She’d either want to stay or not, and with Charlotte by my side, I wasn’t worried about it anymore. I wouldn’t pressure Simone, and the day she opted in, I’d work out a plan with her.
“We should invite them over for dinner next weekend. Christian and Penny will be there, and I think it’ll make Sarah and Phillip happy to see Gwen being loved by everyone. I can make those appetizers you like, and Gwen can show off all her stuff. Wait, that’s at your house though. If you’re not ready for them to come to your place, I can host!”
“You’re amazing.” I kissed the top of her head. “That sounds like a great idea, and I think my house is fine. I wish you lived with us already.”
“Hayden.” She swatted my chest, her smile widening. “It’s been like five seconds. We’ll get there.”
“I’m selfish and want you around all the time.” It was true. My attraction and love for her only deepened, and while I hated every time she wasn’t at home, I respected her space. Our house just felt different without her there. Gwen missed her; I missed her. She had somehow ingrained herself into our damn souls within a few weeks, and wouldn’t it be easier for us to just live together?
“Is it because you want my closet? You can have it.”
She rolled her eyes, her lips quirking up. “I plan to, even if I don’t live there.”
“Fuck, I love you.” I wanted to kiss her, but it didn’t seemappropriate with Sarah and Phillip just a few yards away. Phillip pushed Gwen on the swing while Sarah stood to the side, cheering her on.
“I love you too.” Charlotte gave methatlook, the one she reserved just for me that made me feel a million feet tall and like I could do anything in the world. Her eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened, and her gaze swirled with love and pride. My heart always skipped a beat when she stared at me like that, and I twisted my pinky around hers.
One day, she’d be my wife. One day, she’d move in with us. And maybe, one day, we’d give Gwen some siblings to love on.
“Don’t cry, Grandma! Swings are fun.” Gwen stood in the mulch with her face twisted with worry. “Why you sad?”
Sarah sniffed and kneeled, her watery smile visible even from where we stood. “I’m so happy to meet you, sometimes joy makes me cry.”
“My daddy gives me hugs when I cry. Do you need one?”
Sarah’s voice shook when she said, “I’d love one.”
Gwen launched herself into Sarah’s arms, and fuck. My eyes prickled with tears too, as my baby girl had already given Sarah her heart. Sarah cradled my daughter’s head, her eyes closed as she squeezed her back, and I just knew. I knew they were good people.
“This was the right move. It might be hard and weird feeling, but it’s the right choice, and I admire your strength. You’re a good father, Hayden.” Charlotte squeezed my pinky before letting go.
Gwen asked everyone to play tag, and Phillip was the first to chase her. Sarah, Charlotte, Phillip, and I let athree-year-old boss us around, but man, she was a cute, little bossy thing. She laughed harder than I had heard in a while, and after twenty minutes of it, my smile grew.
Familywas such a strange word. Some of it was by blood, by birth. Like Gwen and me. And Sarah and Phillip. But other times, it was the Calhouns, choosing to be a part of Gwen’s life. It was funny how a month ago, I had been stressed about my parents leaving and how Gwen was going to do, and look at her now. Surrounded by people who loved her.
I meant what I told Sarah and Phillip—Charlotte was my future wife, and seeing her now, with the parents of my ex? Laughing and encouraging me? She was an angel. She was the perfect woman for me, and I was gonna spend the rest of my life showing her how much I loved her.
I just had to plan the right time to propose…
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
HAYDEN
Ten months later…
Three things were evident since Christian and Penny’s wedding. The first—I needed therapy if I had any hope of being a good long-term partner. Despite having phenomenal parents and a kick-ass support system of friends, there were parts of myself I had to work on. Navigating this new path with Simone’s parents in the picture was a lot to handle. Charlotte helped but that wasn’t her role. I had to deal with this on my own.
It sucked. Not gonna lie. I hated opening up and revealing vulnerable parts of myself. But I learned that wedding night that I wanted to commit to Charlotte, and it wouldn’t be fair to her if I didn’t work on myself too. She supported me the whole way and encouraged me on days when it seemed like too much.
The second thing was that I never had to make a permanent decision about Simone. She agreed to go to therapy before attempting to meet Gwen, but a few weeks in, shetook off to Europe with friends to find herself again. I had refused to convince her to be in Gwen’s life. Gwen would want to learn about her birth mom someday, and Sarah and Phillip could help her.
Her parents had been a pleasant surprise though. Charlotte and I had monthly dinners with them, and things were going well. Gwen thought they were awesome, and that’s all that mattered.
The third thing was making Charlotte my wife. I wanted her to be my partner more than I could breathe. I wanted to see my ring—the one I held in my hand right now—on her finger and her in a wedding dress. I wanted Gwen and me to wait for her down the aisle as we asked her to be our family. She owned half my closet already, and Gwen was so used to seeing her in the morning that there would be no change once Charlotte actually moved in and accepted my proposal.
Had I asked her to move in a million times? Yes.
To marry me? Also, yes.
