Page 35 of Soaring and Steadfast

Lila swallowed against the emotion clawing at her throat. “A miracle,” she whispered.

Their eyes met again, something vast and unspoken stretching between them. It was too much. Too intense. Too real.

“Okay, okay,” Trophy interjected, waving a hand dramatically. “Enough ofthatover my baby. We don’t want her contaminated with whatever is brewing between you two. My stars, I think I feel woozy, so I can’t imagine how my little Angel is feeling at ground zero.”

Stephanie laughed softly as Trophy leaned down, gently taking Angel from Louis’s arms. The spell was broken, but the air still hummed with the remnants of everything unspoken.

Louis turned to her, a slightly shy smile playing on his lips before he looked away. Without hesitation, he reached down, lacing his fingers with hers. The warmth of his hand sent a shiver up her spine.

Lila felt the heat rush to her cheeks. The room suddenly felt too small, too warm, and the reality of how she had acted—practically swooning over Trophy’s best friend—made her cheeks burn. She turned, looking toward Stephanie, expecting a teasing remark.

Stephanie didn’t disappoint.

“Whatever this is,” she said, smiling openly, “I heartily approve. This is good for you. I like seeing you smile. So before you go and ruin it by downplaying it—y’all should go have some fun. I think I’ll get another quick nap in and fawn over my husband’s gorgeous genes.”

“I approve, too,” Trophy chimed in, eyeing the two of them. “You’re both doing this weird happy-glowy-thing, and it looks good on ya, brother. Now, get out of here so I can watch my wife sleep because I’m seriously in love with the little snores she makes...”

“Lance!” Stephanie scolded, laughing. “I do not snore.”

“Purr?” Trophy teased. “Weird chest rumble?”

“Oh my gosh...” Stephanie chuckled as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Louis rose beside Lila, pulling her up with him. As they exchanged a glance, something shifted. Everything had changed in the last five minutes, and the weight of that realization settled between them. They made their goodbyes and silently walked down the hospital hallway, neither saying a word.

They didn’t look at each other.

They didn’t speak.

It was like they were both vibrating with sudden tension, ready to explode between them in the best way possible. A few moments later, they were in the parking garage, still not speaking, and it was the same pattern as before. Louis opened her door, walked around the car, slid into his seat, started the car, and sat there.

He sat there staring straight ahead.

She turned to look at him, memorizing his profile, and saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed. He cleared his throat. His eye twitched slightly almost like a nervous tic, and then he spoke.

“I meant it,” Louis whispered in a hushed voice, not looking at her. “I would give you a baby if you wanted one. I’d give you a dozen. I don’t think you look at me like that, though, and things are so fragile right now between us, but I wanted you to know that I was interested if you ever looked at me differently someday or…” his voice faded for a moment, almost like he was gathering his strength to say whatever was in his mind next and Lila was reeling.

You could have knocked her over with a feather at this moment because while they’d both spoken out of turn at the hospital, a hushed whisper between them of something more, a part of her thought maybe he was going to brush it off, but this quiet, understanding, supporting man beside her was doing something different – something no one had ever done beforefor her. Louis was doubling down on his words, supporting her wishes and dreams in a way she never imagined.

DOUBLING. DOWN.

“I know it’s a lot, and you’ve got a past, but… but, I would never harm you, Lila,” he rasped; his profile looked utterly wrecked as he poured out his guts. “I see the other guys getting married or happy going out and making a mess of their lives, but that’s not me. I’ve tried to be that person just so I wasn’t so empty or lonely, but I want something more.”

“Louis…”

“I want a home, a person for me, a family someday,” he whispered faintly, his voice cracking with emotion. “And I’m scared I won’t ever get the chance because I’m not that great of a guy.”

“You are to me…”

And she hesitated, not even realizing that she’d uttered the words aloud between them until he turned and looked at her, his ragged gaze holding hers as he smiled sadly.

“No, I don’t think I am.”

“Why?”

“I’m no saint. And even when I falter in my beliefs, knowing I’m doing wrong, there are times when I still partake because I don’t want to be left alone with myself. I drink, I cuss, I’ve slept around, committed the sin of gluttony with my best friend…”

And to her shock, she laughed causing him to smile slightly as she reached for his hand, and he looked away from her.

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