Page 57 of Don't Fall For Your Grumpy Neighbor

“Great to hear,” I reply with a nod of approval. “And the private room for the baby shower?”

“Set up and ready to go,” Sarah confirms, gesturing toward the direction of the party room. “Anya’s been overseeing everything, so I’m sure it’s all set.”

“Perfect. Thanks, Sarah. Keep up the good work,” I say, giving her a reassuring pat on the shoulder before continuing my rounds through the restaurant.

“Have you seen Felicity yet?” I ask Trudi, the bartender, as I make my way toward the kitchen.

She shrugs casually. “Nope. Maybe she’s in the party room.”

“Maybe,” I reply absentmindedly, pulling out my phone to check for any missed calls or messages from her.

Before I can type out a text, Felicity walks into Atta Boy’s, and for a moment, everything else fades away as I'm struck by her radiant beauty.

“Wow,” I breathe out, instinctively moving toward her.

“Shep, hey. Sorry, I’m late,” she says with a hint of apology.

I gently place my hands on her hips, savoring the warmth of her presence. “You’re right on time. You look absolutely amazing.”

She exhales with a hint of exasperation. “I feel like a cow.”

I chuckle softly. “Well, you don’t look like a cow. You’re beautiful.”

Felicity leans in to peck a brief kiss on my lips. “You’re too sweet. Seriously, how did I get so lucky?”

“I’m the lucky one,” I reply, returning her kiss and letting our lips linger together.

“Hey, Shepherd,” Helena interrupts, approaching us from behind.

“Miss Lark, hello,” I greet her, reaching to take the bags she’s carrying. “What do you have here?”

“Baby shower things. Felicity thought it would be nice to give all the girls who helped organize everything some gifts,” Helena explains.

“That’s incredibly thoughtful,” I remark to Felicity. “But today is about you. Remember that.”

Felicity smiles gratefully. “Thank you.”

“Yeah, because once that baby comes, everyone’s going to forget all about you,” Helena teases as she heads toward the back room for the party.

I shrug playfully. “I won’t forget about you.”

Felicity beams at me. “I won’t let you.”

I lean in to give her one more kiss, right there in the entryway of the restaurant, not caring who might be watching.

Now that Felicity is carrying my child and we’ve already decided to move in together, I can’t help but feel the urge to make another big move—like asking her to marry me. But I’m uncertain of how she’d react.

What would Felicity do if I proposed?

Are we moving too quickly?

I'm afraid that this bubble of happiness we've built might burst once the baby arrives. It feels like everything is going so well, I'm waiting for something to go wrong.

I push the negative thoughts away and think about how I can show Felicity I’m serious about having a future with her.

For now, I’m going to focus on the baby shower. Baby steps. I don’t want to scare Felicity off. I don’t want her to ever question how I feel about her.

Do I love her?

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