Page 107 of Better Daddy
“But you don’t like that answer,” Brian infers.
I pick at the label on my beer bottle, pulling it back and exposing the dark glass. “No. There’s no reason for her to work. So why take the chance?” I shake my head. Fuck. Sloane would hate that answer. “I can’t lose her.”
“You won’t. She’s going to be fine,” Brian assures me.
“We’llmake sure of it,” Cal promises.
Head down, I pull at my hair. “I’m scared.”
That uncontrollable emotion consumes me even after our conversation is over and through T.J.’s bedtime routine. It eats at me as I settle beside Sloane two hours later. As I curl up beside her, studying her without touching her, not wanting to wake her.
“I can feel you watching me,” she mumbles, not opening her eyes.
I press a kiss to her cheek. She looks gorgeous, all rumpled from sleep. “Sorry. Go to bed.”
With a soft hum, she wraps an arm around me and snuggles in closer. “I’m going to be okay, Sully.”
My eyes fall shut and my heart splinters. Of course, she knows I’m freaking out. She’s probably known for hours. “I’m sorry if I worried you. I know you’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”
She angles back, her eyes locked on mine in the mostly dark room. “I know.”
My throat clogs with emotion. “You do?”
Her lips tip up in a small smile. “Yeah, I know you’ll make sure we have the best doctors and I know you’ll be at my side every step of the way.”
“You really believe it?”
For months, I’ve worked hard to prove myself. To make up for all my wrongs. To know that she sees how I’ve changed steals all the air from my lungs.
Sloane brushes her mouth over my cheek. “Yes, Sully, I believe it.” She sets her hands against my heart. “I never once doubted that you would protect me. It was the emotional stuff that you were not so good at.”
“I’m trying,” I say. It guts me that I wasn’t better all along.
“I know. And that’s all we can do. Both of us.Try.”
I bury my face in her neck. “I love you so damn much, Sloane. All I want in this life is you and our kids to be happy and healthy.”
Eyes glazing over with tears, she takes a deep breath. “I love you too. And I am. Happy and hopefully healthy.”
My heart skips at her words. Words that at one point I didn’tthink I’d ever hear again from her lips. Words I’ve been hoping to hear again but have been worried I don’t deserve. My wife loves me. My wife, who I am utterly besotted with, who will always own my heart, still loves me.
I fall back against the bed with a smile on my face and laugh. The day’s stress—hell, the year’s stress—washes away the moment Sloane breaks into a fit of giggles.
Then we’re reaching for one another, quickly discarding our clothes. Our bodies melt together as we tell each other we love one another again, this time without words.
Chapter 38
Sloane
Me: I think we should throw a party.
Lo: Oh, a baby shower! Yes! You’ve finally agreed!
Cal: I’ve already got the perfect theme.
Me: NO! I meant like a real party. A fun one. Maybe invite some women.
Lo: Sounds like a baby shower.
