36. Ginger
36
GINGER
T he heat and activity and stress of the day has me curled up on the couch with Gracie. She microwaved a bag of popcorn and easily nestled into my side to watch a cheesy rom-com with me.
My hand brushes through her hair, trying not to let the fake buttery smell overwhelm me. My nausea is flip-flopping in my stomach.
They know. Everyone knows now. About the baby.
I shudder and hold Gracie closer. Now, it’ll just be the three of us. My daughter’s been such a blessing. My new baby will be, too. Raising them on my own won’t be as hard as last time.
My emotions are dull, though. The worst is over. I’m not hiding anything anymore, so I just wait. Wait for them to decide I’m too much trouble to be bothered with. Even if my heart wants to tell me something different.
We make it halfway through this cheesy romantic comedy before the doorbell rings.
Gracie pops off the couch before I can pull her back. “I got it.”
“Gracie. I’m not a fan of you opening the door on your own. You know that.”
But my daughter merely waves a hand at me. “Oh, Momma Elf, it’s just the Papa Elves.”
I sit up straighter when I see that she’s right. Jackson, Ashley, and Sawyer file in after Gracie, who makes herself comfortable against my side again. A handful of popcorn gets stuffed into her mouth, and she blinks up at me like, I told you so .
Each of them smiles at me. Jackson sinks into the cushion beside me, big hand cupping the back of my neck and giving it a little rub. God, who knew I was so tense?
“How are you feeling?” His question nearly vibrates against my ear.
I suck in a shaky little breath. “Starving and nauseous all at the same time.”
Jackson’s smile gets bigger. “I know just the trick for that.”
Because he’s done this once before. My heart is kicking up a fuss in my chest at how casually they’re all just here at home in my living room. Jackson springs into the kitchen.
“Where’s your heating pad?” Ashley leans over the back to reach me, kissing my temple.
“I know where it is!” Gracie is on her feet after a little scrambling and some spilled popcorn. She leads Ashley to the hall closet where I keep the thing.
Sawyer rounds the couch to sit on the coffee table like my father did the day I quit. Those strong hands slowly pull my legs from under me and nestle my feet in his lap. His dark, stormy eyes capture mine, and I’m lost in them.
I don’t need him to say anything. I can read his silences so well. With a swipe of his thumb along the arch of my foot, he tells me he’s not going anywhere. Still, he says it to me out loud, like I need to hear it. “We’re not going anywhere.”
I suck in a breath because maybe I did need to hear those words. After the hell Phil put me through and the reactions of the few men I did see after having Gracie who did not want to be a father figure to her, I barely allowed myself to hope.
But I should have known better. Especially with the way they interact with my daughter. Including her. Treating her like their own.
God, I’m such an idiot.
He squeezes my foot and leans in. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” My voice is soft. I’m not sure he hears me.
But he nods and resumes rubbing the arch of my foot. “Move in with us.”
I blink several times. “What?”
Ashley returns, sliding the heating pad behind my back and cranking it up. He settles his body alongside mine, an arm around my back. “What he means is, let us build you a house. One big enough for the six of us. And potentially more, if you’re up for that.”
The earnestness of his boyish features and the way his hand comes to rest low on my belly melts my heart. “Really?”
Jackson sets a bowl of fruit and yogurt in my lap and hands me a piece of toast with peanut butter. “Really.”
My lips press together, a new wave of emotions making tears spring to my eyes. I nod because I can’t find my voice. The stupid hormones have turned me into some kind of basket case.
“I want to pick the paint for my room this time,” Gracie announces as she sits by Jackon and reclaims her popcorn.
He tickles the back of her neck until she’s curled up and squealing. “You can paint it as many times as you want.”
She lights up, turning to me. “Can I do a mural?”
“Sure.” It’s all I can get out. My happiness is such a big, all-consuming thing that I can barely breathe, even as tears wet my cheeks.
Her fist shoots up in the air with her excitement. “Woot!”
We all laugh, then Gracie is serious again. “Okay. Put the movie back on. I want to see their happily ever after.”
Ashley does as she asked, and we watch the second half. It’s over-the-top with a nearly disastrous wedding, where the maid of honor runs off in the middle of the reception to get away from the best man.
But when he finds her gone, he needs help to get to her, calling the Coast Guard to helicopter him in to the local monument she mentioned earlier in the movie. The landing isn’t smooth, but he rolls out, announcing his love and getting that big, romantic kiss at the end.
The credits feature outtakes from the actors and crew singing a song throughout the scenes. They’re all silly.
“Wait…” Ashley sits up and pauses the credits to look at me. “Why’d he just go through all that?”
“Because it’s a grand gesture,” Gracie says, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
“Did we need to do a grand gesture?” Tension tightens his muscles against my side. His features turn serious and worried.
Gracie and I laugh together, and I squeeze his hand before looking at my three men. “This is big enough.”
And it really is. It’s more than I let myself hope for.
“I think I’m going to have to watch the beginning.” Ashley restarts the movie, and Gracie teaches them the nuances of what makes a good rom-com.
I just sit quietly andd soak in every second of what real love feels like.