The Right Reason To Marry. Christine Rimmer

then the baby’s head was crowning and everything sped up. As soon as the little guy’s shoulders emerged, it was all over. The rest of him slipped out quick and easy. He was so tiny and wrinkled and red, covered with sticky whitish goo, wailing as the doctor caught him and laid him in Karin’s waiting arms. Naomi grabbed Liam and pulled him around to stand in front of her, right next to Karin and the naked infant on her chest.

      On Karin’s other side, Prim stepped back so the nurse could wipe some of the goo off the baby and the doctor could deal with the umbilical cord. All Liam could do was stand there and stare.

      He’d never realized how much he wanted children.

      Not until this moment, when he actually had one—yeah, he’d had vague yearnings in the past year, to get more serious about his life, to get married, start a family.

      But only in a generalized sort of way.

      Until today.

      Today, he knew exactly what he wanted—to be a father to this perfect little miracle he and Karin had made.

      “Take a picture, Liam,” Karin teased softly as she stroked the baby’s shoulder, her hand gliding down the fat little arm to the tiny fist. Instantly, the baby wrapped his itty-bitty fingers around her thumb and held on.

      Liam got out his phone and snapped a few shots.

      The nurse gave him a towel to put on his shoulder. She let him hold his son for the first time. That was amazing, though it didn’t last long.

      He passed Naomi his phone and she got a few pictures of him with the baby. Too soon, the nurse took the little guy back and gave him to Karin again and she nursed him for the first time. Liam thought maybe he should turn away, give her some privacy. But she didn’t seem concerned and nobody else cared. He watched as his son latched right on and went to work, the fingers of his right hand resting on the upper slope of Karin’s breast, opening and closing as he sucked.

      Liam watched not only his newborn son, but his son’s mother, too. He stared and marveled and thought how, from that first night they’d had together last Christmas, she’d been constantly keeping him at arm’s distance, giving in to the attraction between them, yeah. But then, once the hot times were over, pushing him away.

      And what about the last few days since he’d found out about the baby? She’d continually reminded him to take his time, think it over, figure out just how involved he wanted to be.

      As though a man could choose his level of involvement when he became a father.

      There was no choosing with something like this. When it came to fatherhood, a man needed to be all in.

      And he was. In this. Going for it. All the way.

      Okay, he got it. He knew he had no idea, really, what the hell he was doing. But he could learn. And he would learn. One way or another, he was making it work with Karin. He damn well would create a family with the mother of his child.

      Last Friday, that first day he found out she was pregnant, he’d stuttered out a half-assed proposal of marriage. She’d said no before he even really got the words out.

      No wasn’t going to cut it.

      She glanced up from the baby and into his eyes. “Liam?” She seemed alarmed. “What’s wrong?”

      “Not a thing.” He felt so calm, so absolutely determined. He held her gaze, steady on. “Marry me, Karin,” he said.

      Karin was wasted, completely exhausted.

      She’d done this twice before, yes. But experience didn’t make having a baby feel any less like pushing out a watermelon. She just wanted to lie there and nurse her newborn and be grateful that labor was over, thank you very much.

      But no.

      Liam had to go to the marriage place. Hadn’t they already agreed that marriage was no solution to anything?

      And did he have to be so sweet about it? Sweet and determined and handsome and even-tempered and so damn helpful.

      Liam Bravo was a dream.

      Someday, he would make some lucky woman very happy.

      But that day was not today and that woman was not her. No way was she going to be the one that Liam Bravo married because he felt he had to.

      After the ongoing disaster with poor Bud, she’d had this fantasy that someday, maybe, she would actually get it right. In that lovely, impossible illusion, she’d imagined finding a man who would love her just for her, and then fall in love with Ben and Coco, too. That man would marry her for love and love alone. Duty and obligation and doing the right thing wouldn’t even enter into it.

      Later, they would have a baby or two, maybe. Like normal people do.

      As of now, she was reasonably certain her fantasy was never actually going to come true. But that didn’t mean she would settle for less.

      Liam was still standing right beside the bed, staring down at her and the baby as though he could will her to agree to his well-meaning but totally unacceptable proposal.

      The doctor had left the room and the nurse and Naomi and Prim had fallen dead silent the moment Liam said the M word.

      “Would you all give Liam and me a moment alone?” Karin asked her suddenly speechless friends and the too-quiet nurse.

      “Of course.” The nurse gave her shoulder a pat.

      And the three women filed out the door so fast you’d think there was a fire. Or maybe a gas leak.

      “Liam...” Karin kissed her baby’s head and shifted a fraction so he was settled more firmly at her breast.

      The man beside her bent closer. He was so good-looking, with those fine blue eyes and that mouth that made her think of deep, wet kisses. He also just happened to be kind and thoughtful and determined. Everything a woman could ask for in a man.

      “Just say yes,” he commanded. “It will work out. We’ll be happy, you’ll see.”

      Was she even a tiny bit tempted?

      Of course. She was a heterosexual single mom. What was not to adore about Liam Bravo? The guy was practically perfect—at least right now, as he stared down at his newborn son after the excitement and drama of birth. Blinded by the wonder of new life and eager to do right by his child and his child’s mother, marriage would naturally seem like the only choice to him.

      The resentment, the growing certainty that she’d trapped him, the longing to be free of her—all that would come later.

      Except it wouldn’t. Because she wasn’t going to marry him. No way. “Liam, we’ve been over this.”

      He shook his golden head. “We haven’t. The other day, you said no before I even got the question out.”

      “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you out, but my answer wouldn’t have changed no matter what you said or how convincing you were or how patiently I waited for you to finish saying it. I’m not getting married just because we have a baby together. I need you to believe me when I tell you that.”

      “Listen.” He straightened and stuck his hands in his pockets. “Don’t give me an answer right now. Take your time. Think about it.”

      “Liam, I’ve already—”

      “Think about it.” A thread of steel had crept into his tone.

      She had no need to think about it. Zero. Zip. Nada. She’d already given him her answer. Twice now. But he wasn’t listening and an argument right now wasn’t going to be good for her, for him or, most important, for their baby, who’d just been ejected from the warm, quiet safety of her womb. “All right. We’ll talk about it later. If you need to.