Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
JONES
I woke to a warm body pressed against my stomach. Ryan’s scent told me it was him before I even opened my eyes. He was nestled in my arms as my little spoon, with Karla in his arms as the mini spoon.
It took me a second to remember how we’d ended up like this. Karla had been so excited as she’d exclaimed the stars had been so bright because her mommy was saying hello to her.
It had been a good night, but the surge of emotions had eventually taken a dip, and that was how we all ended up cuddled in bed together, eventually falling asleep.
This was what I meant when I told Ryan I wanted us to be a family.
Well, maybe not all three of us sleeping together every night—I wanted some alone time with my man.
But I wanted us to share our highs and comfort each other in our lows.
I wanted to be there for them, and I hoped they would want to do the same for me.
And fuck, I really wanted them to live here. Waking up to a full house today had only solidified that. Ryan and Karla belonged here with me.
Now I just had to tell them that. Maybe today…
Though it was a bit hypocritical of me since it was only yesterday that I told Ryan he didn’t have to rush our relationship. But would it really be rushing to ask them to move in when they already spent a lot of their time here?
The question circled in my mind the entire morning, even when I arrived at work. I was so distracted that Ryker had noticed and expressed his concerns. He’d sent me to the resting area our team set up, so I didn’t endanger myself. That shook me out of the daze because on-site injuries were no joke.
At lunch, I wondered if I should ask Ryker for advice on how to ask someone to move in with them. With Deke, I hadn’t even asked. He’d basically made himself at home and notified me he was moving in.
I wished Ryan would do the same, but I knew it was only wishful thinking. Ryan still insisted on taking all their stuff when they returned to his grandma’s, saying that they couldn’t just impose by leaving their things there.
I wished he would impose more.
I crossed my arms and grumbled about how annoying it was that Ryan was so considerate. I never thought being too considerate would be a bad thing, yet here we were.
“Did you and Ryan get into a fight?” Ryker asked suddenly. He eyed me as he took another bite of his sandwich.
“No. Why would you think that?” I grumbled. Ryan and I were doing just fine. Amazing, even!
I was just letting my thoughts get the best of me, and I didn’t know how to talk to Ryan about it. I’d already unloaded onto him last night by telling him I saw us being together in the future, so I couldn’t very well push this onto his plate not even a day later, right? I needed to give him time.
“Well, considering that you look like you’re about to punch something, your words aren’t very convincing,” Ryker muttered.
I glared at him, then blew out a sigh. He wasn’t wrong, and all this thinking in circles had me tensed like a strung bow.
“If you had to ask Sam to move in with you, how would you do it?” I asked, deciding that it would be better to talk with someone about this instead of continuing to brood.
His reply was a cheeky raise of his brow. “Well, considering I didn’t have to ask, I’m not sure.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re well aware your fake-fiancé-turned-real lover practically fell into your lap. I’m saying if you had to ask, how would you do it?”
He considered my question for a minute, brow furrowed in thought. He took another bite of his sandwich, chewed thoughtfully, then took another bite. Another minute went by in silence, and if this was anyone else other than Ryker, I would have thought the fucker was ignoring my question.
“I think I would just tell him I wanted us to live together and ask if he wanted the same?” Ryker finally said.
I let out the longest sigh in the history of sighs.
Ryker laughed and gave me a hard smack on my back.
“Ow! That hurt!” I yelled, but he ignored me.
“If you want to live with him, just ask him. He’s looking for a place, so doesn’t that work out perfectly?” he said.
“You make it sound so easy,” I grumbled.
“Isn’t it? What’s so complicated about it?”
“The timing just isn’t right. We’ve only been back in each other’s lives for a couple of months. Hell, you told me I was moving too quickly by living with Deke, and we were together for a year at that point!”
“You know very well the issue wasn’t how long you two were together, but who you were with. Things are different with Ryan,” he replied.
“Yeah, they are,” I agreed softly. I never had a suffocating feeling thinking about returning home to Ryan. The thought that he and Karla would be there today to welcome me had me feeling light instead.
“We all like him, you know?” Ryker stated with a smile. “At first, I was worried that he might hurt you again, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you. I’ve seen the way he treats you, and it’s everything you deserve. He’s a good guy.”
“Yeah?” I said with a smile. Considering my friends hated my ex, this was very high praise.
