Page 95 of Wylder Ranch
“You’ve already been out? What time is it?” she asks, pushing her mop of golden hair away from her forehead. “Where’s the baby?”
Snagging the tie off her wrist, she twists everything into one hand and fastens it on top of her head. Except she didn’t get all of it in, she never does, and the remaining strands frame her face perfectly. A wide yawn follows it, arms stretched above her head, before she bashes the pillow, props it behind her, and leans back with a deep frown.
It’s a whole process.
She’s also taken to wearing my T-shirts to bed, and I fucking love it, especially because they’re too big, likenow with the neck slipping down to expose a stretch of collarbone. I’m unable to resist the temptation to press my lips to her skin, or the little “mmm” that slips from her lips when I do.
Breathing in the hint of lavender left over from last night, I reply, “Nine thirty. And in answer to your question, yes. Everly and I went together. She’s been fed, and I just put her down for her nap.”
“So are you going to tell me what’s going on, why you’re looking at me like all your Christmases came early?” She pauses and pulls my head back up so she can look at me, eyes wide. “Wait, is it Christmas? Did I sleep for two weeks?”
I shake my head. “Nope. Want to try again?”
I’m still holding the plate with the cinnamon bun. Haven swipes her finger through the sticky glaze on top, puts it in her mouth, and lets out a soft, pensive, “Hmm.”
“Want a hint?”
“Yes, please.”
“I was standing by the jukebox.”
She frowns while she tries to figure it out. “The day we first met?”
“Yes.”
“Wait. That’stoday?”
I nod, holding the plate farther out. “Happy anniversary, baby.”
Haven’s face screws up, and her head tilts. I can tell she’s really trying to hold in her amusement. It’s when her lips curl in and she’s rubbing them together that I know she can’t hide it much longer.
A loud laugh explodes from her as she grabs my face and pulls me in for a kiss. I take enormous pleasure inthe way her fingers scratch through my beard. There’s a belonging to it. A familiarity that rings true. That I’m hers.
And we’re awe.
“You are the most adorable man I’ve ever met,” she mumbles against my lips. “Happy anniversary, Alex. What a year.”
“What a year.”
“Thank you for this.” Her teeth sink into the still warm dough. “Mmm. I’m sorry, I didn’t get you anything.”
I watch her enjoying each mouthful, licking the sugar off her fingers after every bite, then pass her the coffee I made to wash it all down.
And when she’s done, I open the bedside drawer, pick up the brown manila envelope, and lay it on her lap.
Her eyes drop. “What’s that?”
My fingers drum while I ride the wave of adrenaline pushing up from my belly.
It arrived yesterday. I had planned to wait until Christmas to give it to her, but as confident as I was feeling in our relationship, if she said no to what I was offering, I didn’t want something else associated with the day, given that I already have a complicated relationship with it.
I didn’t want this to feel equally shitty. I needed it separate. I needed a new beginning and a happy ending.
“It’s something I want to talk to you about.”
Sticky fingers are forgotten, and Haven pushes to sit a little straighter. “Okay.”
“I don’t know if I ever told you, but I’ve always wanted to become a father. I guess because I lost mine so young. But I never had any idea when that would happen. It was abstract, something for a point in the future.” Picking up her hand, I sandwich it between mine. “This year, whenyou were gone. . . it was. . . well, I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. But you came back with Everly, and my future became my present. You’ve given me a happiness I never knew existed.”
