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  “The birth mom would have preferred a couple, but she said she looked through your folder, and it feels right. She chose you, Row.”

  “And she signed her rights away? It’s all signed and—”

  “Yes, honey.” Diane pulled an arm around my shoulder, and I stroked the cheek of the sweetest baby boy I had ever seen. His tan skin looked almost like my own. I felt the tears rolling down my face. “You okay?”

  “I’m more than okay.” I hiccupped through a sob, afraid to scare the beautiful child in my arms.

  “It’s surreal, isn’t it?”

  “You have no idea.”

  “You have to leave him here tonight. I will give you the list of things you need for the walkthrough and home inspection, but babe, I know you. You got this. And anything you need, I’m here.”

  “I got this,” I whispered, my heart full and heavy at the same time. What would Jason say? We had just talked about kids earlier. Though, talk and reality were two different things. What if he didn’t want this? Did it matter? As I looked at the baby boy in my arms, my baby boy, protective instincts kicked in.

  Jason would have to figure it out, because I was a mom.

  JASON

  He was bone tired.

  One of the shop windows was broken and now boarded up. It wasn’t too bad. Thankfully, insurance would take care of it the next day, and it had been a back window by his office, so it wasn’t like he had to close shop tomorrow.

  “Row?” he spoke into his cell when he pulled up to his empty driveway.

  “Hey.”

  “Where are you?”

  “At home.”

  “No, you’re not. Your car’s not here.”

  “I’m sorry, no, I mean, my place.” He frowned.

  “Why are you there? I thought it was my place this weekend?” he asked, starting his car back up and reversing out of the drive.

  “I know. I just—”

  “Row?” Worry hit his gut. He should have gone with her. Who the hell had called in the middle of the night, and why would she go running?

  “We need to talk,” she said gently, and his jaw clenched. ‘We need to talk’ was never a good thing, especially coming from a woman.

  “I’ll be there in five.”

  “See you here, Jay.”

  The drive was short and fast, but even then, a million different scenarios rushed through his head.

  Putting his car in park, he slipped out of it, rushed to her door, and opened it only to find her sitting on her couch, a small blue blanket on her lap.

  “Rocio?”

  “Hi.” She smiled looking up at him. He couldn’t read the expression on her face, and it terrified him.

  “What happened?” he asked as he moved closer to her, sitting next to her. She grabbed his hands and looked up at him. Her dark eyes glittered with tears, and his stomach clenched. “Talk to me, baby,” he softly said, slipping a hand away to gently cup her face.

  “Do you remember when my brother had his situation, and the kids came to live with me?”

  “Yeah,” he carefully answered, praying Bruno hadn’t fallen off the wagon. The last time had been difficult on Rocio.

  “I, umm… Brad and I had broken up, and I loved having the kids here.”

  “They’re great kids. Hard not to love them being around.”

  “Exactly.” She pressed her lips together. “After they left, I kept in touch with Sharon.”

  “The social worker.”

  “Yes. Well, she introduced me to Diane, but I knew her from high school. We took yearbook together,” she rambled and shook her head. “Anyhow, she’s an adoption mediator now.”

  “Okay.”

  “Fostering, I could have kept doing that, but falling in love with a child and not knowing if they were going to take him or her away, I knew I wouldn’t be able to handle that. I don’t have that in me,” she shared unnecessarily. He knew that. He knew it all. He had been there when she’d get sad and show up at his place with pizza saying her place was too quiet the first couple of months after the kids had gone back to live with their dad. She had been more brokenhearted about them being gone than Brad.

  “Okay.”

  “My niece and nephew, that was okay because when they left, it was because Bruno was better and healthier. Plus, it wasn’t like they were going to be leaving my life. I see them all the time.”

  “Right.” He watched her close, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

  “She said the chances were slim, but there was no harm in trying,” she continued, and he tried to keep up with what she was telling him.

  “Trying?”

  “Adoption.”

  “Adoption.” His eyes widened, and his heartbeat picked up. He glanced down, his eyes on their hands, and the material below caught his eyes. He quickly realized the soft blanket on her lap wasn’t a throw blanket.

  It’s a baby blanket.

  “I’m a single woman. Birth moms usually look for couples and—”

  “Then let’s get married,” he blurted out, feeling like an idiot. Not because of what he had just said. Marriage was going to happen sooner or later with them, but he felt stupid for not having thought about it before. This was a great idea.

  “Wait. What?”

  “Let’s get married,” he repeated confidently. She was already his, and he was dying to see his ring on her finger. Something she wore day in and day out that showed the world she belonged to him.

  “Jason.” She tried to take her hand away from his, but he didn’t let her. Hell no. She was his, and he was hers, whether she wanted him or not, and they would be together through thick and thin, but especially for this conversation.

  “I’m serious. Why didn’t we think about this earlier?” he questioned, and she blinked once. Twice.

  “Jason—”

  “I would have loved seeing you swollen with my child, but things don’t always happen the way we want them. Dreams can be fulfilled in different ways, honey, I get the risks are high at our age, and that’s fine.”

  “You mean my age,” she cut him off, and he shook his head, feeling beyond clear-headed and suddenly re-energized.

