Okay, one problem down. I cringe. Except, if it’s not keeping Grace that had her upset, it’s the suggestion that I would make a great father that’s got her distressed. Great.
She inhales and cradles the baby with both hands. They’re beautiful together. I don’t see how there’s any chance that Iris won’t side with Emily keeping Grace. She’s a licensed foster parent. She’s young. She has a steady job and an extensive support system.
I shift my stance as she opens her mouth to continue. Depending on her next words, this could go good or bad.
“I don’t want you to feel any obligation to stay a part of either of our lives.” Her bottom lip quivers as her head tilts down to the floor. Damn her. She nearly gave me a heart attack for no reason. “I’m sorry your mom pushed you into this family unit when that’s not what you signed up for. You agreed to dating under the impression that I’d only have Grace for thirty days, not the potential for a lifetime.”
“Em?” When she doesn’t look up, I stalk closer and cup her face, lifting her gaze to mine. “The only thing I was worried about was whether that was what you wanted. I didn’t know where you stood with wanting to keep Grace, and if you did, where I fit into the picture. You froze when my mom said I’d make a good father–”
“Because I didn’t want you to feel obligated to embark on this ready-made family unit which might not even be a thing if Iris doesn’t agree.”
I stroke my thumbs over her cheekbones and say, “I already know that’s what I want. I love you, Em. I have for years. And it only took a day to fall for Grace. If you want to petition Iris to become Grace’s permanent placement, I support that decision. And if you’ll have me, I’d like to be a part of that.”
Emily bites her bottom lip and swallows. “I was terrified you wouldn’t like the idea.”
“I don’t.” I wink at her. “I love the idea.” I lower my head to hers and kiss her lips, softly brushing my mouth against hers. When I pull back, I rest my forehead against hers with Grace cradled between us. “What do you say?”
“I say that I love you, too. And that the thought of losing either of you destroys me. But I need you to know that if youweren’t interested, I’d keep her and do it on my own because she deserves a consistent, stable upbringing, and I want to give her that.”
“And you will.” I lift Grace from her arms and stare into her big, beautiful eyes. “We will. Tomorrow, you should call Iris, so she knows where we stand.”
“You’re always too much, you know that, right?”
I arch an eyebrow. “Who says that’s not my end goal? To make you so obsessed with me that you’ll never want to leave?”
“You’re going to have to pry me off you at this rate just to go to the bathroom.”
“I aim to please.” I throw my arm around her shoulders. “Come upstairs. I want to show you something.”
“Please.” She swats at my abs. “You don’t have to pull that line on me. I’m always ready to spread my legs for you.”
“Good to know.” I chuckle as I kiss the top of her head. “But I want to show you something else first.”
And with that, we ascend the stairs together, and all is right in the world. She fills me in on the rest of the conversation with our mothers, who will relentlessly push us to get married, adopt Grace, and produce more offspring for them to spoil.
The thought should scare me, but it does the opposite. I finally feel like I’m where I belong. Exactly where I’m supposed to be. With my future wife and daughter. A thrill of excitement swells in my gut.
I swing open the door to the bedroom closest to mine–soon to be our bedroom. Emily’s mouth drops open as she takesin the renovation work I did earlier in the day. Against one wall is a crib and a dresser and all along the rest of the room there are other baby accessories. But her attention remains above the crib where Grace’s name is displayed in bold, cursive letters.
“Jake, I can’t believe you did this. I mean, I believe it because you’re you, but this is a dream come true. Minutes ago, I thought you’d want to break up with me if I decided to ask to keep Grace, and all along you were already preparing for the future.”
“Our future.” I curve my arm around her, drawing them to my chest only to find that devious seductive smile on her beautiful mouth. Adrenaline courses through my veins as my cock jerks to attention.
“You have ten minutes to get her to sleep while I get her bags.” She waggles her eyebrows. “And then, I’m putting you to bed.”
“Three minutes.” I lift Grace and kiss the top of her head. “You both have three minutes.”
“You think you can work that fast?” Her smile turns into a saucy grin as she backs toward the hallway.
Challenge accepted.
“Of course, I’m the baby whisperer. And then I’m going to devour you.” Heat crawls along every inch of my body.
“I’m going to text Iris now, so you have an extra two minutes.”
“I won’t need it.”
Her back smacks into the wall, causing her to laugh and spin on her heel. I glance down at Grace, whose lips are already sucking together in her sleep.
