Heartless: A Small Town Single Dad Romance(98)

“The woman you’ve known for all of two months tells you she accidentally got pregnant and what keeps you up is wondering about the carrot in her purse?”

He chuckles and gives my hair a little tug, tipping my face up to his. “Yeah.” He shrugs. “You feel right in my life. In Luke’s life. We just . . . make sense to me somehow. And another little person will too. Nothing about that feels wrong to me. The only thing that doesn’t make sense is that fucking carrot.”

I laugh again, because everything he just said is so quintessentially him. He’s not flowery or showy. He’s matter-of-fact, and he just laid his heart on the line for me. It seems like the least I can do is explain the carrot. “It’s just from feeding the horses with Luke . . . I think.”

“You think?”

Busted. “Yeah, I don’t totally recall putting it in there if I’m being honest. It could be from when I still lived in the city.”

“But that’s months ago.” He sounds suitably horrified. I wonder if he’s having second thoughts about being with a girl who keeps old carrots in her purse.

“Yeah,” I reply lamely, nibbling at my lip.

“Panties and carrots.” He shakes his head and lets his hands roam my back as my breathing continues to even out. “I can’t wait to see what falls out of there next.”

We stand in silence for several minutes, just holding each other in the middle of the front yard, beside the heart he made for me, with my future initials written into the center. Like he’s just that sure of me—of us.

Like we’re better together and he knows it.

“I love you, Cade,” I murmur against his chest.

“I love you too, Red.”

Then he just holds me tighter, and I hope he never lets go.





36



Cade

Cade: What are you doing? Braiding your hair?

Rhett: No, polishing my nails.

Cade: We’re going to be late.

Rhett: Dude. Your event isn’t even until tomorrow. Take a breath.

Rhett: Are you seriously outside my house honking right now?

Cade: Yes. Making people wait is rude.

Rhett: You can’t rush perfection.

Cade: Nothing about you is perfect.

Rhett: No. But this sign I made you is.

“I wish you’d just hurry and have this baby already. I am so excited.” Summer bounces on her seat in the back of my truck. I can practically see the excitement pouring off her through my rearview mirror.

“Sum. Hold your horses. I’m like three months pregnant,” Willa replies from behind me.

“She hasn’t stopped talking about it.” Rhett laughs as his fingers drum on the passenger’s seat door, just above where he’s protectively wedged the poster board Rhett created for my event tomorrow. It’s sparkly and reads: Not bad. For an old guy.

Fucking dick.

“Ugh. It’s just going to be the cutest baby though. I’m so ready to be the cool aunt.”

The buzz around the new baby hasn’t died off at all since we came out about everything. Everyone is over the moon.

But no one more than Luke.

When we sat down and told him, he cried happy tears. And so did I. The bridge of my nose tingles just thinking about the way my life has changed again so quickly. So unexpectedly.

It’s a fucking theme for me at this point.

“Dude.” Willa punches my brother in the shoulder. “Read between the lines here. Stop dicking around and make it so that our kids can grow up as best friends.”

Rhett’s face turns serious, and he shakes his head solemnly—but I see that shit-disturber twitch of his lips. Same one that was a dead giveaway as a child too.



“I don’t know what to tell you, Willa. We keep practicing and practicing, and practicing, and nothing ever happens. It’s exhausting, you know? I have to wonder if it’s all the birth control we’re using?”

“Eat a dick, kid.” I take my turn, knocking a hand against my little brother’s chest.

“No, babe,” Summer pipes up, “it’s just that you don’t have a breeding kink.” She can’t even get the words out without snorting and wheezing.

“I’m never gonna fucking live that down.” I grind my teeth to keep from smiling.

What I hear back is a chorus of “nevers” from every single person in my truck. But I also feel Willa’s hand slide over my shoulder to give me a little squeeze. I reach up and lay a hand over hers, knowing that, jokes aside, we’re both excited about this.

We’re surprised and a little unprepared, but happy. So damn happy. Going with the flow has never felt better. Cheesy as it sounds, I’ve never felt more at peace.

I spent years feeling jilted. Feeling angry. Feeling like everyone around me had everything going for them and I was just stuck in a rut of responsibility.

And then Hurricane Willa blew into town and turned everything upside down in the best fucking way.

I squeeze her hand and pull it to my lips, pressing a kiss to the knuckles of the woman I chose—

the life I chose.

“Jesus. Who even are you?” Rhett asks, looking a little shocked.

Now it’s Summer’s turn to slap the top of his head. “Stop picking on them. It’s sweet.”