“It’s not simple,” I admit. “But it’s good.”
Her gaze drifts towards the window. “Rick’s going to hate the idea of us moving without him.”
“We always talked about finding a bigger place, if you’re okay with it, and he’s okay with it, I don’t see any reason why he can’t come,” I say.
She looks back at me, surprised. “You really mean that?”
“I do.”
“He’s stubborn.”
“I know.”
“He won’t want to feel like a burden.”
“I know,” I repeat. “But I also know what it’s like to heal alone. If he wants it, the door’s open. I just want him to know I ain’t casting him aside now I got a woman.”
She nods slowly. “I like that.”
Silence settles again, more comfortable this time.
I glance at the clock. “We should probably head out soon.”
She grimaces. “Yeah.”
“You want to run through it one more time?”
She shakes her head. “No. If we rehearse it, it’ll just feel fake.”
“Fair.”
She stands, grabbing her property cut from the back of the chair. I follow her, pulling mine on too. At the door, she pauses, hand on the handle.
“What if he’s really angry?” she asks quietly.
“Then he’s angry,” I say. “That doesn’t mean we’re wrong.”
She nods, breathing in deep. “You’ll stay calm?”
I smirk. “I’ll do my best.”
She rolls her eyes. “That’s not reassuring.”
I step closer, resting my forehead against hers. “Whatever happens today, we face it together.”
She closes her eyes. “Together.”
I kiss her once, quick and soft, then open the door.
As we step out into the hallway, my nerves kick back up, but underneath them is something solid. Excitement. Purpose. The strange, steady certainty that this—messy, complicated, imperfect as it is—is exactly where I’m supposed to be.
I’m gonna be a father.
And today, we’re telling her brother the truth.
One way or another, everything changes from here.
***
