“Look. We’ve having twin boys. Everything before this is in the past. Let me collect my thoughts and process everything. I’ll call you in a day or two and I’ll have an answer for you.”
“Of course. Absolutely. And I want you to know…”
I should have been getting ready to leave. But Levi came over, standing in front of me, taking both of my hands in his. “No matter what you decide, I want to be there for you and our boys.”
I wanted to cry. Happy tears of course. My mind was pretty much made up. But like I said, I wanted to sit with it for a few. Clear my head.
“I appreciate that.”
I reached up to hug him, and he planted a kiss on my cheek.
“I’ll walk you out.”
Chapter Thirty-One
LEVI
It had been two days since I heard from or saw Rylee. I couldn’t help but constantly pace the floor of my new place wondering if she was going to call. I wanted her to call. I wanted a family with Rylee. There was nothing I wanted more than her and our babies she was carrying.
“Where do you want this, boss?”
There was a new guy working for me, and he was bringing in some hardwood flooring for the first floor.
“Right over there for now.”
I was doing some of the work myself. Cheap labor. I hired on a manager to take care of the day-to-day things for the guests and bookings. I definitely wanted to be hands on as well, but with doctor appointments and everything baby related, I wanted to be around for Rylee if and when she needed.
Once everything was settled, Luke would move into promoting the bed and breakfast online and in advertisements. But first, I needed a name for the place. Trying to keep my brain active with work, I did my best not to dwell on wondering if Rylee would call or not. This bed and breakfast had most of my inheritance into it, and babies sure wouldn’t be cheap. I laughed at the thought of being a dad to twin boys. Rylee and I sure would have our hands full with a pair of Bateman boys.
Hearing a car pull into the driveway pulled me out of my thoughts. Stepping outside and down a few steps, I spotted Rylee getting out of her car. Before I could say anything, she spoke. “Let’s give this another shot. But don’t mistake this as me letting everything slide. Fuck up again and I can’t be responsible for my actions.” She grinned, but I knew she wasn’t joking.
Smiling wide, I pulled her toward me and lifted her off the ground, spinning around with delight. “You mean it?”
“I do.” She gripped my face and planted a kiss on my lips.
“A few more months and you won’t be able to lift me up like this.”
“Doesn’t matter. You’re still as beautiful as the day I met you.” I slid her back down so her feet were planted on the ground.
“What are you doing?” she asked as I took her hand to head inside.
“I’m laying the hardwood flooring throughout the first floor. Oh, and this is Luke. He is taking care of bookings and then will transition into promoting online and advertisements.”
“Luke, this is Rylee, my…. girlfriend and mother of my babies she’s carrying.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Rylee. And congratulations to you both. Whatever you need, I’m here. Just let me know.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Luke.”
“If you’ll excuse me.”
Luke excused himself, so Rylee and I could be alone.
“I found a photographer that specializes in pregnancy shoots. Does Thursday work?”
“Yes. I think that’ll be fine.”
“Let me shoot them a text really quick so we can lock in the date.”
I stepped away to text the photographer. After receiving a response, I told Rylee, “All set.”
“Hopefully, the weather holds up. I got some new maternity clothes, too. So that’s one thing I don’t have to do.”
“I’m sure it will be perfect. Let me order some takeout and you can get off those feet, Mama.”
Once our food arrived, we ate in the finished kitchen. That was one thing that didn’t need work done.
“I really like this kitchen. It has that homey feel to it.” It had a farm sink, white wash cabinets, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances.
I looked around. “Yes. It does. I’m so glad you are giving us another chance. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me. And I promise I won’t let you down.” I leaned forward to plant a kiss on her forehead.
“Action, Levi. It’s all about actions for me.”
I gripped her hand and squeezed it. “I know.”
“Now how about after the photoshoot, instead of sending out announcements, why don’t we display the photos in the living room and do a dinner with all our friends and family and announce it there? And they can view the photos, too.”
My face lit up. “That is a great idea. Get everyone together. We can even call in a caterer, so we don’t have to do any work. And you can finally meet my mom, too. Actually, she recently got engaged to a very nice guy. I met him not too long ago and he asked for my permission.”
“That’s fantastic. We can do all the celebrating in one go.”
“Perfect. I’ll set it all up so you can rest.”
“I’m sure I’m capable of doing something from the couch,” she joked.
Chapter Thirty-Two
RYLEE
It
