“What you’ve done for me… I don’t even know how to thank you. You’re so damn incredible.” I exhaled sharply and swallowed a lump that tried to form in my throat. “I need to ask you something.”
“Something serious?” She lifted he
r head and stared at me.
“A little, yeah.” I nodded and smiled. “Having you here this last week has been great, and I know that you’re going to sell your father’s house at some point. How would you like to stay—move in permanently?”
“I thought I already did.” She winked at me. “Actually, I think I moved in while I was still in high school.”
“Mostly, yeah.” I quickly nodded. “But this time you’ll be sharing my bed instead of sleeping on the floor in Beth’s room.”
“I get an upgrade? That’s awesome!” Her smile got wider. “Yes, I would love to move in with you. I need to keep an eye on you, anyway—you’re getting over a serious injury.”
“I’ll milk the injury if it means you don’t leave.” I tickled her ribs and pulled her close.
“What about Micah?” She pushed my hand away. “Are we going to make him leave every night?”
“I plan to extend the same offer to him. This will be a huge upgrade compared to his little tiny apartment.” I nodded and shrugged. “I want both of you here with me—permanently. I finally understand what really matters, and there’s no fucking way I’m letting it get away from me again.”
“I guess we should go help with breakfast now that we’re officially his roommates.” Wendy sighed and leaned forward to pick up her jeans.
“He hasn’t agreed yet.” I pulled her back into my arms. “Let’s both milk it one last time.”
“That sounds great.” She giggled as we pulled the covers close and stretched out on the bed.
It didn’t take any convincing to get Micah to agree to move in. He accepted before I even finished the question. We ate breakfast and finally had a serious talk about where the future was going to take us. Wendy did want to have children at some point. Micah was excited about the prospect of potentially becoming a father, and I felt some of that excitement spill over to me as well. The injury had made me rethink a lot of things, and the idea of raising another child wasn’t as impossible as it once felt. We made a pact to love any children that we were blessed with, regardless of who actually fathered the baby. It would be a family that was slightly unconventional, but that didn’t matter to me anymore. I was ready to embrace the future and whatever it brought. As long as we were together, we could get through anything.
Epilogue
Wendy
Two years later
“So, what do you think—will you get called grandpa or daddy first?” I looked over at Brody and grinned as I rubbed my stomach.
“These kids are going to be so fucking confused.” Brody rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“You’re the one that decided to knock up my best friend while I was trying for a baby.” Beth walked into the living room and grimaced as she sat down holding her very pregnant belly. “Or was it Micah that did it?”
“We don’t know. We don’t care.” Micah shrugged and took my hand. “The three of us are going to take care of our daughter.”
The three of us decided to tell Beth everything about our relationship a few months after we moved in together. It would have been a little difficult to explain Micah’s presence otherwise, and we were too proud of what we had to hide it. Beth took the news well, which surprised me to some extent. I really didn’t know what her reaction would be, especially after the way she reacted to finding out I was involved with her father. She claimed that she knew something was up already, which could have been true. She knew I was crushing on Brody in high school, and I thought that was my secret. Either way, our family was united, and it wasn’t going to be long until we had a screaming bundle of joy to bring home from the hospital.
Brody and Micah helped me fix up my father’s house after I moved all of my stuff into Brody’s place. We got a really good price for it, and I decided to invest the money in Marigold Bakery. I bought a nice percentage to start off with and started saving every penny I could to buy her out entirely when she was ready to retire. Once I was living with Brody and Micah, money wasn’t as tight as it was when I was on my own. The two of them spoiled me, even when I didn’t ask for it. I knew they were going to be great fathers if they treated their daughter as well as they treated me. I didn’t even have to question that with Brody. Beth was living proof and a testament to his parental success.
“Wow! You look like you could pop at any minute!” My father’s eyes got wide when he opened his apartment door.
“I’ve still got a month.” I grinned and leaned in for a hug. “How are things going?”
“Still going great—well, they’ll be better if you brought me something from your bakery.” He looked down at my hand.
“Of course. I wouldn’t drive all this way without a box of your favorites—I might have eaten a few, though.” I rubbed my stomach and chuckled. “I’m eating for two.”
“You sure you’re not eating for three?” He raised his eyebrows and took his box of treats. “If you’re just carrying one baby, you’re giving birth to a toddler.”
“I’m guess she gets that from her father.” I shrugged and stepped into his apartment. “The doctor said the same thing, though, and kept checking for a second heartbeat.”
My father was still glowing and recovery looked great on him. He would always have the lure of his demons, but he had been clean long enough for me to really believe it would work. He had a great job that was already talking about making him a manager in the company, and a new girlfriend that I adored. I told my father the truth about my relationship with Brody and Micah, but we decided to hold back on telling his new girlfriend—although that would change if she put on the ring I helped him buy. I still hadn’t gotten used to seeing my father look so happy. He was confronting all of the issues from his past, making amends where they were due, and putting one foot in front of the other. Truthfully, it was all any of us could do.