“No, not at all.”
“Then, why do you have that weird expression?”
“I don’t have a weird expression.”
“You look like you’re about to tell me you just won the lottery.”
“This is better.” She reached for the manila envelope. “Look what came in the mail.”
When he read the return address, his jaw went slack. “Are those…the adoption papers?”
“They are.” She handed him a pen. “I waited for you. I want to do this together.”
He reached for it but then lowered his arm. “No.”
“No?” He was changing his mind?You’ve got to be kidding me. “Cole.”
“It’s too big a moment. We have to do something special.”
“Oh, thank God. I thought you had cold feet.”
He hooked an arm around her back and hauled her to him. “I will never have cold feet as long as yours are in the bed with me.”
“You know, that was kind of romantic.” She kissed him sweetly, letting her fingers sift through his cool, silky hair. “Why do you taste so sweet?”
“I had a protein shake at the gym.” He brought his mouth back over hers. “Less talking. More kissing.” He licked into her mouth, his hands hitting the island on either side of her, caging her in.
Her back arched, pressing her breasts against his hard chest. She would never get enough of him. “Evvie’s in the other room watching a movie.” But she stayed put, looping her arms around his neck. “I agree with you. Just signing it doesn’t seem like enough. What should we do?”
“We need something that marks the moment.”
“Something that involves the girls.”
“Yeah, exactly. They should be here with us. They need to know we’re a family, and that we’re forever.”
Forever. A different kind of happiness made a smooth glide through her body. Not the giddy kind, not the pinch-me-I-can’t-believe-this-is-my-life kind. But more like a deep sense of contentment, where everything seemed to lock into place and make sense. It had been a struggle to get here, to come to the right decision, but once made, all doubts vanished.
I’m doing this, Lindsay. I’m going to raise your babies, and I swear to God, I will love them with every fiber of my soul.
“What if we rent a cabin, just the four of us?” she said. “Something really cozy where we can make s’mores over a fire and roast hot dogs? Let’s pick a place where we can make this our annual tradition.”
“Our family birthday.”
“Yes.” She loved that idea.
There was one thing they needed to discuss that he wouldn’t like. But it had to be addressed. “Cole, if, for whatever reason we don’t work out, we still have to commit to being a family for these girls. I know neither of us would ever cheat, so I can’t imagine we’d ever hurt each other in a way that would make us hateful to each other.”
“What’re you talking about? We’re going to work out. Of course, we are. I don’t think you get it, Hailey.”
“No, I do—”
“You don’t. There has never been—and there will never be—anyone else for me.”
“And I feel the same way, but for my peace of mind, for the girls’ sense of safety and security in the world, promise me that you and I will always be on good terms. That even if we’re not together, we’re still going to be a family. We’ll still have an annual birthday party because we’ll always be their adoptive parents. Even if we’re not living in the same house or sharing the same bed. Do you agree?”
“There’s no scenario where you and I are not sharing a bed. That’s not happening, but I see how important this is to you, so yes, I’ll make that promise. If for some reason we don’t work out, I’ll always be their father figure, and I’ll always celebrate our family birthday. I reserve the right, however, to fuck with your new boyfriend.”
She laughed. “You’re not taking this seriously.” But she totally got why. Now that she had Cole, she couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. He was it for her.