“No need, man. No need.” Will looked over my shoulder, and I turned to follow his gaze.
Bronte stood there, must have been standing there the entire time, tears streaming down her face. Had she heard it all? Did she know my pain? What I was trying like hell to protect her from?
“I went to the house first,” explained Will, “and then turned on my Find-a-Friend to make sure you were okay. She cried the entire time here, so she wasn’t all that helpful.” He gave her a sad smile. “But I told her to wait, to listen. Always two sides to every story.”
I didn’t give Will the chance to walk away. I jerked him in for a massive hug. “You’re the best friend I’ve ever had.”
“Don’t make me cry. She’ll tell my wife.” His voice cracked.
Hearing him call Angelica his wife didn’t make my chest hurt. If anything, I finally felt as if I could smile. His wife.
His wife.
They deserved each other.
They deserved happiness, and I deserved Bronte.
Will walked off down the street toward his car.
Bronte’s face was red, and her eyes puffy from tears. “Will you forgive me?” Her voice was thick with emotion, sick from crying. “Please? I don’t think—” She covered her face with her hands.
“Don’t cry,” I took a step toward her. “Not on your birth—”
I stopped talking.
On her left hand, was the gorgeous ring I’d gotten her for her birthday. I had a speech prepared about it being too soon, but that I hoped one day she’d give me that ring back and tell me it was time, time to replace it with a diamond.
Because I wanted forever, even if I had to wait in order to have it.
“You’re wearing the ring on your left hand.” I felt my throat close up.
She dropped her hands. Two steps and she was in my arms, hugging me. “I know you didn’t ask, but I couldn’t stand to put it anywhere else but there, where people will see who I belong to, who I will be honored to walk with, who I am proud to love.”
I lifted her up in my arms and kissed her hard against the mouth. Our lips parted. My eyes hooded as I drank in her beauty; even after crying, she was stunning. “When you’re ready, I want to replace it, something flashy, something that you can see from space…”
She smiled through her tears. “That’s too bad…” She kissed me softly and whispered against my mouth. “…because I’m not waiting. I’ve never done something so impulsive. Then again, I’ve never really dated the great Drew Amhurst.”
I laughed. “It changes you, doesn’t it?”
“Hey, the ego survived.”
“Always does.” I kissed her again. I couldn’t help it. “What are you doing that’s so impulsive?”
“Telling Drew Amhurst, on my fortieth birthday, that I want to marry him.” Her eyes locked onto mine with such intensity my chest hurt. “And that, you can’t really have a puppy without little kids.”
I went completely still. “Wh-what?” I gripped either side of her face. “Please, please don’t tease me. Don’t dangle something like that in front—”
“You should probably use some of those remaining orgasms and get me pregnant, Drew, and when I say probably, I mean right now.”
“On the park bench? They’ll arrest us.” I swung her around in a circle.
She laughed and threw her head back. “I figure you can pretty much afford to give me anything. You got me a ring, a puppy, you fixed my heart, and now, I want to give us both something…”
“A… baby.” I almost couldn’t say it.
“A baby,” she agreed with a huge smile. “At least we’ll try. I am pretty old—”
I cut her off with a kiss. “Don’t insult my sperm. They’re sensitive.”
“Nooooo!” Amelia suddenly appeared.
“Hey, Not-My-Daughter, remember when you asked where babies came from?”
“No.” She stared, her eyes darting back and forth between us, and then she ran right into our arms. “I followed Will’s car. I was worried.”
“Everything’s fine,” Bronte said.
I kissed the top of Amelia’s head and hugged them. My family. “Yeah, it really is.”
And then, “Braden’s gonna kill you,” Amelia said in a sing-song voice.
I gulped. “Yeah, not really looking forward to the Who’s your daddy? conversation.”
Amelia threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, it will be the best day. I’m gonna film it for a new TikTok challenge.”
“Ah, to be a teen again…” I sighed. “Shall we go home?”
It had slipped out, but it felt right on my tongue, calling her house home. Yeah, Braden really was going to kill me.
I’d promised him I was going to give Bronte a good time.
And he was going to come back to the house he had bought for her and find me moved in and literally trying to impregnate his mom.
Sounded about perfect to me.
EPILOGUE
Nine months and one week later…
Andrew
“I’m too old for this shit, you monster!” Bronte let out another ear-splitting scream while I clutched her left hand and held her ice-chip cup in the other — crushed it, actually, like she was crushing my bones. “Is she here yet?”
I gulped and stared at the doctor, ready to ask him to give her more drugs.
“Close!” the doc said in a way-too-chipper voice as if he had all the time in the world.
She squeezed my hand tighter.
“Hey…” I set down the cup and grazed her face with my fingertips. “…at least we know my sperm are powerful!”
“Really?” Her teeth clenched. “NOW is when you decide to have jokes?”
“Should I wait outside?” I winced.
Her glare said yes, her grip said no.
“All right, Bronte, one more big push. Can you do that?”
I lost all hand function as she squeezed again and let out a scream. Instant baby cries filled the air, and then I felt hot wet tears stream in succession down my cheeks as they placed our tiny girl directly on Bronte’s chest.
“God, she’s beautiful.” My hands shook as I reached out.
And then, “Bronte!” the doc snapped. “I need you to push again. Liz, grab the
