Page 125 of Halo

Bull shit if she thinks I'm waiting.

I pull on a shirt and a pair of gray joggers before shoving my feet into my shoes and taking off down the L-shaped hallway. By the time I reach the elevators, the mechanical whir has swallowed most of Leah’s voice through the spotty connection. The doors slide open, and there she is, standing in the middle with her phone still pressed to her ear.

For a moment, we don't move, frozen by the realization that it's just us, that we are no longer separated by obligations and circumstances, that we are finally close enough to touch.

And fuck, I don't even know where to even start.

Leah barely shifts toward me before whatever restraint I have snaps. I cross the distance between us, catch her around the waist, and haul her against me.

Her hands cradle my face as she rises on her toes and presses her mouth to mine.

I lift her without breaking the kiss, her legs locking around my midsection as I carry her down the hall and back into my room.

I set her on the edge of the twin mattress and kneel before her, my hands resting on her knees.

“I have a confession,” I say softly, my thumb lazily strokes her thigh.

She hums, biting her lip.

“Pictionary pales in comparison to this.”

She giggles. “But we just unlocked ten new colors.”

“Ah, true. But—” I catch her gaze—“there's only one color I really need.”

She leans forward, gently pressing her lips to mine. “You're a good man, Nick Crawford.”

I snort.

She takes my face in her hands. “I'm serious. What you did for my family tonight … Rachel said you never left her side. And then the baby? Were you with her that entire time before Matt and I got there?”

Heat creeps up the back of my neck. “She didn’t have anybody yet. Couldn’t just leave her alone. She’s a cute little nugget, too.” A grin tugs at my mouth. “Actually, I got some pictures for Rachel and Matt.”

“You did?”

I get up and settle beside Leah, pulling out my phone. She leans against me while I flip through them, giggling and awwing until she looks up. “They’re going to absolutely love these.”

“I know it doesn't compare to actually being there during her first few hours of life—”

“But for you to even think about that …”

My heart sinks. “Yeah, I guess—” I sigh—“I think about it a lot.”

Leah’s smile fades as she takes my hand in hers. “About Grady and missing the first few years of his life?”

And Maddie.

Fuck, it's now or never.

I set my phone down beside me and look at her. “I need to tell you something. And … I’m not even sure how to say it.”

Leah quietly sits back. “Okay. What’s going on?”

I exhale heavily. “I have a daughter … Madison.”

“Madison,” she repeats like the refrain of a song.

“She would’ve been thirteen this year.”