  “Our age.”

  “Jason, you’re crazy.”

  “Anyhow, it’s not like we weren’t going to.”

  “To what?”

  “Get married,” he clarified, and she stilled.

  “Baby-”

  “Hold on.” He let go of her hand, rushed out to his car, and grabbed what he was looking for from the gym bag in his trunk, then hurried his old ass back into her house. When he walked in, she stood, but he kneeled in front of her.

  “Oh, my god,” she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “Jason, you don’t have to do this. I haven’t even told you—”

  “I love you. I’m not doing this out of nowhere, Row,” he admitted honestly. He had thought of nothing but this and their future since that first night he had stepped into her house as her man instead of her friend.

  “Jay—”

  “I’ve loved you for what feels like my entire life,” he confessed and swallowed hard. “I’ve wasted a fuck ton of time, time I will never get back.”

  “We don’t have to rush this, though,” she started to say, and he smiled because he loved how well he knew her. He squeezed her hand looking up at his world.

  “I’m not. This is right. We’re not kids anymore. I have never been readier for something than this and our future, Rocio. I love you. I love you with everything, every piece of me, and you gotta know, baby, I’m done wasting time.” She sniffled, and he kissed the top of her head. “You’re mine, and I’m yours beautiful. Wear my ring. Marry me.” His throat was tight, and his heart raced, not because he was unsure of what he was doing but because he had never wanted anything as much.

  “Yes,” she finally spoke, breaking the silence with a sniffle. His eyes widened.

  “Say it again.” His voice trembled, and he couldn’t give a shit if it m
ade him look like a pussy. His girl. His woman was saying yes.

  “Yes!” Her laughter filled the air.

  “Again,” he pushed, thinking he could never feel luckier or more blessed than he did right then.

  “Yes! Yes! Yes!” She giggled, falling down to her own knees, wrapping her arms around him, and they fell back, but he held her body safely on top of his own. His hands went to her head. She was fucking beaming at him.

  “You want to see the ring?” he asked, and her eyes sparkled.

  “When did you buy it?” The awe in her voice and the way she was looking at him made him feel like a fucking caveman. The need to take her ran through his veins, but it wasn’t the moment.

  “After I left your house before I got home to prepare for our first date,” he shared honestly, getting the box from where it had fallen beside him, and opened it for her.

  “Jason.” She sat up and off him, but he didn’t let her get away too far. Sitting up as well, he adjusted them, so she was straddling his lap. He doubted she noticed what he had done. She was too busy admiring her ring. “How did you know?” she asked with wonder, and he liked that he had surprised her.

  “I know you.”

  “You do, but this is—”

  “You.” He took the ring from the box she held and grabbed her left hand. “Tell me again.”

  “Ask me again, Mr. Bossy Pants.”

  “Row, row, row your boat, will you marry me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, and they both watched as he slipped on the ring he had chosen. Beautiful and classy, the two-carat art deco, cushion-cut engagement ring fit her perfectly. “It fits,” she whispered and giggled before turning her eyes back to his.

  “Did I do good?”

  “You did amazing. I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Rocio.” He nuzzled his nose over hers before he pulled away.

  “There’s a baby,” she said, and he blinked wondering how the hell things had become this right in his life. Their life.

  “Our baby?” he guessed, and she pressed her lips together.

  “He’s beautiful and perfect.”

  “He’s ours.” He leaned his forehead on hers and held her close.

  “I’m terrified,” she confessed, a smile still on her face. He was confused.

  “Why?”

  “How can someone be this happy?”

  “This is only the beginning, baby, only the beginning,” he spoke into the top of her head as he hugged her close.

  Pulling away, he looked and smiled at her. “Okay. So?”

  “So?”

  “So, what do we have to do to get ready for our boy?” he questioned, and she beamed before squealing with joy as she wrapped her arms around him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ROCIO

  “YOU OKAY, BABE?” JASON INQUIRED, and I nodded, giving him a wink before he stepped out of the nursery.

  Six months had passed by in a blur.

  It had started with a quickie wedding after we had spoken to Diane about my upcoming change in marital status and what she thought was best. It only took Jason three days to get another ring on my finger after having asked me to be his forever, and I didn’t mind bypassing a big wedding and all the hoopla it came with. In a small-town courthouse, about an hour out of Chicago, surrounded by my mom and his family, we had vowed to love and support one another until our last breath.

  Two weeks later, Dominic Sommers had arrived at home to his mom and dad, and life had never been sweeter.

  “I can’t believe he’s eating a whole jar now,” Jason proudly said as he came back in with a bottle.

  “I know.” I grinned. Dom had a great appetite.

  “Here, I’ll feed him. You get ready for bed.”

  “You sure?” I double-checked, and Jason winked, brushing his lips against mine.

  “Of course. Go. It’s man time, right, Dom?” he spoke in a deep voice to our son, who watched his daddy with wide eyes and a smile of his own.

  “Okay.” I kissed the top of the baby’s head before stepping out of the room and stopping.

  “You’re momma’s so pretty, huh?” Jay cooed to Dom, and I stifled my own laughter before I headed to our bedroom, in love with my boys and life.

