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I do the math and it all lines up. Why hadn’t I done that before? How stupid I’d been to think she’d just moved on and had a kid with someone else! Yeah, she delivered a little early, but not that early.
I find myself smiling when I meet Lizzie’s gaze again. I can see the fear in her eyes melt away, and she smiles back, though it’s tentative.
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” I rejoin them on the couch, pulling them both against my chest in a protective hug. “God, you didn’t have to go through this whole pregnancy by yourself. I would have been there with you.”
“I couldn’t call you, and I had no idea how to contact you,” Lizzie explains, her eyes still watery and full of emotion. “By the way, your handwriting is shit.”
I laugh, not just out of amusement but from relief. Relief that she hadn’t ghosted me, relief that we are here with each other now. Relief that there’s a possibility of moving forward together.
“I was also afraid,” she admits, looking down at Isaac. More tears start rolling down her cheeks. “You made it pretty clear how you felt about having children. I thought you might hate me, and I’d be heartbroken, but I didn’t want Isaac to be the only reason we were in each other’s lives.”
“Hey…” I cup her chin and gently shift her face toward mine so she will look me in the eye. After I wipe her tears, I meet her innocent gaze. “Isaac wouldn’t have been the only reason I’d want to be in your life. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since our night together. I’m all in, Lizzie. If you’ll have me.”
I don’t miss the way her breath catches in her throat. I thumb her bottom lip, and she breaks into a wide smile.
“Really?”
“Yeah.” I smile.
I cup her cheeks and kiss her. It feels so good to kiss her again. It’s like my body breathes a sigh of relief the moment her lips touch mine. In that brief, magical second, the chaotic world around us fades into insignificance, leaving only us. Her. The baby. Me. I slide my hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head to keep her in place. The air crackles and intense, palpable electricity surges between us, and her body sags against mine in response.
God, the things I’m going to do to her.
Unfortunately, they have to wait. No sex for her. At least for a few weeks until she’s fully recovered. But that doesn’t deter me from deepening the kiss. Softly, my tongue pushes past her lips and strokes hers. She opens up to me, lets out a soft moan, melting under my touch.
Our kiss is interrupted by the sound of a small burp in Lizzie’s arms. Chuckling, I pull away as Lizzie bursts into a fit of giggles, staring down at Isaac.
“Way to kill the mood, kid,” she teases, lifting the little guy up to sit.
I watch her interact with him with new eyes and clarity. Facial features in Isaac that I couldn’t pinpoint before suddenly remind me of my own. I see my cheekbones, my chin, even the natural side part in his thick hair is similar to my own.
“So…what comes next?” Lizzie inquires, her voice husky, her eyes gleaming.
I reach out to take Isaac’s hand, smiling as he squeezes my finger. “You finish feeding and burping him, then I’ll watch him for a bit so you can nap.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She pokes me gently in the ribs.
“I know,” I chuckle. “But you’re exhausted and need your sleep. What were you thinking going out and about a few days after having a baby?”
“Well, there’s a listing available for my dance studio, and I didn’t want to miss the chance to check it out.”
“Right. I’ve got the inside scoop from Mr. Loughty, and I sure hope it was worth the excursion.” I lean in. “What did you think?”
“It’s perfect,” she says, a gleam in her eyes.
“So, you’re going to rent it, right?”
Her shoulders lift and fall in a resigned shrug. “I don’t know,” she says with a sigh. “I want to. There’s just a lot of responsibility attached to it, and with a new baby…I have to think about it.”
The idea of her putting her dream on hold bothers me. I’m more than willing and able to offer support, but I sense that if I bring it up, she’ll shut me down. Plus, there’s a heap of other details to navigate, like how we’re going to handle parenting as we move forward. Because when I said I’m all in, I meant it.
“I get it. It’s a big decision, especially with everything going on. We’ll figure it out together, okay?” I assure her, brushing her hair from her face. “In the meantime, let’s just enjoy this time together with our baby.”
Lizzie rests her head against my chest, and I wrap my arms around both of them again. “Fine. But only because you asked so nicely.”
I chuckle, planting a kiss on the top of her head. “You’re too kind, indulging me like this.”
Lizzie looks up at me with a playful glint in her eyes. “Well, what can I say? I’m just too good at spoiling you.”
