Page 59 of The Lonely Hearts Guide

“Too cramped?” Elliot asked, staring at Alexander as if it was the silliest statement he’d ever heard. The cottage wasn’t cramped, it was cozy. Cozier than any other home he’d ever lived in. It wasn’t a mansion like the ones Jared and Mother called home, and it wasn’t miniscule like Arthur and Periwinkle’s library loft. It felt right. Just right.

The living room was one of four rooms in the house, and it took up the most space. A pale shade of blue covered the walls, and there was white trim around the walls. The sofa was white, as was the loveseat. Framed photographs of Alexander in his childhood lined the walls, each in a gray frame. The place had a coastal aesthetic, a love letter to life by the sea. It brought Elliot a sense of tranquility he’d rarely experienced. Maybe one day, after Alexander eventually retired, they could grow old there together. Well, Alexander could grow old. Elliot’s body would never age. He would be a picture of youth for the rest of his life; then when Alexander passed, Elliot would power himself down, leaving this world with the man he loved.

Alexander showed Elliot their small kitchen, complete with a dining nook in the corner, and windows that stretched from floor to ceiling on the other side, giving them an unobstructed view of the ocean. Elliot would get to have breakfast, lunch, and dinner in the nook until Alexander moved them back to Dallas. The view was exquisite, and Elliot decided he would enjoy it for however long he could.

After the tour, the men dressed in shorts and shirts, looking casual for their day in town. Alexander didn’t lock the front door when they left, and Elliot assumed it was because the place was so small, crime was probably non-existent.

“Are you ready?” he asked Elliot.

Elliot rubbed his baby bump and smiled warmly at Alexander. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for this all my life.”

When Elliot entered Twylah’s Sugarplum Treats, he did so on the arm of Alexander Davenport. The bakery smelled like heaven. Baked bread and sugary goodness. A hint of sweet plum hanging in the air as if daring you not to notice it. It lingered. Good, Elliot thought. He hoped the scent would linger for a lifetime, because it was the sweetest scent he’d ever smelled.

The bakery was empty, and Alexander pointed to a small curtain leading into another room. “She’s probably baking. Why don’t you take a seat? I’ll go grab her.”

Elliot took his seat as requested and stared at his surroundings. The black-and-white checkered floor reminded him of the rounds of hopscotch he played with his brothers when he still lived at home with Mother. His life wasn’t always bad, and that was what hurt the most. For three-hundred days, Elliot trained to keep his future husband’s home neat and tidy, surrounded by his brothers. They were all close, but once their suitors came to collect them, they never saw each other again. He hoped his brothers ended up with kind husbands. He didn’t want anyone to suffer at the hands of someone like Jared Price.

Elliot peeked around the room, making sure no one was within earshot. He knew the bakery was empty, so there would be no one to overhear, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

“I love you very much, little one. I can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered. There was pressure against him, as if the child had heard his words and wanted to respond the only way she could. Elliot opened his mouth to tell her they would be selecting her name, and to ask if she had any input, but a sharp pain spread across his stomach, making him cry out for Alexander. He held his arms around his belly, cradling her.

Footsteps thudded through the back room, then the curtain swished open, and Alexander was by his side in seconds.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

“Hurts,” Elliot whined. “Hurts so bad.”

Alexander reached for the hem of Elliot’s shirt and lifted the fabric. Elliot’s eyes were locked on Alexander’s face, his heart racing as he watched the color drain from Alexander’s face. “Dear God in Heaven.”

Elliot was too scared to point out that he wasn’t religious, so he didn’t. “What’s wrong?”

Behind him, Twylah was staring at Elliot’s stomach, looking awestruck. “Well, isn’t that something? Is it normal?”

“Is what normal?” Elliot asked, panicked, but too scared to look down and see what the fuss was about.

Twylah’s eyes widened. “Is she waving?”

“Is who waving?” Elliot’s voice came out as a fearful whine. They were staring at him like his insides had slipped out of him and made a mess on the floor.

“Baby, look.”

Elliot glanced down at Alexander, but he was too busy staring at Elliot’s belly. When Elliot followed his gaze, his entire body went stiff. Where pale skin had once rested on Elliot’s abdomen, the flesh was translucent, revealing a small baby resting inside. It was like staring through a window. The child’s eyes were open, her hair floating around in Elliot’s amniotic fluid.

“Goodness,” Elliot whispered. “She’s right there.”

Alexander’s hand squeezed Elliot’s, and when Elliot looked up, there were tears in his eyes. “She’s really in there.” He looked down at her again, tears streaming, his smile widening. “We’re really having a baby.” Alexander pressed a kiss to Elliot’s skin, the only barrier between him and the baby. The baby pressed her hand against Elliot’s tummy from the inside, practically touching Alexander’s lips.

Twylah was staring at them like she was witnessing the Second Coming. She knelt at Alexander’s side, observing the baby as she spun around in a circle, putting on a show like a synchronized swimmer. Her somersaults felt like acid reflux, not that Elliot had ever experienced acid reflux. He knew the symptoms, though. Jared had suffered heartburn daily, and he complained about it for hours on end.

Even Professor Plum got in on the action, hopping out of Alexander’s shirt pocket and scurrying down to rest on Elliot’s knee, touching his little paw to the soon-to-be newest addition to their home. As the baby poked and prodded from inside of Elliot, he studied her face, memorizing every inch of her. Her wrinkly face and toothless smile. The way she stared at Professor Plum with wonder one moment, and mayhem the next. Her facial expressions reminded him of someone, but he couldn’t remember who that person was.

Then, she lifted her gaze to meet Elliot’s and his heart swelled so much he worried it might burst through his chest. The baby placed her hand against his stomach, never breaking eye contact. Elliot felt an undeniable connection with her, and when he put his hand on top of hers, he felt more peace than he ever had before. It reminded him of the feeling he got when he was near Honey Peppercorn and the way she would sometimes dislodge her dentures to make him chuckle. How her wrinkles held the wisdom of a well-lived life. She’d cared for Elliot in a way his own mother never had.

“I believe I’ll call you Honey,” Elliot finally said, and the look Honey gave him was possibly the sweetest look he’d ever received. Elliot looked up at Alexander. “Would that be all right with you?”

Alexander nodded, tears welled up in his eyes. “I think it’s perfect.”

As Alexander, Twylah, and Professor Plum whispered sweet nothings to Honey, Elliot took a mental snapshot of the moment so he could revisit it later. He wanted to live in it. Elliot wanted to board up the doors to Twylah’s Sugarplum Treats and never leave the moment.

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