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She moves her eyes to the ceiling. “This is your house, Easton. Don’t change your habits for me.”

Little does she know I already did by masturbating in the shower earlier instead of in this bed.

“I’m happy to, Lennon, as long as you’re comfortable.”

She sighs, closing her eyes. “I am. This bed is amazing.”

“I know.” I slide under the blankets next to her, crossing my arms behind my head, staring at the ceiling. “It was my first major purchase when I bought this house.”

She turns on her side to face me, so I do the same. “Really?”

“Is that surprising?”

“I mean, I figured the monstrosity of a television in your living room would have been first.”

“Nope. That was second.” She grins. “Sleep is more important than TV, so…”

She yawns mid-laugh. “You’re right. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“Then go to sleep, Lennon. Sweet dreams.”

She doesn’t respond, though, and only a few minutes later, a soft snore breaks the silence in the room. Lennon turns on her other side, facing away from me, and that’s where she stays all night.

The next morning, I try not to dwell on my disappointment when I realize she never reached for me in the middle of the night.

Chapter 12

Easton

Taking on the Role of Dad

“So the plan is to start on the east side of campus with the old poles and work our way around,” I explain, demonstrating the path on the map laid out on the table in front of me and my crew. “That has to be accomplished before we can replace the fiber and run the new leads underground.” My guys nod in agreement.

“The pole replacement should take a few weeks at least, right, boss?” Jake asks, a smirk on his lips as my new title rolls off his tongue.

Boss. God, it feels surreal being the man in charge, but damn it, I’ve earned it.

“I’m giving us eight weeks for that. There’s a lot of freaking poles around this campus, gentlemen, and you know nothing runs perfectly, even if you plan every detail.” I continue going over some of the specs for the job, timelines, and delays that may occur, and then the crew hops in the trucks to prepare the first pole for replacement.

Jake comes up beside me, slapping me on the shoulder. “So, uh…when were you gonna tell me about your wedding?”

I twist the black wedding band on my left ring finger, still getting used to the feeling of it. “I’m surprised it took you this long to ask me about it.”

“Well, as your friend, I thought you’d come forward with the news,” he challenges and then lowers his voice. “Is this how you got Donovan to let you lead this job?”

“It’s part of it.”

“And I’m here because…”

I twist to meet his gaze. “Because you’re one of the best guys we have, and I wanted you on my team.”

He places his hand over the center of his chest. “Aw, shucks, man. You’re gonna make me blush.”

I shove at his shoulder as we both share a laugh. “The marriage was spontaneous, man. But I’ve known her a long time and we’re expecting a baby, so it just felt like the right thing to do.”

Saying those words out loud helps me practice owning my decision.

Lennon’s child may not be mine biologically, but that kid is a part of her, so I will always care for them.