Page 78 of Resilient Rhythms
Levi looks horrified.
“We’re going to lose our lanes!” Mav laments, pointing toward our reserved lanes that are still devoid of a score.
“Fine,” Allegra huffs, grabbing a bowling ball and moving toward the lane. “I’m bowling.” She tosses the ball down the lane and we all watch in stunned silence as the pins crash and— “Holy shit! That’s a strike!” Allegra turns toward us, her arms raised overhead.
Derek beelines toward her, scooping her into his arms. “Hell yeah, it is!”
“I’m a great bowler!” Allegra announces. “How’s that for team morale, Maverick?”
Mav grins and flashes her a thumbs-up sign. “We’re lucky to have you, A.”
“Damn straight you are,” she agrees.
I chuckle as Mav wraps an arm around my shoulders and kisses me sweetly. Then, we settle into our bowling lanes and bowl two games.
It’s fun and silly, easygoing and casual. It reminds me of my college days at UCLA, before I crossed paths with Bran. We laugh and cheer and enjoy each other’s company.
And when we’re done bowling, we go out for dinner to celebrate the best news I’ve ever shared.
TWENTY-ONE
MAV
“You haven’t mentionedanything about a nursery,” I say to Mckenna over dinner later that week. “Your dad and Jeannie want to buy the baby’s furniture and Jeannie has been sending me her Pinterest board updates all week.”
Mckenna snorts but I know she likes witnessing the close relationship I’ve developed with Brian and Jeannie. Both were over the moon to learn our happy news, as was my mom and Nico. The jury is still out on Mckenna’s mom—she’s torn between the horror of being a young grandmother and the joy of having someone call her Glammy. It’s an interesting dilemma.
Mckenna twirls spaghetti around the tines of her fork and bites her bottom lip.
“What?” I press.What isn’t she telling me?
“I wasn’t sure how…” She trails off before placing down her fork and folding her hands together on the edge of the table. “We haven’t really had a chance to talk, and I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”
“You’re my wife, Mckenna. Carrying my baby. Presume away.”
She smiles but her eyes remain serious. Cautious. “Do you want to move in together? I mean, officially? And are we doingthat here or next door?” She bites that lip again and my heart sinks as I realize she needs the words.
Of course she does.
In my mind, we were moving ahead, but my beauty needs me to spell it out for her.
I chuckle. “This wasn’t how I was going to do this but your asking me these questions proves I should have done so already.”
“Do what?”
“Make my grand gesture.”
She lifts her eyebrows. “Your grand gesture?”
“Yep.” I dig into the pocket of my shorts and grasp the key ring. Then, I place it into Mckenna’s hand. “This belongs to you.”
She rears back, her eyebrows knitting. “What? What do you mean?”
I smirk. “Don’t say I never gave you anything worthwhile.”
She sobers. “I would never.”
“I know,” I laugh. “That was my poor attempt at a joke. Beauty, the brownstone next door is your home. Not mine,” I explain. “The deed is in your name. Only your name.”
