“You—it’s Thanksgiving and I’m in loungewear, puffy and tired. I don’t want you to run away.”
Turning my head to face her, I smoothed my palm over her hair. “Oh, Willa, you should have been a comedian instead of an actress. I hope we spend every Thanksgiving in loungewear.”
She shook her head. “No way. We’ll be having birthday parties every Thanksgiving.”
I had to laugh. “InPeoplemagazine?”
“No. I want these events for us, babe.”
“Good. Then we can have a small part of it in pajamas.” I brought my mouth to her pink-lipsticked one and kissed off the color until Quinn began to stir.
Like a natural, Willa brought our baby to her breast and fed her.
“One sec,” I said, getting off the bed.
“You okay?” Billy looked up from the baby, cautious eyes on me.
“Absolutely.”
She didn’t know the reason why Ford had insisted on coming was I had asked him to bring something for me. I walked over toward my jacket, where I’d stashed the box, pulling it out and making my way back to the bed.
“I love you and Quinn—”
Helping Quinn off her breast, Billy sat up, pulling the shoulder of her shirt back on. “Callum,” she interrupted.
“This isn’t what you think it is. Yes, I want that. You and me, married. But this is for you. A push present, I think that’s what they officially call it.”
“You didn’t have to.” She took the box with a shaky hand after burping Quinn.
“Here, let me have our daughter.” I took a sleepy baby, who promptly pooped in my arms.
We both laughed, the box forgotten for a moment. “She’s pretty loud for seven pounds,” Billy joked.
“Wait until two o’clock in the morning at home. Then you’ll hear loud.”
Billy shook her head and said, “Serenity now.”
“Give me a sec. I’ll change her and then you can open that.” I snuck away, did the dad duty, and then was back in bed next to Billy. “Come on.”
Billy lifted the gift and removed the lid, gasping. “Oh my God, these are perfect.”
She carefully removed one earring, a round pink diamond surrounded by white ones in a platinum bevel. “Because you knew we were having a girl.”
“Jamie helped find the jeweler but that’s all I said. The secret was safe with me.”
“Thank you, Cal. You mean everything to me. And now Quinnie, my precious beauty.”
It wasn’t the engagement I wanted, but those words helped solidify me in Billy’s life, and at the end of the day that was what mattered.
She placed the earrings in her ears and kissed me, Quinn nestled between us. For the moment, it was enough.
Later, while we ate Thanksgiving dinner in her hospital room—turkey and the fixings for me, fish for Billy—I said, “I’m thankful for you, Willa Conway. When we are together, we are just a boy and girl in love. There is no one I’d rather share the second half of my life with.”
“We truly are, Callum. To the next half…with the best baby girl.”
Callum
It was a quiet night as snow fell outside, blanketing the road as the fire roared inside.
