Page 48 of Always Yours

“Ally, talk to me, please.”

She raises her eyes and levels me with a look. “I want to be mad at you for lying to me, for thinking that you weren’t enough to make me happy. I want to be mad about all the time that we wasted, but I can’t.”

“You can’t?”

She shakes her head and points at the bassinet. “If things were different, we wouldn’t have Kennedy, and we both know that even though it took us down different paths, we made it to here. We have each other, we have our daughter. I can’t be mad at you because I have to believe that all of this happened for a reason.”

I reach for her, plucking the hem of her shirt and pulling her toward me. “And future babies? What about them? Are you going to resent me, Ally?”

She reaches for me, cupping my jaw in her hand. “You fool. I could never resent you. I love our little family, and if it’s meant for us to have more, it will happen. How doesn’t matter to me. All that matters is I have you now, and I don’t want to let you go.” She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “Two. I would have chosen option two.”

She barely gets the words out before I pull her to me, wrapping my arms around her lush body. She burrows into me, and I kiss the top of her head. “Fuck, I love you, Ally. I always have and I always will.”

She lifts her eyes and looks into mine. “I love you, Austin. I always have and I always will.”

Our lips meet, and I ravage her mouth, putting every emotion I’ve felt today into this one kiss. She tilts her head to the side, and I deepen the kiss, wanting to consume her. I could get lost in us until I hear Kennedy’s soft whimper.

Ally raises her head to look at me. Her lips are swollen, and her hair is mussed. She glances at the baby and then back at me. “I’m sorry. I should feed her.”

I nod. “Don’t ever apologize to me, Ally. We have forever. Have a seat. I’ll bring her to you.”

She sits down, and I go pick up Kennedy. Feelings erupt inside me as I hold Kennedy in my arms. With her and Ally in my life, I want to be a better man… the best man.

I kiss Kennedy’s head and then place her in her mom’s arms. She was waiting for her, and she holds her to her breast. Kennedy immediately latches on, and I sit and pull Ally against me. I don’t take lightly the fact that I have my whole heart in my arms.

Epilogue

Ally

Iget home from the salon and rush through the door. I was hoping to get home before Kennedy went to sleep, but I know I didn’t make it.

After kicking my shoes off at the front door, I drop my purse on the kitchen counter and make my way up the stairs, practically sprinting to the nursery. But once I’m in the doorway, I stop in my tracks.

Austin is sitting in the rocking chair, holding a sleeping Kennedy against his bare chest. I could watch them together for hours. I have done just that plenty of times.

I lean into the doorway with my arms crossed over my chest.

Austin’s eyes slowly open, and he smiles at me. With a whisper, he says, “You’re home. I tried to keep her awake, but she wasn’t having it.”

I nod. “It’s okay. This is the only day I’m working this week. I’m okay,” I reassure him. Over and over, he’s told me he’d support me in whatever decision I made. He didn’t care if I never worked another day in my life, or if I chose to go back to my regular schedule, he would support me. The decision was mine. In the end, I knew I didn’t want to be away from Kennedy—or him—all the time, so I made the decision to only work one day a week. However, this time, that one day was literally all day.

I whisper to him, “How was it spending all day with a baby? Are YOU doing okay?”

He shrugs, and I have to admit he looks completely refreshed and happy. “I’m fine. My brothers all took turns coming today, so Kennedy and I have been pretty busy.” He looks at me sheepishly. “Plus, Natalie, Elle, and Isabella came by, so yeah, I pretty much just sat here all day.” He gestures to Kennedy in his arms. “And she, the little traitor, ate it up. I thought for sure she’d hate having my brothers or the girls holding her, but nooooo, she enjoyed every minute of it.”

I move into the room and sit on the arm of the chair. “You’re jealous.”

He shrugs. “Yeah, I am. But also, it feels good. This little girl has a lot of people that love her.”

I put my hand to my chest. “Yes, yes she does.”

Austin leans his head against me. “Also, just so you know, Natalie went into labor.”

I jump up from the arm of the chair and look at him. “What? Austin, we need to be there, right? We should go. Or you should go.”

He shakes his head and stands up from the chair. He kisses the top of Kennedy’s head before laying her in her crib. When he stands up, he reaches for me. “We should go, but I already told them that we’d be there tomorrow. When we get up, we’ll go.”

It doesn’t feel right. “Austin, your family is…”

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