Page 35 of Merry with a Single Dad

“Is something wrong with her?” It seemed silly to worry about a dog that wasn’t mine, but technically, Gigi was in this predicament because ofmydog.

“No. She’s fine. I talked to Celine earlier.” Emily’s eyes darted to the corner of the room where Gigi had been “nesting” the past couple of weeks. “Everything’s fine.”

I hugged her tight to my body. “I know it’s been stressful around here. With the holidays and my family. And then taking care of Hudson when he was sick?—”

“It’s fine,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry everything’s been so crazy around here.”

“It’s been crazy for you too. This week hasn’t been easy for you.” She met my eyes with a small smile.

“It’s been a rough couple of days,” I said, pulling her back in. Having her in my arms was the comfort I needed to start our weekend off on the right foot. “I’m just glad the week is finally over. I don’t think I could take much more drama.”

“Right,” she whispered.

As her breath feathered against my neck, my dick hardened.

Emily sighed and put her hands on my chest. “We can’t right now. Hudson?—”

“I know.”

I recognized an uneasiness in her eyes as she pulled away. “I’ll go start the barbecue,” she said, trying to smile before pressing her lips to mine before she left me alone to change out of my suit.

“There’s something I want to tell you,” I said later that night as I spooned Emily. I didn’t know what was going on with her, but maybe if I told her this part of my past, she’d feel closer to me, and we’d get back on track. “It took me a long time to get to the point where I felt open enough to let someone in. I went on my first date about two years later. And hated every second of it. The night I met you, something changed. One look at you, and I don’t know—I wanted to meet you. When you came over to me—I knew I wanted . . . something.”

“Something?” she said, turning around to face me.

“I didn’t know what happened was going to happen. But something about you unlocked everything I’d been holding onto. Weird as it is to say . . . or think . . . I believe meeting you that night was fate.”

“I didn’t know you believed in fate.”

“I didn’t. Don’t. Not really, anyway.” I toyed with her hands before threading our fingers together. “After that night with you, I thought, ‘Maybe I’m ready to move on.’ So, I tried going out with a couple of other women. I went on three dates. None of them measured up to you.”

“Really?” she squeaked.

“Really. Then I found you again when I came back. Maybe it is fate after all.”

“Maybe,” she whispered.

“I don’t know why I never told you this before.” I kissed her hand. “I guess after all this time together, I wanted to tell you so you know how long I’ve been waiting for you.”

“I’m just glad you found me again,” she said right before I pressed my mouth to hers with a kiss that held promises of forever.

Chapter Fourteen

Emily

Who knew how much your life could change in three minutes?

One hundred and eighty seconds turned my world inside out and opened my heart to a million new emotions.

Never before had I been so raw with so much fear, happiness, and love.

I tucked the four at-home pregnancy tests into a pair of socks and slipped them under everything else in the very back of Chris’s dresser drawer where I kept some of my things when I stayed over. Those little pink lines would remain hidden until after New Year's.

Two weeks had passed since I received the news, and I still hadn’t found the nerve to broach the subject with Chris.

The day Cassie met me at Bark Park seemed like a lifetime ago. I didn’t believe the little pink lines that stared up at me, so I made Cassie go buy another test.

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