  JASON

  Dom was asleep in his arms, and he couldn’t believe how much his life had changed. He looked out the window and watched an owl perched on the tree in their yard. The bird was white and gray. Something about the way it seemed to be staring right at him made him stand, with his child in his arms, and get closer to the window to get a better look at the bird.

  Life is good when you have someone to smile and laugh with. His grandfather’s voice rang in his ears almost as if he were there with him, and Jason stilled. How the hell is that possible? He wondered, his eyes pinned on the owl.

  You did good, son. I’m proud of you. Always have been, Jason. The owl tilted its head toward him. Breathing became almost impossible for Jason.

  He jumped in the rocker, realizing he had dozed off with Dominic in his arms in the nursery. He stood and set a sleeping Dom in his crib, then walked over to the window, and his breath caught as a knot formed in his throat.

  The majestic-looking owl sat perched on the branch. It almost glowed in the darkness with its white and gray plumage.

  “Jason?” Rocio called out, and he turned to look at her in the doorway. “You okay? You ready for bed?” she asked, walking toward him in a lavender satin robe. He knew she was wearing a matching nightie with ecru lace trim beneath, and he took her hand.

  “Look at this,” he started to say as he turned to point toward the tree, but the branch was empty.

  “What was it?” she asked, looking out into the darkness of their yard.

  “Nothing.” He shook his head knowing his grandfather had sent him a sign. The last small thing that had weighed heavily on his shoulders was now gone, and he knew that even though life could be bumpy, everything was going to be okay. “I thought I saw an owl.”

  “Owl, huh?” she asked, leading him out of the nursery. “Your grandfather liked owls.”

  “He did?”

  “Yeah. You know how I used to hang out over there when you were in New York?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He always used to say they were almost as wise as him.” She chuckled, shaking her head. “Your grandma got into bird watching for, like, a month, and after that, he always said that.” She kissed him as they settled into bed.

  Thanks, Pop. he thought as he held his woman in his arms and drifted off to sleep, his heart lighter than it had been in over a decade.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ROCIO

  “WHAT IS THIS?” I GASPED, STEPPING into my old home, looking around wondering what the hell he was up to. The living room was filled with candles and rose petals.

  “Happy anniversary, Row.” He grinned at me, and I looked at what used to be my living room. Taking in the sight of it made my heart skip a beat.

  After we got married, we’d moved into Jason’s house. It was bigger, and it made sense to have us start our lives there, but I hadn’t sold my place. Instead, I had rented it out, and it had been occupied until two months ago.

  Jason had called earlier while I was at work, asking if I could meet him here because he wanted to talk about what to do with it, and if I was honest, I had arrived slightly annoyed at him, making me come here instead of home.

  “Anniversary?” I repeated, tearing my eyes away from the beautiful way he had set things up, and looked up at him.

  “From the night you called me and made me promise you not to let you chicken out of telling me something.” My lips twitched at his answer.

  “Anniversary of when we became us?” I surmised, and he gave me his sexy boyish smile. How was it that he was just as sexy as he had been when I had first met him over twenty years before?

  “Yeah.”

  “You are super romantic, Mr. Somers,” I told him, placing my hands on his strong chest.
>
  “Didn’t you know I would do anything to woo my woman, Mrs. Somers?” he rumbled as he held me intimately. Being in his arms made me feel like we were the only two people on earth.

  “I can’t believe it’s been a year,” I spoke to his chest as I rested my head there, the steady beat of his heart music to my ears.

  “A lot has happened,” he mumbled to the top of my head.

  “I don’t remember life ever being this bright. This… amazing.” He squeezed me tighter, and I looked up at his glittering blues. “I love you, Jason Somers.”

  “I love you, too, Rocio Somers.”

  “So, this is?”

  “You need to take this”—he handed me a deep purple gift bag with gold tissue paper—“and this”—he handed me a glass of wine. “You’re going to go to your old room, drink that, and change into this,” he ordered, and not only did my mind recognize that line, but my body did as well. “When you’re done and ready, I want you to come out here. I’ll be waiting.”

  He leaned forward and brushed his lips lightly against mine, making my body immediately yearn for so much more.

  “And when I come out here?”

  “I think I’m sure we can come up with a couple ideas.”

  “Babe, this is hot, but what about Dom?”

  “Jax and Lilly are babysitting, plus Mom is stopping by for dinner to help them.”

  “You’ve thought about everything, haven’t you?” I smiled, biting my lip, loving the way his eyes flared up with lust.

  “Now, you going to go do as I say, baby, or am I going to need to punish you?” I shivered, enjoying his dirty threats. “No thinking, just following orders, my dirty girl. Chop. Chop,” he ordered, and I did.

  We might not have recreated the night exactly to a T, but if I was honest, it was even better the second time around, and I made sure to be an extra dirty girl for my man.

  JASON

  His woman was sleeping deeply as he held her naked body in his arms, their bodies draped over the couch. The purple material of the lingerie he had picked up was now ruined and lay on the floor in front of him. A satisfied grin washed over his face as he settled deeper into the couch. The reminder of how he had ruined the intimate wear felt like a fucking blue ribbon.