Page 175 of Beautiful Storm

“Couldn’t have done that if you hadn’t cared to begin with.”

“I hated you.”

“There’s a fine line between love and hate.”

“You are annoying.”

“That’s hardly fair because I can’t argue with that one.”

Amelia bounces her eyebrows before wriggling her head in my lap and making herself comfortable. “Can you read with me like this?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Good.” I huff out a laugh as the corners of her lips pull into a smile and she adds, “I love you, Babe.”

“Babe?”

“What?" She mocks confusion. "You didn’t think you’d escape your own nickname, did you?”

“One can hope.”

“You love it.”

“Maybe,”I scoff, until the edge of her smile widens.

“Lainey once told me you claimed to reserve nicknames for people that annoy you.”

“She’s right.”

“So, Juliet annoys you?”Dammit. Busted.

“You know she doesn’t. I guess I can’t get anything past you, can I?”

“Never. After all, I am the smartest in the room.”

“Not a chance. I won that title when I asked you to marry me. Smartest idea any of us has ever had.”

Her eyes flash to mine, and the love reflected back at me is blinding. “It’s almost like you wanted it to work out this way. With us as a real family.”

“Hmmm.” I shrug, my gaze back on my book, giving her a noncommittal answer. But she knows that truth. I may not have planned this, but deep down, on a subconscious level, I knew there was no way I was ever going to let them go.

Like a storm, Amelia blew back into my life, but fuck, was it glorious.

Wait. Another storm? God, I’m fucked. My two girls are going to be chaos.

We’re both quiet for a few minutes, and the dead silence makes me stretch up to check the crib, finding Juliet sleeping peacefully. I smile before running my fingers through Amelia’s hair.

“I may not have been thinking long-term when I proposed our fake marriage, but the second you said ‘I do,’ I had the strongest feeling that there was no going back. At the time, I thought that was a negative, but it wasn’t. It was the start of something perfect.” Chaotic but perfect.

My smile widens until Amelia doesn’t respond, and when I glance down, her eyes are closed.

“Amelia?”Still no answer.

I bark out a quiet laugh. It figures. Of course she’d fall asleep when I try to be romantic. Even when she’s dead to the world she can sass me.

“It’s scary how much I love you. Both of you. But I do. And you’re stuck with me. Now please, for the love of God, will both of you have a long sleep.”

I smile to myself as I grab my book, and I’m just about to start reading when Amelia takes a deep breath. “We love you too,” she whispers sleepily, making me smiles. “But it’s hard to sleep when you keep talking.”

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