Page 124 of The Secrets We Built Together

"Doing what?"

"That dreamy smile thing. It's disgustingly sweet." She grinned to show she was teasing, but then her expression softened. "I'm so happy for you, Blake."

I pulled her into a hug, careful of her baby bump. "I never thought I'd have this," I confessed against her hair. "Any of it."

She pulled back to look at me, her eyes suspiciously shiny. "You deserve every bit of it."

Amelia let out a squeal, demanding our attention. I scooped her up, settling her on my hip where she immediately grabbed a fistful of my hair.

"Guess who's here?" Delaney said, peering out the window. "Your future father-in-law."

My stomach did a little flip. Despite all that had happened—all that we knew—Jasper was still a complicated figure in our lives. But he'd pulled through for us when we needed to find Madison, and he was determined to prove that he meant what he said about wanting to be there for his sons.

And now, for me and Amelia too.

"I should go help Trace with the food before he burns something," Delaney said, disappearing into the kitchen.

I watched out the window as Jasper climbed out of his truck, then paused to look up at the house. He seemed to take a deep breath before heading for the door. He still carried himself like a man who wasn't sure of his welcome, and there was something in that uncertainty that made me ache for him.

Healing took time. None of us knew that better than Xander.

The sound of another car pulling up the driveway drew my attention, and I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face when I recognized Xander's truck. He'd been running last-minute errands all afternoon, insisting that our impromptu engagement party needed a proper cake.

"Look who's here, strawberry," I whispered to Amelia. "It's your daddy."

I watched as Xander climbed out of his truck, grocery bags in hand. He paused to say something to Jasper, who had stopped halfway up the path. I couldn't hear what was said, but I saw Jasper nod, saw the small smile that curved his lips. Then Xander clapped a hand on his father's shoulder, and they walked to the door together.

Something loosened in my chest at the sight.

We'd all been broken in different ways. All carried scars from people who should have loved us unconditionally but didn't. But here we were, making a different choice. Building something better.

The front door opened, and Xander stepped inside, his face lighting up when he spotted me and Amelia by the window.

"Hey, you," he said, crossing the room to press a kiss to my temple. "Miss me?"

"Terribly," I deadpanned. "We were absolutely bereft without you for the whole three hours you were gone."

He grinned, then bent to kiss Amelia's head. "And how's my little bug doing?"

Amelia responded by grabbing for his nose, nearly poking him in the eye in the process.

"Feisty today," I said, shifting her to my other hip. "Must be all the excitement."

"Booker and Reece should be here any minute," Xander said, glancing at his watch. "And Dex is apparently nearly here. How do I know? He called me twice on the ride over to update me because apparently we always do the good stuff before he gets there."

The happy look in his eyes made my heart skip a beat. After all this time, he still had that effect on me, like the world narrowed down to just the two of us whenever he looked at me that way.

"Gross, they're being mushy again," Cade announced, appearing in the doorway with an exaggerated grimace.

"Better get used to it, bud," Xander said, not taking his eyes off me. "This is just the beginning."

Cade rolled his eyes but couldn't hide his smile. He'd been the first to congratulate us after we announced our engagement, throwing his arms around both of us in a hug that nearly knocked us over.

"Mom says dinner's almost ready, and can you please bring Amelia to the kitchen because she needs to eat before she gets cranky."

"On it," I said, reluctantly breaking eye contact with Xander. "Come on, strawberry, time for dinner."

The kitchen was controlled chaos. Trace was pulling a lasagna from the oven while Delaney tossed a salad. Jasper was carefully setting the table, counting out plates and silverware with a concentration that seemed excessive for the task.

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