride my wave or drown in it’, that was your attitude. Now, you’re wound up so tight, shoulders all the way up to your ears, afraid to even smile at me lest your giant man burst through some imaginary door.”
“It isn’t—”
“You’re afraid of him.”
“I’m afraid of losing him. There’s a difference.”
He looked as if I’d slapped him, and I watched, in a matter of seconds, as all the carefree happiness he woke up with this morning