Beautiful Broken Promises(91)
All three of them, Jax, Jace, and Cole, proceeded to point toward the exit. I laughed the entire drive home. But with a house free of children for the first time, there was a lot more than laughing going on the rest of the night.
- EIGHTEEN -
RAEGAN -
I realized Lane’s mood was deteriorating as the week moved on. He hovered over me every chance he got and grew more edgy by the day. I didn't understand what was going on at first. I wasn't going to complain that he was following me around or that he would trap me up against a wall any chance we were out of the kids’ eyesight, but I began to recognize that he was feeling insecure.
When out of the blue Lane decided to take Friday off, I didn't think he had done it so he could go shopping for school clothes with us. My mind had been so caught up in getting Kate and Braden ready to start school, I had forgotten that Adam, Braden’s father, was still picking me up tonight.
So when Friday morning rolled around and Lane stuck to me like glue, I finally registered his feelings of unease. He didn't want me to go tonight, plain and simple. What he probably didn’t fully comprehend was that I didn't want to go either. But I also didn't want Braden’s father causing any trouble so I was willing to sit down and talk to him like an adult about my son. I didn’t know why now, after all this time, he wanted to be in Braden’s life, but I would at least hear him out.
I moved down the hallway looking for my handsome man and finally found him in the spare room, which was kind of Lane’s catch-all room. He had gym equipment that he used when he couldn't sneak off to his boxing gym. On the opposite side, he had a large desk that he sat at and finished up any work he didn't get done at the office. He was staring at a stack of papers, and there were creases in the corners of his eyes.
I stood in the doorway taking him in until he looked up at me. “Hate to break it to you, but one day we’ll have to convince them they need to have separate bedrooms.” I gestured around the room. “And then we’re going to have to figure out a new place for this stuff.”
He smiled because he loved when I spoke about the future, especially when I mentioned the four of us together. I made my way around the desk and sat in his lap, snaking my hands around his neck.
“I think we should buy a house, actually.”
My mouth widened in shock, because that’s not something I had been expecting. He chuckled and continued, “You want to paint walls and all that girly shit, right?” I nodded but stayed quiet. “It’ll be good for us in the long run to own real estate.”
“You would do that?” I asked quietly.
“We would do that.”
“But… I don't have anything to contribute. I’m broke, if you haven't noticed.”
“Trust me, you contribute way more than I do. Just because I take care of things financially doesn't mean I don't need you just as much. You’ve made my house our home. I’ve never been so happy to come home every day. You keep this place running smoothly. I could barely handle myself, let alone Kate and Braden. I don't know what I would do without you.”
“Oh, so that’s why you keep me around. You need me to do the laundry,” I laughed. He tickled my sides until I screamed for him to stop, because I was about two seconds away from peeing my pants.
“Are you happy staying at home? Taking care of the house?” I nodded my head, because it gave me pleasure to take care of my family and actually cook them real meals every day. “You could always get a job if you really wanted to. I’ll only say this once and the rest is up to you. I love you at home. I love how you take care of us. I love that I can call you up any time of day and you’re available to meet me. I love that our kids can come right after school to our home and not go to some strange daycare. But that’s my opinion, and I’ll support whatever you decide.”
The fact that he said ‘our kids’ was not lost me. I think I felt my heart grow a few sizes in that moment alone.
“I just don’t want to ever burden you.”
He kissed my temple and smiled. “You could never be a burden. And I don’t want you to worry about money. I can afford to take care of all of us and still take a family vacation each year.”
I gasped playfully. “I have no idea what a vacation even is!”
“Well then, when the kids are on Fall Break this year, I’ll show you.”
I lay against his chest and listened to the beat of his heart. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was leave his arms and go see my douchebag of an ex-boyfriend, Adam.