Page 113 of The Drummer's Heart

“With the baby talk or the cheese?”

“Both.” She laughed.

“You know I’m kidding,” I said, stealing a second cube of cheese.

While I most definitely wanted another child with Nicole, we had our hands full for the time being with our almost-one-year-old, who only recently had started sleeping through the night. Our daughter was everything I’d dreamed she’d be: healthy, happy, and looking just like Nicole. Every time I saw her, I thought about how everything her mother and I had gone through had to have happened just as it did in order for Adele tobe here now. I no longer had any regrets about the tough times Nicole and I had experienced. Adele made it all worth it.

The best part of today was that Giselle and David would be coming to the party with Christian and leaving him here while they went on vacation for a week. It would be my first time having my son at the Monksville house for any length of time. Since he’d last been here, I’d decorated his room with his favorite superheroes, and I couldn’t wait to surprise him. At four years old, he was turning into such a little man.

When someone rang the doorbell, I went to let them in. I peeked through the peephole to find Ronan and Kenzie standing there. She held a platter of some kind.

Ronan wore a shit-eating grin. “Hope we’re not too early,” he said when I opened the door.

“Your ass isalwaysearly, so I’m used to it.” He knew it annoyed me.

My niece reached up to kiss me on the cheek. “I want to help Nicole anyway.” She walked past me toward the kitchen.

“What’s Tristan’s announcement all about?” I asked. If Ronan knew anything, he’d spill.

“I might have an idea, but I’m not allowed to say anything until he gets here.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Shady.”

He smirked. “You’ll be happy with it.”

“Well, I’ll find out soon enough, I guess. He just texted that they’re on their way. Their Airbnb is right down the road.”

Ronan lowered his voice. “Hey, since things are gonna get a little chaotic here soon, you think I can talk to you alone really quick?”

I arched my brow. “What’s the big secret?”

“Let’s go out back for a second.”

Oh my freaking word.Did he knock up my niece?

Technically, if they were going to stay together, that couldn’t be avoided forever. And I had to say, Ronan had been a solid partner to her. He’d even cut down on smoking weed because she wasn’t crazy about it. But mostly I saw how much he made her smile. I remembered a time, especially right after her dad died, that making Kenzie smile wasn’t an easy feat. She’d never smiled more since getting together with Ronan.

“Follow me,” I told him. I went to the kitchen, grabbing a couple of beers from the fridge. I kissed Nicole on the cheek. “Do you need me for anything yet?”

“Everything’s under control until you have to start cooking the meat.” She winked.

“Ronan and I are gonna take these out back. I’ll fire up the grill in a bit.”

He followed me to the backyard. We took seats across from each other at the outdoor table. Ronan chewed on his lip, seeming tense.

I narrowed my eyes. “What’s up, man?”

He rubbed his palms on his pants. “You know how I feel about Kenzie. I’ve explained that to you in the past.”

I nodded once. “Yes, I do.”

“Well, my feelings for her have only gotten stronger since then.”

I inhaled. “Okay…”

“I’m gonna ask her to marry me on our trip.” He licked his lips. “And I want your permission. I’ve already cleared it with Tina, but your approval is just as important to me.”

Wow.For some reason, I hadn’t seen it coming. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relief that she wasn’t pregnant or surprise over this news. I stared at him blankly for a moment.

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