Page 130 of Healed Hearts

“Hey, Holden.” I keep my voice low. Not that I really need to. Wren’s not going to wake up.

He slowly opens his eyes and finds mine in the mostly dark room. “Yeah?”

“You’re okay with this, right?”

His eyebrows pull together. “Okay with what?”

“If she calls you dad. Beingher dad,” I whisper. I think he is, but I also don’t want him to feel pressured. It’s one thing to agree when you’re in a room full of people, but I need to make sure he agrees even without that. That he’s truly okay with it. He doesn’t have to be her dad. He can just be her Holden.

He smiles. “Yeah, I’d… I would really like that,” he whispers back. “If you’re okay with it. I don’t want to step on any toes or make you uncomfortable.”

I shake my head. “No. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable at all. I really like the idea of us being a family, darlin’. With the white picket fence and two point five kids and all that.”

“Yeah,” he sighs. “I want that too.”

“Marriage, too,” I blurt out, and his eyes widen. “I know it’s too soon for that. But eventually, yeah? Do you want that?”

Holden nods slowly. “I get to take your name, right?”

My heart thuds heavily in my chest.Holden Foster.“Yeah, darlin’. You definitely get to take my name.”

He grins. “I guess I just assumed you didn’t want marriage.”

“Why would you think that?”

He gives a one shoulder shrug. “You said that your parents disowned you for the baby born out of wedlock. That was an easy fix.”

That draws a chuckle out of me. “Maya didn’t want marriage. Not that I would have married her just to keep my parents happy. I don’t do well with ultimatums.”

“Oh. Why didn’t she want marriage? It’s not like she didn’t have a great example.”

“She was a free spirit. She just didn’t want to get married. It didn’t matter much to me either way.”

Holden hums. “But now?”

“Now, I’d very much like to be married to you. If that’s something you want.”

His eyes widen, almost comically. “Is that you asking?”

I shake my head with a laugh. “No, darlin’. When I ask, you’ll know it.”

He doesn’t say anything to that, but he does give me a blinding smile and lean over Wren to kiss me. “We should try to get some sleep. It’s going to be a long week,” he whispers.

I sigh. “You’re right. I love you. Thank you for being mine, Holden. I’m thankful every single day that the stars aligned for us in that bar that night.”

“I love you too, Jules.”

Chapter Forty-One

Holden

It’s been quite possibly the longest week of my entire life. No one warned me how fucking hard it would be to watch a piece of your heart struggle. Thankfully, Wren has handled the chemo being used to condition her marrow well. She hasn’t been sick. Mostly just tired. But I can tell it’s taking a toll on her and on Julian.

She’s stir-crazy, since she’s unable to do much but sit around and stare at the walls. Ruby and Henry are here at least once a day. And Ro has given control of most of the day-to-day operations at the center to his assistant so he can be herefor us. It’s nice. I won’t lie. But there’s a constant stream of people in and out and between being cooped up, being poked and prodded, and all the people, Wren is overwhelmed. Julian’s overwhelmed.I’moverwhelmed.

Since today is the day of the transplant, Julian and I decided that everyone needed to go home. He told everyone that he appreciated them so much, but that he wanted to spend time with his family and that I’ll call them when everyone is done, and we’re ready for visitors.

I won’t lie, the spend time with his family thing is nuts. I mean, yeah, I like it. I love it, actually, but it’s still so strange. Julian has taken to calling me Daddy Hold when he’s talking to Wren about me. Ruby and Henry too. I haven’t. Not because I don’t want to be Daddy Hold, but because I want her to feel free to do things at her own pace. I’m happy with whatever she wants to call me.

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