“It’s beautiful.”
“Ava helped me. She said people will get you tons of newborn outfits at the shower, so she had me get outfits for when she’s bigger—just a few so we’d have them on hand so when life gets busy, we don’t have to choose between a naked kid and a midnight run to the store.”
“I can’t believe you did this.” My eyes burn, then laughter bubbles out of me. “Where on Earth did you put all my clothes?”
He grimaces. “About that . . .”
Turning, I look into our bedroom across the hall. The rack from this room has been rolled into it, nearly blocking the door and making it so I can only barely see the boxes of shoes piled on the bed.
“We’ll figure it out,” he says. “Maybe we can do an addition or convert the garage or something.” He slides his arm around my waist and presses a kiss to the top of my head. “Sorry I stole your closet.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.” I can’t stop giggling. I think it’s hope bubbling out of me. “We’re really gonna be okay, aren’t we?”
He nods. “Yeah, babe. We’re really gonna be fine. You and me and our baby.”
I turn in his arms and lift onto my toes to nuzzle my face into his neck and breathe in the clean soap-and-water scent of him. I promise myself this is all I need. We’re going to be okay. A family. And these things I feel for Levi will go away. They have to.
“Hey.” He pulls back, dipping his head to bring himself face to face with me and wiping the tears from my cheeks. “This was supposed to make you happy, not sad.”
“I am happy. Just a little emotional.”
“Dinner should be ready. I put all the shit in the Crock-Pot like we used to do—remember that? Are you hungry?”
I nod. “I’m starving.”
I follow him into the kitchen. He’s already set the table, and he waves for me to sit while he pulls the roast from the slow cooker.
His phone rings, and he pulls it from his pocket and puts it to his ear. “Hey, what’s up?” His eyes cut to me, then back to the food before he murmurs, “How the fuck should I know?”
Seconds pass.
“I’m telling you, he’s just trying to screw with us.”
What the hell is he talking about?
“No. No, we shouldn’t . . . Jesus. I’m not going to talk about this right now. Ellie and I are about to have dinner.” His jaw hardens as he listens. “Maybe never.” He pulls the phone from his ear and taps the screen before dropping it on the counter.
“Who was that?”
“Molly. She’s worried because our father is still missing. She’s worried something has happened to him.” Anger simmers under his words.
“Aren’
t you a little worried too?” I ask.
“Not really. He’s an asshole who’d be doing us all a favor if he just disappeared.”
My stomach knots. Something feels off about all this. “What aren’t you telling me?” I want to say, What does Molly know that I don’t? But it sounds so petty, as if this is just about jealousy and not about a missing man.
“Don’t worry about it,” Colton says. He meets my eyes, and his are stony. The joy I saw there when I walked in the door tonight and when he showed me the nursery is all gone, replaced with that brooding irritation I’ve come to know too intimately.
I take a breath. On the one hand, if I want a life with Colton, I need to accept that his moods can be like this—swinging wildly from one extreme to the other. On the other hand, if he wants a life with me, he’s going to have to let me in. “I feel like you’re keeping something from me, and I don’t like it.”
“Oh, so we’re going to tell each other our secrets now? Does that mean you’re going to tell me about what you did with Levi?”
I need to tell him about Levi, but doing so when he’s in this mood is dangerous. “I don’t want to talk about it tonight.”
“Well, I do. Tell me. I deserve to know what my future wife did with my best friend.”