Chapter 34
Chapter Thirty-Four
GRANT
I’m really regretting this. Georgia has been wanting to get me on a horse for a while, but why in the world did I decide to do it on the same day we were painting the nursery?
Oh yeah, because I’m a sucker and can’t say no to her. Plus, it is one of the only days off I have, so we figured we would need to take advantage of the time.
“I’m still not sure on the color,” Georgia says, tapping her chin.
“What’s wrong with baby blue?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” She stares at the wall. “Is it too blue?”
“How can something be too blue?” Luke asks. “It’s a boy. Isn’t blue a normal color for a boy?”
“I don’t know. It might be too much,” Georgia says. “Try the gray sample again.”
“Alright.”
I drop my paint roller and crack open the tiny can of Starry Night paint. I slap a small square coat of it on the wall next to the blue.
“See, now that looks too blue,” Georgia sighs.
Luke looks annoyed so I shoo him out of the room.
“It’s only because it’s against the blue,” I say. “It won’t look like that once the whole wall is done.”
“We didn’t get the yellow though. Or green.”
I smile at her. “So what I’m hearing is you want to go back to the hardware store and get more paint samples?”
Georgia winces. “Do you hate me?”
“Why would I hate you? You want the room to be perfect.”
I’d like to say I’m surprised she can’t make up her mind, but I’m not. She was waffling at the store, but I told her the gray and blue would work.
I should have known.
“What if neither of those colors work?”
I set the paintbrush on the tarp draped over the dresser I picked up last week.
“Well, if we can’t make a decision, I might have to override you because we can’t bring the baby home to a half-finished room.”
Georgia drops down into the chair I pulled in here for her.
“He didn’t kick when I mentioned blue, so maybe he doesn’t want blue.”
“Hey, little guy.” I kneel down in front of her. “Do you like the gray your mom picked out?”
I get a few kicks for that.
“See? He likes gray.”
“Do you like blue too? Or maybe yellow?” Georgia asks. Another kick. “Inconclusive.”
I laugh, pressing a kiss to her belly. “It’s a good thing we’ll love you no matter what color you pick, kid.”
“How are we going to settle on a name if we can’t even pick a paint color?” Georgia exclaims.
I don’t point out that I was fine with the blue paint, but it’s her that is having trouble deciding.
“We’re not going to decide until he gets here.”
Georgia ignores me. “I still like Eli and Jack. They’ll go nicely with Luke.”
“Why does it have to go well with Luke?”
I get an eye roll. I find the further along in the pregnancy we get, the more it happens. Guess I should get used it to it.
“Because we can’t name him something weird, like Potato. Potato and Luke don’t go together. Eli and Luke or Jack and Luke flows nicely when you’re calling for them.”
“Got it. I’ll scratch Potato off my list then.”
“I hate you,” she grumbles.
I kiss her. Long and deep. Letting her know exactly how much she, in fact, does not hate me.
“You do?”
“Only a little.”
I steal another quick peck. “Good.”
“I also might have an idea,” she suggests.
“What’s that?”
“For the nursery at my place, I’ll choose what I do, and you can do whatever you want here.”
“Can I counter your idea?”
“What’s wrong with my plan?” She asks.
“Considering you spend most of your time here, I figured you should be here when the baby comes. To make things easier.”
Georgia casts a sly grin my way. “Is this your way of asking me to move in with you?”
“I know we haven’t really talked about it, but I don’t like being apart from you. And once the baby comes, you’ll need help. Luke is here, so I figured, why not move in here?”
“You want me to move in here because it’s convenient?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest and cocking a brow at me.
Well, shit. I’m doing this ass-backward.
“No. I mean, yes. It would be convenient for all of us to be under one roof, but I love you, Georgia. I want us all to be together as a family. If you’d rather go back and forth, I’ll deal with it. If things are moving too fast for you, we don’t have to.”
Her gaze flits down to her belly and back up to me. “I think we’re past the point of things moving too fast. But I don’t want to do it if it’s only convenient.”
I take her hands in mine. “I’m doing this all wrong, Georgia.
I want you with me because I love you. I’m tired of you being in one place and me being in another.
Our schedules are crazy busy between riding and baseball, and I want you to come home to me every night.
I want to crawl in bed next to you and fall asleep with you in my arms.”
Tears well in my eyes. “I guess that’s a good reason.”
“Does that mean you’ll move in?”
She nods. “Yeah.”
“Good. Then I’ll focus on the nursery so you don’t have to worry about anything else.”
“I mean, I might need some clothes at some point.”
“I don’t know, Cowgirl. I’d be okay if all you had were these cowboy boots.”
“Of course you would be. I need a lot more than just these.”
“You look pretty good in only them.”
“Stop it.” She swats at me. “Now help me up. If I’m going to be moving in here, I think I need to go get stuff from home.”
“You know I didn’t mean right this minute.”
“Grant.” She drops her fists on her hips. “The baby will be here before we know it. What if he comes early? We need to get started.”
I try to hug her, but it’s getting harder and harder the bigger she gets. I fucking love it. Knowing it’s our baby inside of her.
“Do you want me to send Luke to help you pack things up?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “No. I’m sure he’s tired of us for one day. He can play his video games.”
“You sure? I can help you after I go to the hardware store.”
“Are you sure I can’t go with you to pick out paint?”
“Georgia, trust me. I think you’ll like what I have in mind.”
“It won’t be black, right?”
“Even if it were, you have to trust me.”
What I have in mind I know she’ll love. It’ll be perfect for the baby.
I will do whatever it takes to make sure everything is just right for Georgia and our baby. Because I want all of us together under one roof.
To give Georgia the family she never had growing up.
All four of us. Together.
The way it should be.