“Blaire, did you have to spend months or years with Carrie before you fell in love with her?” he asked as he gently tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

“Of course not. I loved her before she was even born,” I told him, even though I knew the question was rhetorical.

“Well, I’ve loved her since I first laid eyes on her because she’s ours. Mine and yours, Bear. We made her, and I love her so much, I feel like my heart is going to pop.”

Oh, this man…

“Okay, but you need to think long and hard about it. Kids are loud and messy, and they tend to break stuff.”

“Oh, well, that changes everything,” he said sarcastically. “I don’t love my daughter anymore now that you’ve told me she acts like an actual kid.” He kissed my nose and said, “I know this seems fast, but it’s really not if you think about it, sweetheart. We’ve belonged to each other for seven years. I know we spent five of them apart, but I never stopped being yours, and you never stopped being mine, Blaire.”

He really, really wants us. Both of us.

I knew my reluctance was difficult for him to bear, so I kissed him sweetly and promised to talk to Evan when he got home next week. “Now, I need to get the wild child up and get her home, or she will never go to sleep tonight,” I told him.

Axel insisted on carrying Carrie down the stairs and out to the car for me. She was, of course, grumpy when she woke up, but she took it to the next level by bursting into tears when Ax tried to put her in my SUV. She clung to his neck, wailing, “Daddy, I wa-wa-want you to come with me.”

He looked at me in alarm, but I assured him she sometimes got weepy when she was tired. “Shhhh, don’t cry, baby girl,” he said desperately as he bounced her in his arms. “If you won’t cry anymore, I’ll come get you tomorrow, and we can have our mushroom pizza date, okay?” He looked at me with wide eyes asking, Is that okay?

I nodded. “That’s fine. She’ll be with Beau, so I’ll text you his number so y’all can arrange everything. I’m off in the morning, but I will be working in the office in the afternoon. Then I have an overnight shift at the hospital. Just let me know when you’re taking her back to Beau’s, and I’ll come by and see her for a little bit before I go in for my night shift.”