Page 111 of Perfect (mis)Match

“I’ve been considering something I think is the right move for us.” Vincent paused a beat. “I’m going to take a leave of absence from Summit and be a full-time father for the first few years.”

It was my turn to freeze and stare at him with my mouth hanging open.

“Vincent, no! Are you crazy? You can’t. YouareSummit?—”

He placed his finger against my lips to get me to shut up.

“IwasSummit. Now, I’m something else entirely. A husband-to-be. A father-to-be. Those are the most important jobs in theworld. Summit will be fine without me. I’ve hired the best of the best—you know that firsthand. I trust my team. I’ve got time to get everyone up to speed before I bow out.”

I felt a clammy mix of excitement and nerves, because I wasn’t at all sure he was making the right decision.

“But,” I whispered, “I don’t want you to regret it. What if you hate it? Being a stay-at-home parent is a ton of work.”

“You’re right, it is a lot of work, but why is it preordained thatyouhave to be the one to take it on? I know it won’t be easy, but this is the path I’m choosing.” His expression darkened for a moment. “I’ve seen what life is like with a father who puts work first. He missed so much of my early life. Yeah, he’s clearly making up for it now, but the man has regrets, and I’m not willing to let the same thing happen to me. I know this is right for us. For our family.”

My eyes welled as he spoke—for what he grew up missing and for the sacrifice he was willing to make for our child to make sure history didn’t repeat itself.

“Are you sure?” I asked quietly.

“One hundred percent, without any reservations.”

He dropped to his knees in front of me and pressed a kiss to my stomach, which made the tears pooling in my eyes spill down my cheeks.

“I love you so much,” he said in a strained voice, his cheeks pressed against me. “I love youbothso much. And I’m so fucking happy.”

“You don’t even know.”

He kissed my stomach again, then stood up to give me a tender kiss on the lips. “We should probably get back out there.”

“No,” I pouted. “I want to stay in this moment with you forever.”

He drew away from me. “But don’t you get it? We’re going to have so many moments like this, Piper. It’s just the beginning. Ofus.”

He pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me. I breathed him in, and as usual, I felt like I was home.

I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye and spotted Chloe taking a picture of us.

“Sorry!” she said. “I was passing by, and I couldn’t resist capturing the cuteness. Carry on!”

Vincent and I looked at each other wearing secret smiles.Howwere we going to keep this to ourselves?

Chloe was still watching us, frowning slightly. “What’s going on? You two look guilty.”

“Nope,” I giggled. “Definitely not guilty.”

Vincent pressed his lips to my ear. “Can we tell everyone? Please?”

“It’s still early, though…” I whispered.

But then I realized every single person who had come here today for us had been a part of our journey. They were my closest friends, family, and colleagues.

It was the perfect time to share the wonderful news.

Chloe was still waiting for an explanation from us.

“Okay, let’s do it,” I said to Vincent. I turned to Chloe. “You’re going to want to hear this. Paul too.”

I smiled to myself, thinking how over the moon he was going to be when he found out he was about to be an uncle.

---