He nodded and beamed. “Yeah, so why are you worried about the timing? When you know, you know, and I think you know, you know?”
He clamped his mouth shut and frowned after dropping that tongue-twister. I laughed and pulled him in for a shoulder hug.
“Yeah, I know,” I repeated with a teasing smirk.
He shook his head and tried to push me off, but my grip on him was too tight. It was only when my phone rang that I finally released him.
My smile grew wider when I saw Ryan’s name appear.
“Speak of the devil, huh?” Ryker commented with a shake of his head. He returned to his lunch while I answered.
“Hey! I was just talking about you,” I said in lieu of a greeting when the call connected.
“Oh yeah? What were you saying about me?” Ryan asked. I could hear the smile in his voice. Before I could get a reply in, his tone turned serious. “Wait, now’s not the time for that. Lily’s going into labor!”
“What?!” I exclaimed. I jumped to my feet so fast I startled Ryker .
“How is she doing? Is she okay? Are the pups already here?” I asked frantically. Now I was really thankful Ryan had offered to stay with Lily today so she could be at home near her nest.
“No pups yet. She’s been restless all morning and refused to eat her breakfast. She’s been lying in her nest for a few hours now, and I think her contractions just started.
Are you able to come home early?” he asked, obviously nervous.
In the background, I could hear Karla shouting about one thing or another.
“I’m on my way.”
“Okay, but drive safe, please,” he urged.
I took a slow breath to calm myself. Ryan lost someone he loved in a car accident. I wouldn’t make him go through that experience twice.
“I will,” I told him softly, hopefully conveying that I was calm enough to drive safely. “I’ll see you soon. I love you.”
He whispered his own words of love, then hung up to check on Lily.
“The pups are coming,” I told Ryker as I quickly packed up my stuff.
“Go,” he said, shooing me off. “We’ll take care of things here.”
I nodded and left. It wasn’t very professional of me to leave the site in the middle of a workday, but I trusted my team to keep everything going like a well-oiled machine. And with Ryker there, I knew they’d solve any issues that might pop up, or they’d call me .
The drive home was mostly a blur, but I kept both hands on the wheel and paid extra attention to the road. When I first adopted Lily, I was not expecting to become a grandpa, but here we were.
What if something went wrong during labor? My research told me it was relatively safe, and Lily’s body knew exactly what to do, but I still couldn’t help worrying. She was my little fur baby.
If I were this worried about a puppy birth, how the hell did parents and grandparents handle the births of human babies?
As soon as I’d safely parked my truck, I was sprinting inside.
“How is she?” I asked as I barged through the door. I immediately beelined toward Lily’s nest. Ryan and Karla were already by her side, and they turned my way as I approached.
Lily lifted her head for a brief second, too, but quickly plopped it back down when she saw it was me.
“Look, her baby is here!” Karla happily squealed. She clutched Puppy, her yellow stuffed animal that looked a whole lot like Lily.
Ryan quickly asked Karla to lower her voice, so we didn’t disturb the mama, but he couldn’t keep the smile off his face.
I slipped into the spot beside them and peeked into her nest to see a tiny black butt poking out from Lily’s belly. The pup’s eyes weren’t open yet, but he already knew how to nurse .
“He’s so tiny!” Karla said in a hushed tone, but she couldn’t hide her excitement.
“Yeah, he is, baby,” I said and pulled Karla onto my lap. “He’s adorable, just like you.” I kissed her cheek and rubbed my beard over her face, which made her giggle.
Ryan smiled and said, “She started having contractions again a few minutes ago. I think the second pup’s on their way.”
“Our mama is doing so well,” I commented and pulled Ryan close to tuck him into my side.
I’d read that it was best to leave the mother alone while she was in labor, so the three of us sat there quietly and watched over her.
Soon after, Lily whimpered. The urge to comfort her was strong, but I knew it was best to leave her alone for the most part, unless she was seeking us out first. So, to keep myself from reaching out to her, I held Ryan and Karla close, while my eyes were peeled on Lily.
Her belly contracted again, more whimpering ensued, and then another black pup slipped out from her. Lily, being the good mama she was, quickly licked her second baby clean.
Everything happened before I could even process it. I watched as the two black pups wiggled to each other, then returned to nursing.