Page 116 of Bonus Daddy
“Look at me.” He tilted my chin up and held my gaze, his eyes burning with intensity. “I choose you and Kit and Greta. Every day, I will choose you. For so long, I didn’t think I could have it all. That I even deserved it. But then I found you again and realized genuine happiness was worth fighting for. I’ll make mistakes and get things wrong, but I’ll work my ass off to make it right and to put you and the kids first.”
My heart panged. How could I not be madly in love with this man? I’d been so angry for falling hard and fast, but what choice did I have?
“I choose you too,” I said softly, wrapping my arms around his torso. “I’m scared as hell, but this is right. I know it in my bones.”
We remained like that, wrapped in one another’s arms, and I embraced the connection and allowed his love to sink into me, all the way to my soul. This sensation was the kind of thing most people dreamed about. It was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of love. Sure, it would be challenging, but there was no use fighting this.
“I’m scared too,” he murmured against the top of my head. “But if anyone can do it, it’s us.”
“That’s very positive of you.”
“What can I say? You’re rubbing off on me. I’m becoming a full-blown optimist.”
I palmed his cheeks and pulled him down for another kiss, this one far less gentle. He cupped my chin and teased my lips open, and as he explored my mouth, I melted into him.
“Wait,” he said, pulling back.
Ugh. Things were just getting good, and there was a perfectly good lock on his office door.
“I want to show you something.” He sidestepped me and pulled what looked like rolled-up paper from the shelf behind his desk.
“What is that?”
“This,” he said with a wink, “is having it all.” With care, he unrolled the papers and laid them on his desk.
I tilted my head, trying to decipher the design. “Are those blueprints?”
He nodded, a grin taking over his entire face. “I spoke to Josh. Negotiated a land deal.”
Confusion swirled in my mind, like all the bed rotting I’d done these last couple of days had affected my processing skills. “What are you talking about?”
“Your barn.” He traced his fingers over the design. “You, Jessica Lawrence Mosely, now own this lovely piece of property in Maplewood, Vermont. And these are the plans for your barndominium conversion. Multiple bedrooms, a screened-in porch, with a music room for Kit, a his-and-hers home office, and a small yoga studio.”
My breath caught and my knees wobbled. This was something out of my wildest fantasies.
“How did you do this?”
“I’m a lawyer, remember?” He’d quickly reverted back to the confident man who was so good in the courtroom. “Paperwork and contracts are kind of my thing. So this is a gift. To you and the girls. You can make any changes you want. Do whatever you want. But it’s yours.”
My heart pounded wildly, and blood rushed in my ears. Was he saying what I think he was saying?
“I love you. I love Kit and Greta. And I love Vermont. So we’re gonna build your barndominium on the farm. A little house where we can spend the summers. That way the kids can have the Vermont childhood you’ve dreamed of.”
I shook my head, not understanding. “But what about your work?”
“I’ve already filed my application to the Vermont bar. It will take a few months to get licensed, but I’ll work remotely from the farm in the summers and come back to the city when necessary. Cal and Sully are on board. Also.” He tapped the blueprint. “You’ll see the design has two large guestrooms to accommodate the visitors we’ll likely have.”
I traced my fingers over the walls and the roof. My mother’s barn, turned into a home for us and the girls.
“Cal is already planning an annual firm retreat. And Lo’s already had to talk him out of a maple syrup–drinking competition.”
I let out a laugh. That was classic Cal.
“Why?” I asked, more tears welling in my eyes. “Why are you doing this?”
He put his arm around me and pulled me close. “Because I love you. And Vermont and the farm are part of who you are. You and the kids deserve everything. This way”—he nodded at the plans—“we can have it all together. School in the city, summers on the farm, ski weekends in the winter. We can even drive up for the Maple Festival every spring.”
I had melted into a puddle. That sounded perfect.
