Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“We are.” As I caress his cheeks, my eyes well. I feel like I’m always crying these days, but dammit, there’s a lot to celebrate. The neighbors next to Delta and Port were selling ten acres that bumped up to his parents’ house. We jumped at the opportunity, and now we’ll own that piece of serenity.
The peace that place possesses. The clean air. The wide-open spaces. It’s paradise in my eyes.
This feels like the perfect time to share the good news I was saving for later. I get up to retrieve it.
“Oh shit,” he says, “finally.”
“Shit,” Max says, not breaking his playtime with his cars. I gave him a replica of Noah’s Aston Martin, and he is addicted to that toy. Boys and their cars . . .
“Noah!”
He cringes. “Sorry. I forget he’s at the mimicking stage.”
I huff with a quick roll of my eyes. “What finally?” I ask, walking to my bag in the entryway.
He’s staring at his screen but looks at me, our gazes linking across the distance, and then says, “It’s official. You’re an equal owner of this apartment.”
“What? Since when? How?” I return with the large envelope and set it between us.
“I added your name. We just need to sign the paperwork.”
I don’t sit in the chair, though. I make myself at home on his lap with my arms draped around him because it’s my favorite place to be. The shock of what he’s saying isn’t seeping in fully. What does he mean by equal owner? “I don’t understand. Why’d you do that, babe?”
“Because I never want you to feel less or trapped in any way. What’s mine is yours. You can take all of it as long as I get you. I’m all in, baby.”
Pressing myself against him, I stare into his eyes. No lies are detected. I hug him so tightly, needing to be as close as I can to this man. “I don’t know how to thank you. Thank you doesn’t feel like enough.”
“This is it. That’s all that’s needed. You and me together.”
I kiss his cheek and then whisper, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Keeping the good news rolling, I say, “I have a surprise for you, too.”
“Does it involve my old baseball jersey and nothing else?”
I grin. “No, is that something you would be into?”
“Fuck yeah, I’d be into that.” He licks his lips, and I kiss them just to steal a taste of him. I’m becoming him, and I don’t mind that he’s rubbing off on me or rubbing on me, either.
“All right. When we go to bed, I’ll give you a few minutes head start, and you can put it on.” I’m dying of laughter inside, but I hold my expression as neutral as I can.
“Wait.” He’s shaking his head. “No. I meant you would be wearing it with nothing else underneath.”
Tapping his chin, I pout. “But now you have me fantasizing about seeing you in your jersey.”
He rubs the back of his neck, and confusion pinches his brow. “How did we get so off track?”
“Right.” I hop from his lap and get Max from the living room. “Ready, big guy?”
He takes my hand and holds the car in the other while I lead him back to Noah. Handing Maxwell the envelope, I say, “Give this to Daddy.”
“What is it, buddy?” Noah takes the envelope and then sets our son on his lap.
This isn’t something I took lightly before doing. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while. I sit across from them again and watch with rapt fascination as he opens the envelope and pulls out the papers.
His eyes scan the top page several times before he drops his head to the side and into his hand. Noah and I have gone through so much, more than many couples, and have always come out together.
What feels like an obvious gesture to show our love has him struggling to even look up. I get up. I felt the same emotions earlier, but I haven’t regretted it. I know it was the right decision. I come behind him and wrap my arms around them.
He asks, “When did you do this?”
“The appointment was today to change his name and add yours to his birth certificate.” I move around in front of him and rest down on my knees. Rubbing his legs, I say, “I hope that’s okay.”
“Okay?” he asks, looking at me like I’m asking if the sky is blue on a sunny day. “I’m his father on paper. A recognized parent and guardian now. This is more than I could ask for, Liv.”
“That’s why I did it. I knew you wouldn’t. Not because you didn’t want it but because you still feel indebted to me when it comes to Max. You’re not. We’re Max’s parents. Together. Anyway, he’s more a Westcott than he’ll ever be a Bancroft.”