Page 78 of Daddy's Unexpected Gift

“How could you? It’s not exactly something I go around telling people. It’s why I went into social services. I want to help people. I know the foster care system is seriously broken. It needs a complete overhaul, but it does do some good. There are kids out there who end up with forever families who want them. And there are people like you. You really just didn’t know what you were doing, but your heart was in the right place.”

“I really was, no, I really am still clueless about what I am doing when it comes to Georgie, but I love her, and I want to be the best father I can for her.”

“That counts for a lot, Sterling. That counts for a whole lot.”

Two weeks later…

The elevator doors slid open. I carried the last box of stuff from my apartment into the penthouse. I didn’t know exactly where I would put it. It wasn’t that I had a lot of stuff—I didn’t—or that the penthouse was small—it wasn’t. But combining two households filled up space.

Almost all of my furniture was donated to a women’s shelter.

Sterling didn’t do garage sales, and my stuff was barely good enough for that, but it was better than junk to set out on the curb, so we donated it. He wanted to keep the dinette set I had. It was old and Formica with vinyl covered chairs. Mid-Century standard kitchen design. Apparently, Sterling had a preference for Mid-Century furniture. I should have guessed looking at the interior décor of his place. Then again, I hadn’t really gotten much past big and no baby furniture.

I’d learned a lot in the last two weeks of living with him. He did have a style preference, and he liked good food. And even though all the overflow of my belongings were taking over his home gym as a storage space, he seemed to really like my being here.

I loved it. I had a family, one that wanted me. One that I loved with my whole heart.

“What are you doing?” Sterling asked. He took a few steps toward me and took the box out of my hands. “You’re pregnant. Why are you carrying boxes?”

“It’s not that heavy, and it’s not boxes, it’s box, singular. The last one. I’m officially all moved in. Well, until tomorrow when I drop the keys off at the leasing office.”

“You should have told me you needed to move more stuff. I would have gotten you a work crew or an assistant.”

“Last box. It’s just last-minute junk. I didn’t need a moving crew.”

He glowered and grumbled at me. “You’re my wife and?—”

“Not for another week, I’m not. Sterling, you have the box under one arm. It’s not heavy,” I pointed out.

He hefted it, testing the lack of weight. “Where do you want it?”

“I was going to take it downstairs to add it to my pile in the gym. Sorry about that.” I did feel bad for taking over his space. He was making room for me in his home. I had to remember that I wasn’t impinging upon him. He asked for it, literally.

I followed as he began walking in that direction.

“It’s quiet around here. Georgie asleep?” I had been out running errands and getting the last few things from my apartment all morning.

“Nanny Fletcher has taken her to the park. I need to go into the office, put out a few fires.”

“You still have time left on your leave, don’t you?” He should have been able to take twelve weeks off based on the Family Medical Leave Act, but I didn’t know what his company’s policy was beyond that.

“I’m due back on a regular basis in another week, but I’m taking a much-needed vacation immediately.”

“Vacation?”

He placed the box on top of one of the many stacks that I was going to have to start digging through and finding homes for everything.

“Yes, vacation.” He turned, and his arms slid around my hips, pulling me in close. I loved being in his arms. “More like a honeymoon.”

“Honeymoon? You’re taking me on a honeymoon?” My eyes went wide, and I dropped my jaw. We hadn’t discussed going on a honeymoon. We had talked about wedding plans, and neither of us could see any reason we should wait any longer than it took his lawyers to draw up a prenuptial agreement. I had insisted, much to Sterling’s lawyer’s relief.

The wedding was going to be small—an officiant, Wayne, Georgie, and Nanny Fletcher. The zoo administration said we could have the ceremony by the tiger exhibit as long as we kept it small. So, first thing in the morning in the middle of the week when the zoo was full of mommies and babies, we were going to get married.

“What about Georgie? She’s too young to leave with someone she doesn’t know.”

Sterling smiled wide. “She’s coming with. I couldn’t see any way we could leave her. You’re right, she’s too young. And I can’t legally take her out of the state. Not until her custody situation is cleared up and finalized. I’ve gotten us a cabin by a lake. It’s only for a few days, but I thought it would be good enough. When the kids are older and we have someone we can trust to watch them overnight, I’ll take you to Rome or Paris. Wherever you want.”

“Really, wherever? So if I said I wanted to go to Oklahoma?”

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