“You could have warned me!” She glares.
“Oh, honey, he didn’t know until just now,” my mom informs her. “You have nothing to be embarrassed about. This is your home, and I remember what it was like to be young and in love. With a child, spur of the moment becomes the focus of the relationship.” She giggles. “If anything, we should be the ones embarrassed for sneaking up on you like that. We’re sorry. We should have told you and only kept it a surprise for Greyson.”
Em lets out a deep breath. “No, it’s okay. I should have thought better of my plan and waited in the bedroom at least. With the number of people that just walk into this house, it could have been anyone.” She closes her eyes momentarily and shakes herhead. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go take a long shower and wallow in my shame for a while. It’s lovely to have you here, Nancy and Andrew. Hi, Daddy.”
Lance walks over and kisses the top of Emma’s head while she still clings to me. “Hi, Sunflower.” He visibly pales and his eyes go wide. “I’m sorry, sweetie, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to call you that for a while… at least until that image leaves my head.” He chuckles and scrunches his nose.
Emma drops her head again. “Ugh! Don’t remind me that you saw that, too!”
Everyone laughs and wanders into the house as I walk Emma to the stairs before letting her go. “Whatever you had planned, we’re doing it tonight. I don’t care if we need to fuck in the garage to have some privacy. I want to see what you have beneath here properly.”
I kiss her lips as she smiles and blushes slightly. When she turns to head up, I smack her ass, then join my parents and Lance while we wait for Amanda to come back down with Gracie.
A few hours later, while my mom and Emma are busy whipping up some fantastic dinner for us all, I pull Lance to the side. Farther away from Amanda and my father, who are playing with Gracie on the living room floor with blocks.
“How are things going with Amanda? You two seem quite cozy. I take it it’s pretty serious?” I ask him as I pass him a glass of bourbon and sip my own.
“It is. I never thought I’d be getting in another relationship after everything with Elaine. But Amanda is a godsend. One I never saw coming.” He smiles as he watches her. She looks up at him, feeling his eyes on her, and the connection that passes between them is palpable.
“Yeah, I’ve come to realize the most unexpected things in our life turn out to be the most beautiful ones.”I know what I’m talking about, I have two.
“I think my daughter would agree with you on that.” He smiles warmly.
“I’m going to ask her to marry me. Not tonight, but soon, and I’d like your blessing. But know that even if you say no, I still intend on marrying her,” I tell him, making sure my intentions are clear.
He chuckles and takes a sip from his glass. “I had a feeling this question was coming. Or not question since you’ll do it either way. But yes, you have my blessing. You’ve had it since the moment you stood up for her all those months ago.”
I nod, feeling settled. As much as I claimed not needing his approval, it still feels good to have it.
Soon we’re all seated at the dining room table eating chicken parmesan with a side of rice and green beans. Gracie sits at the head of the table with Lance and Amanda on either side, while Emma sits between me and her father, and my parents are seated beside Amanda.
“Oh, sweetheart, about that thing you asked me, I’ll have it delivered next week,” Lance whispers to his daughter, but I catch on to every word.
“What thing?” I furrow my brow.
Em turns to me with a bashful smile. “I asked my father if I could have his piano. It hasn’t been touched in years, so it will have to be tuned and looked over. But I wanted you to have it.” She places her hand above mine. “I know you don’t play often, but I wish you would. I love hearing you, Wolf.”
I kiss her temple. “Okay.” It’s not that I don’t like playing, I love it. But it always gives me this bittersweet feeling, making me question how my life would have turned out if I had chosen a different path. But I’ll do anything for my Bunny.
She beams at me before turning back to her father. “So Dad, have you decided on a house yet?”
She told me Lance was thinking of moving nearby to be closer to her and Cecilia and the kids. Cecilia may not be his daughter, but he treats her like one. Just like he treats Gracie and Dante like his grandkids.
“We have, we put in an offer this morning. We’re just waiting to hear back. It’s actually just one street over.”
“Wait, we?” Em looks from Amanda to her father. “You’re moving in together?”
Amanda giggles. “I’m keeping my condo for the time being, but we discussed it, and I think that’s what will be happening slowly. Your father thought it was important that I have an input on the house he bought.”
“Well, I’m happy for you guys. What about children? Is that something you’ve discussed as well?” I ask them, curiosity winning over.
Em instantly tenses beside me. It’s not that she’s against the idea of her father and his girlfriend having a child. It’s more the idea of having a brother or sister the same age as our kids.
Lance clears his throat and glances at Emma for a moment. “We have. But we’ve decided we’ll most likely adopt if we go down that route, which is highly probable. Amanda is still young, and it doesn’t feel fair taking away her chance of being a mother because she’s with me.”
“Wow, that’s going to be something. I don’t know how I’d feel having a sibling the same age as my child,” my dad speaks up, always with his unnecessary comments. I hear my mom growl at him.
“Actually, we’d prefer to adopt an older child, maybe even a teen. They’re always the ones left behind because people prefer newborns, but they want a loving family just as much as any other. And personally, I have no desire to change diapers and all that messiness that comes with babies. Don’t get me wrong, Ilove babies, but I also really enjoy the part where we hand them back to their parents.” Amanda smiles sheepishly.
