Page 126 of Fought and Freed

Cody picked her up and set her on his lap. “Where you go, we go. We talked about it a bit, and besides our parents, nothing is keeping us here.”

“Skylar can’t leave.” Maddy sighed. “He’s going to have a baby, and Amber won’t let us take the baby with us. Plus, he has his work with Shields Construction. Then, there’s your house flipping business.”

“I can flip houses anywhere,” Cody said.

Skylar sat forward on the couch. “Guys, would you mind giving Maddy and me a few minutes alone?”

“Sure,” they said.

“I need to study for finals, anyway,” Jace added.

Maddy got off Cody’s lap and sat back down stiffly, afraid of why Skylar would want to speak to her alone. She’d been kidding when she asked if they wanted to get rid of her, but what if Skylar had decided it would be easier to be with Amber?

“You can relax.” Skylar scooted closer and rubbed Maddy’s arms up and down. “You look like I’m about to chop off your head.”

She let out a breath. “I’m acting weird. Ignore me.”

His jaw set. “You thought I was going to tell you I’m leaving you for Amber, didn’t you?”

She cringed. “Yeah.”

He gathered her into his arms. “Never, babe. You’re my ride-or-die. I’ll never leave you.”

“These last few months have been difficult with everything that’s been going on.” She clung to him. “I hardly ever see you, and I’m afraid it will only get worse when the baby comes. And with everything she’s done to us, I can only imagine how she’ll use your son.”

“That’s what I want to talk to you about.” He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “When he’s born, I want to file for full custody.”

Maddy chewed her bottom lip.

“What do you think about that?” he prompted.

She tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“If I file for custody, he’ll be here all the time.” He ran his fingers through his dark-blond curls. “Shit, this is hard.”

Maddy laid her hand on his thigh. “Just say it. I’m sure it can’t be as bad as what’s running through my mind.”

“I want you to become his mom,” he blurted out, gaze fixed intently on her.

“Oh!” Maddy’s eyes widened.

Yeah, that wasn’t what she was thinking at all. When she first learned about the baby, she figured she’d be in his life, but this was different.

Was she ready to raise a kid? She’d always wanted children, but she planned to have her bakery up and running before she took that next step.

Plenty of women had kids and still ran a business, though, right?

“There’s one thing I need to ask you, and please don’t get mad at me.” She fiddled with her hands. “Are you sure I’m it for you? I mean, if I help raise the baby and you lose interest in me, it would be cruel to him and to me.”

Skylar held her gaze. “I wouldn’t do that to you or to my son. I wouldn’t ask unless I was completely positive that you’re it for me, Princess.”

Maddy’s face lit up. “I always wanted children. Granted, not this early, but I’d be proud to help raise your son, Skylar.”

She didn’t notice how stiff his body was until she said that, and his whole body relaxed. “I couldn’t ask for a better girlfriend.”

Grabbing her face between his hands, he brought his lips to hers, and they only broke apart because her phone rang.

When she reached over and grabbed it from the coffee table, she didn’t recognize the number. “Hello?”

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