Page 70 of Found By You

My mouth drops, my eyes widen, and I bolt to sit up straighter. “What? Are you—”

“It needs a lot of work,” she adds, gazing down at the poster. “I know you mentioned you’d love to buy one to restore yourself. The guy said it doesn’t run, and it might need a whole engine rebuild, but everything on it is original, including the red paint.”

I stare at her in amazement. “Maci.”

“Happy Birthday!”

“How?” I ask, completely dumbfounded.

“I’ve been looking for a while,” she says. “Long story short, I found this guy in Colorado… He wanted the car to go to someone who would restore it and keep it as original as possible. I told him about you, and your whole plan—well, what I remembered you telling me, anyway. So, yeah, I asked Butch if he would help, so he and your dad went out there a few weeks ago to check it out, and made a great deal for it. It was a little out of my price range, so your parents and all your brothers chipped in with me, and we got it. You go to pick it up on Monday. The guy said he can’t wait to meet you.”

I can’t believe she did this…for me? This has to be the best gift anyone has ever gotten me. She knows me better than anyone ever will.

“Angel.” I grin, reaching for her, but she takes a quick step back.

I frown as she giggles. “Hold on, there’s more,” she says, dropping the poster on the ground to reveal herself clad in a sexy-as-fuck, cherry red, see-through lace lingerie—glowing with her twenty-two-week bump.

I growl, leaping to my feet and snatching her by the waist. I hoist her into my arms by her ass and wrap her legs around me. “You’re perfect, baby, you know that?”

I love you.

Twenty-One.

Maci

“Butch is pushing hard for a rugged, manly name for the baby.” Cassidy sighs, sipping her peppermint mocha while leaning against the display at Cup O’ Joe. “Ever since we found out it’s a boy, he’s been coming up with these insane names. I don’t know where he comes up with this stuff.”

I raise a brow. “Like what?”

I’ve been having a hard time myself picking a suitable name for my daughter—well, I’ve had one picked out since I was sixteen, but I’m not sure if it’s still a good pick for my baby girl. And at twenty-six weeks today—a whopping six and a half months pregnant—I’d like to settle on a name before I buy any baby décor for the cabin.

I signed a year lease at the start of the new year, and with it being the end of March, I’ve still got another nine months in my lease. Regardless of how many times Duke wants to say it’s not a big deal to break the lease and move into the new house with him, it’s a big deal to me when I’d be losing my security deposit and last month’s rent.

He’s been fighting me at every angle, but I don’t feel comfortable with the idea of living in a house that’s his. I mean, I love him—more than I’ve ever loved anyone. But I fear these last four months, I’ve been relying on him too much.

Centering myself, my day, my life—everything—around building a future with him. All I have is invested in us—something I swore I’d never let myself do again. Yet here I am, doing it again. And I’d be in a very vulnerable position if I were to move in before we know what kind of relationship we’ll have once the baby arrives.

What happens if it all goes south? My daughter and I will be homeless, scrambling to find a place to go. I can’t let that happen—not now, not ever.

Duke…loves me, I think. He hasn’t said it, even though I’ve told him every day since Valentine’s Day. He tells me he feels the same way about me, that he’s just having a hard time finding the words.

Well, he didn’t have a hard time finding the right words to convince me to give us a chance. Or making me fall madly in love with him. What if he’s just telling me what I want to hear?

The thought alone makes my stomach ache.

“Buck, Gage, Bruce, Bruno… Blaze,” Cassidy says.

Alison booms with laughter. “Blaze? No, he did not.”

I smile. “I like Gage.”

“That’s the only one I told him I liked,” Cassidy admits. “We did settle on the middle name, though. It’s going to be Anthony, after my father.”

“Gage Anthony Montgomery,” Alison tests. “It has a nice ring to it.”

“What was the boy name you had picked out, Maci?” Cassidy asks me.

“I didn’t have one, but I always liked Mason.”

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