Page 64 of Can We Try?

I hold up the plastic bag from the gas station. “You were craving peanut M&M’s.”

“Lachlan.”

“Come sit with me.” Dropping my hand from her face, I lace our fingers together and lead her to the couch. I plop down and gently pull her onto my lap.

“What are you doing?”

“Holding you. Here.” I hand her the bag so that both of my arms are free to wrap around them. “Hey, buddy,” I greet my son. “Daddy loves you.”

“He’s moving,” she says. She adjusts my hand to where she feels him, but I feel nothing. “Soon,” she assures me.

“Soon,” I agree. “This was really sweet of you.” I turn so that I’m sitting sideways with my legs resting on the couch. “I hate that you came out so late just to buy these for me.”

“Maggie, there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you.”

“It feels like we’re shifting,” she tells me.

“Shifting how?”

“I don’t know. Like I’m more than just the one-night stand you got pregnant.”

“You’ve always been more.”

“More than just the mother of your child?”

“Definitely.”

“This is going to make me sound needy, but can you spell it out for me? What are we doing, Lachlan? Lines are blurred, and my heart’s starting to take notice.”

“Good. My heart took notice a long damn time ago. I’ve been waiting for you to catch up to where I am.”

“And where is that?”

“I think about you all the time. Not just because of the baby. I hate sleeping at night without you next to me. So much so, that I have to call you every night before I go to sleep just to hear your voice. Earlier, you asked me if I wanted more kids, and my first thought was only if it was with you. That’s where I’m at.”

I want to say more, but I know how her mind works. She needs to process my words and how she feels about them. That asshole she was with before would tell her things just to bend her to his will. I’m not like that. I know she doesn’t think that I am, but those scars are still there, so she needs time to sort out her feelings. And that’s fine, because I’m not going anywhere.

“You look exhausted.” She’s changing the subject, and that’s fine. I know that’s what she needs right now. We’ll get there. I know we will.

“I am.”

“You should stay here tonight,” she offers, just like I hoped that she would.

“Eat your snack so we can go to bed,” I answer with a smile.

She chuckles, tears open a bag of her sweet treat, and pops a few into her mouth. “Want one?” she asks, placing her hand over her mouth as she speaks.

“Do fish live in water? Yes, I want one.” I open my mouth, and she drops two in, and I chew.

“It’s impossible to eat just a couple.” She holds two more up to my lips, and I open for her.

“Agreed.” She shares a few more with me as we sit quietly, just enjoying the fact that we’re together, not needing to fill the silence with chatter.

“Okay, I can’t eat any more. He’s going to be bouncing around all night, and I won’t get any sleep, but it was worth it.”

“Let’s go to bed.”

She climbs off my lap, and goes around, turning off all the lights, and double-checks that the door is locked, and together, we make our way to her room.

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