Page 31 of Bartender's Surprise Baby

“You’re so hard on yourself,” she insisted quietly.

“I know myself, Rob, and I’m the last person who’s going to give me a pass.” I closed my eyes and gripped her hand tighter. “It was never about me not wanting you, Rob. I want you more than I’ve ever wanted another person. It was never about me not wanting our baby either.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “No?”

I shook my head. “It was about whether or not I felt I was good enough for you. For both of you. It was only just me and mymom, and I wasn’t sure I knew how to be what you needed. What a family needed.”

“And now you know?” I heard the skepticism in her voice, and I smiled.

“No, now I’m finally willing to acknowledge what I’ve known for a while. I love you, Rob. I love you, and I want to be with you, and I want to be a father to our baby.”

“Levi, you don’t have to say that.”

“I know I don’t have to, but since I love you, I figured you might want to know.”

Her lips slowly split into a grin. “It is nice to hear.” Her brows crinkled. “You really love me? Because you’ll have access to the baby if you want it.”

“Yeah, Rob, I really do love you. Really.” Each time I said the words, they felt more right. I felt freer. Everything started to feel kind of… perfect.

Rob said nothing for a long time, but her green eyes spoke volumes. She watched me carefully, as if she were memorizing the details of my face, or maybe she was listening to my heart. “Levi,” she sighed heavily. “I told you once before that I learned to listen to a man’s actions because they rarely lie.”

“I remember.”

“And your actions tell me that you care about me. You showed up when I was sick—growly and worried—and took care of me. You let me take over your bar just to get out of Easter Fest. You showed up for me, and you listened to me. You showed me exactly how you felt about me before you even knew.”

I nodded. “And that thing with Sela, I shut it down immediately, Rob. You need to know that.”

“I do,” she insisted. “But hormones are a messy affair.”

“So you’re saying there’s more crazy to come?”

She laughed. “I hate to say so, but yeah, probably.”

I smiled. “That’s fine. I happen to love your particular brand of crazy, and I look forward to seeing more.”

She laughed as tears trickled down her cheeks. “There’s one more thing, Levi.”

“What’s that?”

She leaned in close until we were eye to eye, cupping my face in her small hands. “I love you too. So damn much.”

Scratchkind of perfect. This moment right here?

Pure fucking perfection.

19ROB

"Oh my god, it's crazy out there!" I escaped into the kitchen after two straight hours of whipping up Easter-themed cocktails. "Whose crazy idea was this?"

Levi flashed that panty-melting smile and pulled me against his chest. "I seem to remember you suggesting this madness." He kissed my forehead. "And I'm glad you did because I'm having so much fun."

I pulled back and noted the pink flush on his cheeks from the heat of the stove, the way the small hairs clung to his neck. "Are you?"

He nodded. "I'm having a blast. Who knew Peter Rabbit Ramen would go over so well with the folks in town?"

I threw my head back and laughed. "Add a blue-dyed boiled egg to a yummy broth with noodles, and you've got yourself a hit. The rainbow deviled eggs are big too."

"Guess that food dye was a solid investment." His smile was filled with love as he leaned forward to kiss me again. "You make my life better, Rob."

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