Oliver shook his head, rejecting her concerns. “You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of you.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t want you to take care of me. I want you to recognize that I’m capable and have my back. I don’t need you to do battle for me. I want you to cheer me on.”
“And you know I do.”
“How?” Her breath grew shaky even as her voice gained strength. “By talking me out of moving into an apartment I can afford? And constantly telling me I don’t have to worry about money because you’ll take care of me and the baby?”
“If you want me to help you find an apartment that you can afford, I will.” The words pained him to say, but she obviously needed him to say them.
“Good, because I don’t plan on moving in with you.” She looked more determined than he’d ever seen her. “Or marrying you.”
Didn’t she understand what it meant that he’d proposed? It wasn’t just for convenience’s sake. They were going to have a baby together. He wanted them to grow closer. But while the power of their physical chemistry couldn’t be denied, they both remained barricaded behind walls, unwilling to risk being hurt.
“Not ever?” he demanded, panic making it impossible for him to think clearly. “Or not now? If you need time, I get it. We’ve been moving fast, but I don’t want to lose you. I can’t lose you.”
“Let’s go down to your studio,” she said, the change of topic catching him off guard.
“Why?”
She headed for the stairs that led below. “I want you to take the picture of me you promised that first night. I paid for it. I want you to take it.”
He’d made the offer in a bid to get to know her better, but she’d obviously taken the transaction more seriously. “Why now?”
“For weeks now I’ve had it in my head that once you take the picture, you’ll lose interest in me because in the process you’ll know all my secrets.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “I guess the time has come for me to face that fear.”
He trailed after her down the stairs while protests spun through his mind. He longed to assure her that he’d never let her go. She was as necessary to him as the air he breathed, but he’d glimpsed resistance in her somber expression. Words between them weren’t enough for her to believe him. She needed proof.
“You don’t trust me,” he breathed.
Sammi reached the bottom and faced him without speaking. He could see the answer in her eyes. She needed him to do better. To stop being angry. But he didn’t know how. The rage had been with him for so long that it affected him on a cellular level. He couldn’t just wish it away even if he wanted to.
“I can’t take the photo tonight,” he said, troubled by all she was asking of him.
“You’ve done all the real work already,” she reminded him. Reaching the studio, she picked up one of his cameras and brought it to him. “You’ve asked all the questions and dug deep into my psyche. The only thing that’s left is to take the photo that will reveal it all.”
He crossed his arms and refused to accept the camera. He feared with her mind made up, if he did as she asked, she would then use the photo session to justify leaving him.
“You’re crazy if you think a single photo session is all it will take for me to lose interest in you.”
She pushed the camera hard into his chest. “Take the picture and let’s see.”
Dizzy with apprehension, Sammi watched as her words hit their mark. What was she doing? Did she really want to lose Oliver with her ultimatum? Her declaration had been a gauntlet thrown at his feet. She was daring him to end things between them and risking that he’d let his stubborn anger rule him.
With her trembling fingers barely able to maintain the grip on the camera she’d thrust against his chest, Sammi withstood the onslaught of Oliver’s heated stare. With each second that passed, he grew more rigid and more resistant, and her hopes failed. If he’d been a castle, the portcullis had just slammed shut, leaving her outside in the cold.
She’d pushed him too far. She could see it in his shuttered expression. In the abrupt way he plucked the camera from her grasp. By confessing her fear, she’d revealed her faith in him was failing. Her eyes burned as tears threatened. Maybe she could still take it all back, agree to marry him on his terms. Being with him was better than cutting him out of her life. She loved him enough for both of them.
And then she recalled what Oliver had done to Ty on her behalf.
Could she really let him drown in his bitterness and regrets, or was she going to challenge him to do better? Loving him meant she had to be brave enough to goad him into fighting for their future and, failing that, be willing to let him go.
“Fine,” he said. “Let’s do this.”
Nodding, Sammi stripped out of her coat and let it fall over a nearby table. Next, she crossed to the makeup table and used makeup remover to strip away her carefully applied mask. Slipping out of her dress, she wrapped her body in a robe. Whatever came next, she intended to be raw and open to it.
She’d been photographed by hundreds of photographers and recognized that Oliver’s talent far exceeded anyone else’s she knew. Her heartbeat quickened as she imagined what it would be like to pose for him. Only this wouldn’t be an ordinary photoshoot. So much was changing in his world. Between her pregnancy and his
