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“I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t imagine him not being a part of our lives now.” She nods at me. “Everything just seems so much better.”

“Better,” she whispers as we watch our son slide gently asleep again.

* * *

BRONTË

Somehow Rand’s managed to get us home in one piece. I don’t know how. If left up to me, I would have fallen asleep soon after leaving the hospital and wound up in the bar ditch. Instead, I slept most of the way in the passenger seat with my head banging against the window.

He wakes me gently when we pull into the driveway of the beautiful old Craftsman. It already feels like home. Our home. We remodeled it together, decorated it together, and now we’re bringing home our son together.

“Wait here, and I’ll come around to help you out of the car,” he says. He doesn’t have to tell me twice. I feel a little like I’ve been ripped open from stem to stern and had a baby removed.

Oh wait… Anyway, Rand carefully pulls me from his SUV and then unhooks Keats’s car seat. With me hanging on to one arm and the baby to the other, Rand climbs the front steps to the door.

“Do you think I could have some water?” I don’t want to be demanding, but all I can think about is finding a spot on the couch. “Oh, your couch,” I moan. I forgot I destroyed it earlier.

“Don’t worry about it. It’s all clean,” he assures me. He leads me over and helps me sink down. “Get comfortable. I’ll get you something to drink. Are you hungry?”

“I could eat.”

He sets Keats in his car seat on top of the coffee table in front of me and walks to the kitchen. Our son sleeps happily in his seat while I settle onto the couch.

Within minutes, Rand is back with sandwiches. He’s also brought me a large glass of milk. He’s been reading up on having a new baby again. It makes me love him all the more. We sit in silence, perfectly happily just watching Keats together.

“Can I ask you something?”

He takes my empty plate before answering. “Yes. Anything.”

“Where do you see us going forward? Say, in the next year. Or five years?”

Keats starts to squirm before he can answer. Setting our plates on the coffee table, he lifts the baby from the car seat. He helps me get Keats adjusted comfortably to nurse and sits back down.

I wait to see if he’ll answer my question. In my mind, the future seems simple. But I know we need to be on the same page moving forward.

“I don’t know that I can tell you what will happen in the next five years,” he says. “But I know what I think needs to happen going forward.” He has my full attention. Our futures are irrevocably twined together now. What he is about to say will affect us forever.

“I’m going to be underfoot every minute of the day until the doctor says you’re fully healed. Then, I need to find a job. Something I can do from here, so I can be around when you’re taking the classes you picked out. I have plenty of money for us to live comfortably. You can take your time deciding what you want to do. Whether it’s a full-bore career mom or a stay-at-home mom or something in between.”

“Do you still want to get married?”

“Any time you’re ready. But you need a proper proposal.”

“Even though the answer is already yes?”

“Even though,” he answers with a grin. “Then we just have to watch as Keats grows into the man I know we’ll be proud of. Brontë.” He takes my free hand. “I know this isn’t what either one of us thought our life would be. But there is nowhere else I would want to wind up. You and Keats? You make my life whole.”

He smiles at me, and I wipe the tears off my cheeks. I look down at my beautiful baby and then back up at the man I love more than I thought possible. “I’m glad you chose us,” I whisper. “I can’t wait to be part of this amazing future with you.”

Rand leans over Keats to kiss me. I smile against his lips. This is going to be the most amazing journey I’ve ever taken, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.

epilogue

RAND

“Are you sure this is your baby? He’s way too good-looking to be yours.” I roll my eyes again at Geneva. She’s staring intently at Keats, who is happily lying in her arms. “Thankfully you chose to knock up a model. I can’t imagine what this poor guy would do if he just took after you.” She shudders.

I would smack her except for two reasons. First, she’s holding my son, and I don’t want him dropped on his head. Second, she hits harder than I do.

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