Page 72 of Make You Mine

“He is so private when it comes to her. Always passing it off as nothing, but I know it's more than that.”

Which honestly worries the hell out of me. I mean, she is our boss’s very off-limits daughter.

“I totally ship it. I mean, the hot older guy and the gorgeous, younger forbidden fruit. So sexy. It sounds like something out of Lottie’s romance books she’s always reading.”

My nostrils flare. “Do not, under any circumstances, call my brother hot again.”

She huffs a laugh. “What?It runs in the family.”

We pull into the underground parking at our new place. When the penthouse next to Trevor became available a few weeks ago, we jumped at the opportunity. Now we just have to make the place our own. We have a lot of missed time to make up for, so as far as furniture goes, we haven’t made it past picking out a bed.

My phone starts to ring. Putting the car in park, I answer my brother’s call.

“Hey, have y’all gotten home yet?” His southern drawl comes out more with his question.

“Just pulled in. Why, what’s up?”

“Stop by here on your way in.” He sounds like he’s nervous.

“Kay, but we can’t stay long. We need to take Nori on a walk,” I say before hanging up, my mind racing with why he wants to see us right now.

Ashley grabs my arm, a wide-eyed look on her face. “Wait, do you think he has the results?”

The thought did cross my mind, but trying to control my nerves, I say, “Maybe, but then again, I think he may have just said that.” I hop out and run around to help her out of the car.

The elevator ride up is quiet, which is very unlike Ash and me, but we are both thinking the same thing.

Does he have the results?

Was the doctor correct about the timeline?

Trevor buzzes us in, and we are greeted by not only my brother, but hers as well. A vase of flowers with balloons tied to them sits on the entryway table.

“What’s going on?” we ask at the same time, our words tumbling out.

Trevor smiles, but his voice is a bit shaky. “Well, I kind of saw the results when I was printing them to put in an envelope for you, so I called Micah.” He shrugs. “Sorry, this is what y’all get for not having sisters; this is the best we could come up with.”

Ashley grabs hold of Trevor’s arms. “What are you saying, Trev?” Tears already pool in her eyes, and I’m barely holding back my own.

He nods. “Yes!”

“Yes?” she whispers.

“Yep, Micah and I are, in fact, both the biological uncles of the little bean growing inside you. We’re going to have another little manning in the family.”

Ashley falls to her knees, letting out a joyous cry. Immediately, I land beside her, holding her petite frame in my arms. She grabs onto my shirt for dear life, sobbing in my chest.

I know this is a relief for her after everything Junior put her through. She already loves the baby, no matter what, but carrying his child would have been an extremely hard pill to swallow.

“This baby was created with nothing but love,” I tell her in a hushed tone as warmth consumes me.

Her words are broken through the tears. “I’m sorry, I’m just… I’m just so happy. So thankful.”

I push her hair out of her face, kissing her forehead. When I look up, I see the emotion in both our brothers’ eyes. It's been a rough few months, but no one has endured what she has for the past three years, and we all know that.

It will haunt me forever, but I’ll spend every day showing her what she deserves in this life and giving her anything she wants. If I can’t make it happen, I’ll find someone who can.

“I wasn’t sure if we’d ever have this, and now, we have it all. I’m just overwhelmed. It feels like a dream.” Ashley presses my hand on her stomach. “Our baby. Our fate…”

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