“I’m in love with him, Lenny,” she whispered. “I’m so in love with him.”
Rylee snickered, shaking her head. “Can you believe that? Me, who had sworn off all you fools only to find one that is nowhere near a fool I’ve ever dated. And now, my ass is pregnant.”
She dropped her attention to her stomach, pressing her hand there over her coat.
“You never listen,” she chastised, lifting her eyes again. “You always do what you want to do and how you want to do things. Because, Lenny, I told you to give me a sign. And you, being you… still had to do it your way. A baby? Really, guy? ‘Cause I know I sound crazy, but I just feel you had something to do with this.”
She smiled, her chest swelling with hope, gratitude, and a touch of anxiety.
“And if you did have something to do with this…” Rylee leaned forward to press her hand to his headstone. “Thank you, Lenny.”
Conceiving on the anniversary of Lennox’s death was still hard to believe for Rylee. Everything that has happened since Lennox took his last breath has been crazy, but for once, she wasn’t running scared from the unpredictable and the unknown. She was ready to run towards it. Especially if Xander would be running with her.
She reached the top of the stairs, the aroma of fried chicken sizzling in a cast iron skillet stronger now on the top floor.
His cooking had been his way of filling his absence. At least that’s how Rylee felt.
Even though they hadn’t spoken since that day he left her brownstone after discovering she was pregnant, every few daysin the afternoon, she’d hear her doorbell ring then walk her way to the door to find a Tupperware full of lunch and a yellow sticky note with a short message.
One note read…
It’s time for lunch. – Xander
Another read…
Time to take a break. – Xander
It was cute. Very Xander-coded. And definitely contributed to Rylee’s decision to keep what she and Xander created together.
On the other side of the long communal table stood Xander, towering over a steel stove.
Music from a Bluetooth speaker played old school hip-hop from the 90s as Rylee stopped walking for a moment, watching Xander in his element, bobbing his head to the rhythm of the song.
She took light steps in his direction, passing a fire pole and the historic red-brick walls on one side of the kitchen.
Her eyes scanned the wooden island on her way to him, her attention lingering briefly on pamphlets with Greene Gardens logos plastered on them.
Rylee switched her focus to Xander, smiling as she approached.
When she was close, she heard Xander rapping the lyrics of the song playing, his attention entirely on flipping the chicken frying in the skillet.
Rylee slipped up behind him, wrapping her arms tight around his waist.
“Hmph,” he huffed, not at all startled. “This better be my woman, or someone’s about to get averyawkward talking to. I swear to God.”
Rylee giggled against him, pressing her lips to his back and giving him a kiss there.
Xander turned his head to peek over his broad shoulder as Rylee lifted her head to peek around to meet his eyes and noticed the exact moment his eyes lit up.
He turned around in her arms, lowered his lips, and pressed a kiss to hers.
No hesitation.
Rylee’s heart felt like it turned to honey in her chest.
Xander walked her back toward the wood island and away from the sizzling chicken.
He asked softly, “What are you doing here?”
