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Corinne had fallen asleep after her bottle, so we put her in her baby carrier and set her in my old bedroom. My parents had bought a baby monitor after the first time I brought her to see them.
It was an unseasonably warm night in January, even for southern Tennessee, so we took the monitor with us outside and built a fire in the pit on my parents’ porch. We continued to talk and laugh, and my parents even broke out the fixings for s'mores. Ellery fit perfectly with my family, as if we’d carved out a spot for her and had been waiting for her to fill it.
Waiting to get my ring on her drove me crazy, but Sheila—the old lady who usually handled the property vests—and her old man had been on vacation and wouldn’t be back for another week. I wanted to wait to propose until she was wearing my property patch.
Not that those things had stopped from trying to knock her up already.
When the fire died down, it was getting late, and I had an early client. Not to mention that we would be up with Corinne a couple more times in the night. So we packed up the car, got our little one, and said our goodbyes.
“I expect my son to bring you back very soon,” my mom told Ellery as she held her face in her hands. “Heck, you don’t need to wait for him. Come see me anytime, beautiful.” Then she kissed my girl’s cheeks before letting her go.
While Ellery spoke with my dad, my mom came over to hug me. “I couldn’t have chosen anyone more perfect for you, Zane. She’s special. Don’t let her go, or I’ll disown you and adopt her.”
I pretended to look offended, but then I laughed and shook my head. “I would do the same thing in your shoes.”
Once we were in the car and headed home, I laced my fingers through Ellery’s and rested our joint hands on my thigh. “Told you they’d love you,” I said smugly.
“Your parents are awesome.” She giggled and added, “They are so cute when they get all mushy over Corinne. Especially your dad.”
“Yeah. It’s hard to believe that anyone could treat them like Laura did,” I muttered bitterly.
Ellery squeezed my hand gently. “She was sick, Zane.”
Sighing, I brought her hand to my lips and kissed the back. “I know, baby. And I’ll make my peace with her eventually, if for no other reason than because of Corinne.”
“You’re a good man,” Ellery whispered.
“I wouldn’t go that far, baby. In fact, when we get home, I’m gonna show you just how bad I can be.”
10
ELLERY
Living with Zane and Corinne was a dream, but I couldn’t help but worry about how difficult it would be to leave them if my relationship ended. I’d never had a boyfriend before, let alone whatever you’d call a man like Zane.
Partner? Lover?
Either way, he hadn’t said anything about love or marriage yet, and I was scared he would get bored with me at some point in the future. And where would I be then? Stuck without a job or home and moving back into my parents’ house.
As happy as I was with him, I needed to protect myself from that being my future. Which was why I’d looked at the job openings in town while he was at Iron Inkworks today.
“You know there’s a new daycare opening up just north of here,” I said as we started back down the stairs now that Corinne was finally asleep for the night.
Zane frowned, turning toward me just as I got off the bottom step. “You mean that one that’s off Thirty? Almost an hour from here?”
I tilted my head. “Yeah, I guess it’s about that far. Anyway, I saw that they were hiring, and since I have experience, I thought it could be good to get something part-time. You know, as a backup.”
“A backup? For what?” He folded his arms across his broad chest, pulling his shirt tighter as the veins in his biceps bulged beneath his tattoos.
Biting my bottom lip, I looked down at the hardwood floor beneath my feet, tracing the lines of the plank with my shoe.
There was no easy way to say that I was worried we would eventually break up. Especially not when things were going so well between us. The last thing I wanted was to pick a fight with Zane.
“Corinne isn’t going to need someone to take care of her forever,” I said, still looking down.
He laughed. “Well, then you’ll have your hands full when our kids start coming.”
I shot my head up, meeting his bright smile. “Our kids? What kids?”
