Page 85 of The Obvious Check

“Morning, Pretty Girl.”

“Morning.” Her response is soft, almost hesitant, but she slides a coffee mug across the counter without meeting my eyes. Does she think if she doesn’t look at me, last night will dissolve into some fever dream?

Not a chance in hell, sweetheart. You’re stuck with me now. Forever and always.

She perches on the barstool, and that’s when I spot Stanley glaring at me next to the counter.

“All right, buddy. I got you.” I grab his bowl from the cabinet and start preparing his breakfast.

Savannah watches me work, her fingers curled around the warm ceramic. “So that’s where his food is. Since I’m going to be one of his primary caregivers now, that’s something I really should know.”

Her voice is light. Sweet, almost. I’ve never heard her sound so happy, and damn does it make me proud knowing I’m the reason for it.

“Yeah, Stan’s pretty low-maintenance. He just needs a few walks a day, some snuggles at night, and food. Then he’s a happy boy. Kind of like me.”

“I can see that.”

After setting Stanley’s bowl down, I lean against the counter opposite Savannah and take a long sip of my coffee as I watch her.

“So what are theselogisticswe need to talk about?” Yeah, I brought it up almost instantly because I’m not playing games. I’ll wait forever for Savannah, but I need to know logistics aren’t going to cockblock our future.

She smiles, taking her own sip before answering. “A few things, I guess. Are you su—”

I raise a hand, cutting her off before she can finish. “Sav, I swear to everything sacred, if you ask me one more time if I’m sure I want to marry you, I’m going to have to take drastic measures to prove just how sure I am.”

Her lips part slightly, cheeks tinged with pink. “No, I was going to ask if you were sure you wanted Adley living here.”

Relief floods through me, and I nod without hesitation. “Oh. Fuck yes. Absolutely. No question. We’ll decorate her room however she wants, and you”—I pause, watching her expression carefully—“you can move all your stuff intoourbedroom.”

She swallows hard, her fingers tightening around her mug.

“When you’re ready, of course,” I add quickly because I’m not completely savage. Yet.

“Of course,” she echoes, her voice softer now. “When she moves here… that makes complete sense.”

I watch her closely, the way her eyes flicker with thought, like she’s still trying to wrap her head around all of this. The marriage, the moving in, the fact that this isn’t just a temporary fix… it’s real,and I intend to make sure she never doubts it again.

“And so what are the next steps to get her here?” I ask, tossing Stanley a treat once he’s finished with his breakfast.

She blinks, clearly caught off guard by the question. “I should probably call my foster counselor, Fern,” she says after a pause. “I assume she can put me in touch with the adoption agency and walk me through the process.”

Her voice is even, but there’s something guarded in her expression, like she’s bracing for impact.

“I’d talked about it with her briefly before, but…” She hesitates, rolling her lips together, eyes flicking away like she’s afraid to say the next part out loud. “I don’t think anyone really believed I’d be able to do it.”

“Don’t you love proving people wrong?” I don’t even let her doubt settle. “We’ll get her back, I promise.”

“Mhm.”

My eyes drop to her bare ring finger, and I make a mental note to fix that tragedy ASAP. “Do we need to be married before you contact them?”

“I doubt it. I think living here and being engaged would be enough evidence. We’d probably need to come up with a good backstory about how we met.”

“Easy. Last year. I had the biggest crush on you the moment I saw you in class, but it took me months to work up the balls to actually talk to you.” I take a step toward the kitchen island and lean over so I’m in her space. “You ignored me at first, played hard to get, but I’m a persistent motherfucker when I want something. And I wanted you.” Her pupils dilate as she watches me. “You finally agreed to watch me play hockey and we’ve been inseparable since. Sound good?”

“I, uh, guess so.”

“Perfect. Now that we’ve established our origin story, there’s one more thing.” I grin. “Summer wedding or winter?”

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