“Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Okay?” I breathe, pure excitement coursing through me.
“On one condition.” She holds up a finger. “You bring me coffee in bed every morning.”
“That’sit?”
“That’s it.”
“You drive a hard bargain.” I rub my chin, feigning contemplation. “But you’ve got yourself a deal, Doc.”
She holds out her hand, but rather than shake it, I clasp it and draw her into my lap, peppering her face with kisses until she’s out of breath from laughter.
“When do you have to get back to Bea?”
With my arm wrapped around her, I close my eyes, letting my body relax. “Not until tomorrow.”
“Can we pick her up now?” she asks, tilting her head up.
“What’s the rush? Don’t you want a little more kid-free time?”
She finagles herself out of my embrace so she’s facing me. “I love you, and being with you is amazing, and doing what we just did,twice, is amazing, but I miss her. I got to see her for all of five seconds at Millie’s. I hated leaving her so quickly. I told her I’d come back to see her, and I really don’t want to break that promise.”
I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and linger to caress her cheek. “I love how good you are to her.”
“Do you think she’ll feel comfortable staying here tonight? I have a spare room, but I can order room service, and we can throw a slumber party in the living room if she doesn’t want to sleep alone.”
“Sounds perfect.” I kiss her on the lips. “Now that you’re going to be in her life full time, we’ll need to establish some boundaries, though. You can’t be the fun one all the time.”
“I know, I know.” She huffs. “You’re right.” Her expression brightens, and she giggles, hopping up and slapping me on the knee. “C’mon. Let’s go.”
I drag her back down. “Not so fast. I’m not done with you yet.”
“Oh my god. You’re insatiable.”
“What can I say? I know what I want.” I kiss her collarbone. “And I want you.” With a hand threaded beneath her shirt, I cup her bare breast. “And this body.” I flash my dimples, knowing she can’t resist them. “One more round, please? Then I promise we’ll go get our girl.”
Millie and Ezra volunteer to bring Bea over to Claire’s apartment. While we’re waiting for them to arrive, my brain goes into overdrive, and I find myself overthinking everything. There are so many details to discuss, and suddenly, a sense of urgency has washed over me. Topics like: If we get married, would Claire adopt Bea? What about more kids? We’ve briefly spoken about it before, but will that change now that we’re official?
With my eyes closed, I take a calming breath and remind myself that we don’t have to figure it all out in one day.
When Bea storms through the door, she nearly tackles Claire to the floor. She throws me a “Hi, Dad”—Dad? Since when am IDad?—then takes off her shoes and makes herself at home.
I welcome Ezra with a handshake and a slap on the back, noticing his rainbow-colored nails. “Nice digits, dude.”
“Oh, fuck off,” he says, but he breaks into a prideful grin. Like he’s been inducted into a special club.
Millie playfully punches me by way of greeting. “About damn time, asshole.”
Laughing, I haul her into a hug. “Yeah, yeah.”
Claire pulled out a box of her old toys from a closet earlier, and Bea is completely enthralled and occupied in the other room with them now, but my sister whispers anyway. “You good?”
I dip my chin. “I asked her to move in with me.”
“Ash! That’s amazing,” she says, though her expression falls. “Wait. Why don’t you look excited?”
“No, no. I am. It’s just—” I swipe a hand down my face. “Do you think I should have discussed it with Bea first? This is her life, too, and I’m worried I jumped the gun. What if she isn’t ready?”
