Page 44 of Forever Player

“I’ll wake up with you. We can take care of her together. Is there somewhere we can go as a. . .” I pause as the word family almost left my mouth, and I don’t want to send Willow running. “Somewhere nice for us to hang out.”

She watches me and her eyes seem a little teary. I don’t think now is the time to call her out.

“Yeah, there is a winter fair if we want something outdoors, or we can get lunch at the diner in town. We’d have to drive into Nashville if you want to do city things,” she lists off.

“I’ll do whatever you want. I just want to spend time with you and Maylee.”

“Okay.” She nods.

We head inside. Jacob is on the couch reading a book.

“You two have a good night?” he asks, looking at his sister then me.

Willow nods. “Thanks for babysitting.”

“You deserved a break,” he says.

He eyes me, nods, and then walks away.

I go to the kitchen and grab a glass of water. Willow prepares some bottles, just in case Maylee wakes up. She explains that because she drank, she doesn’t want to breastfeed her now.

We head up the stairs together.

“Good night, Honey,” I say when she reaches her door.

“I’ll just put this stuff down in my room and then I’ll come and check on her. I won’t sleep right if I don’t see her.”

“Of course,” I say. I follow her to the nursery and grab a pair of shorts and a T-shirt from my bag. Willow is such a good and loving mom. It makes me feel something I’ve never felt before.

She kisses her palm and presses it to Maylee’s cheek. My daughter is fast asleep and looks like an angel. I press a soft kiss to Willow’s neck and feel goosebumps spread across her skin.

She watches me with something akin to wonder.

“Night, Brett.”

“Night, Honey.”

She eyes me like she is trying to figure me out and then she leaves the room.

I get changed in the bathroom then return to the floor of the nursery. It’s hard and I can’t find a comfortable position, so I toss and turn for a bit until sleep pulls me under.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Willow

Maylee is crying so I trudge over to her room but stop just a few feet away from the entrance when I spot Brett holding her in his arms, close to his chest, whispering to her that she is a princess and he loves her very much. My hand comes nervously to my clavicle as I stare. My daughter’s little fingers touch his face. She shoves her fingers in his mouth and he is nibbling on them. She is so content. I wanted this for my baby. I dreamed of her having an attentive father and here he is, but is he going to stick around?

“Good morning,” I yawn and stretch as a way of announcing my presence.

“There’s your mama,” he whispers, and he passes her to me. She leans into me and my lips press against her warm cheeks. She pulls at my hair and buries her face in my neck. This is the life. When I was a kid, I wished for a normal family that did simple family things like eat breakfast together and not want to rip each other’s heads off. That wasn’t my family though since we always did things apart. Now Brett wants to spend the day with us. If we go to the fair the whole town will see us together and gossip. I shouldn’t care what they think. I should embrace this moment I always wanted for myself because I can give it to my daughter, but I’m terrified. I can’t fall for Brett, even though I already know my heart is on the line.

“I’ll go to the bathroom and get dressed,” he says. “Any thoughts on what we should do today?”

“I thought it would be nice to go to the winter fair. Get some fresh air but not for long because it’s cold. Then maybe we can have lunch at the diner,” I reply.

“That sounds perfect, Willow. Thank you.” He watches me with a warmness that feels new. It seems like he cares for me, but how can that be after such a short time? “I’ll go get ready and make us some breakfast.”

“You don’t have to,” I call out after him. He turns and comes back. “I want to. You didn’t ask me. I offered. I’ll probably be feeling like this for a very long time and it’s not only because you went through the pregnancy, delivery, and first months on your own. It’s because I like taking care of you. You seem to appreciate it.”

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