Good On Paper

by Jennifer Millikin

  “That’s all she ever does,” Brayden complains. The three of us laugh. Aidan picks up Brayden and swings him into the air. “Want to pack a cupcake to go home with you?” They walk away together.

  “How was it?” I ask Allison. She peeks at Juliana and makes that face that I’ve come to expect from people, the one that is filled with reverence.

  Allison smiles shyly. “Good. Really good, actually. He wants to meet Brayden. I told him next time.”

  I grin. “So there will be a next time?”

  She nods, her eyes excited. “Definitely.”

  Aidan comes back in the room with a plastic container and hands it to Allison. She gathers Brayden’s jacket and sticks his shoes on his feet. Poking him on the nose, she asks, “Ready to go, little man?”

  Brayden leaps up and bounces on an invisible pogo stick to the door.

  I walk her to the door and open it. “If things go well with Grady, maybe you can bring him to our wedding.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” She smiles again and takes Brayden’s hand.

  We wave goodbye and the door closes.

  Aidan comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my middle. He settles his chin on my shoulder and quietly asks, “Did you just invite your ex to our wedding?”

  I scoff. “He hardly counts as my ex. Did your ex just leave here with a love child she tried to pass off as yours?”

  “You win,” Aidan says, dropping a kiss on my cheek. “Speaking of love child…” He gazes down at Juliana. “She’s going to be up any second demanding dinner.”

  A few minutes later, Aidan’s statement comes true. I settle into a recliner to feed her, and Aidan goes to clean up the mess Brayden and I made in the kitchen.

  A baby before a wedding was not what I had for my life plan. Neither was divorcing my college sweetheart or falling in love with my best friend.

  Sometimes, the very best in life is what’s taking place in the background while we are busy focusing on what we think is right for us.

  Also by Jennifer Millikin

  Our Finest Hour (The Time Series Book One)

  Magic Minutes (The Time Series Book Two)

  The Lifetime of A Second (The Time Series Book Three)

  The Day He Went Away

  Full of Fire

  Visit Jennifer at jennifermillikinwrites.com to join her mailing list and receive Full of Fury: A Full of Fire novella, for free. She is @jenmillwrites on all social platforms and would love to connect.

  Acknowledgments

  Readers- THANK YOU! Thank you for reading, for loving, for spending your time on my work. Thank you for telling your friends, leaving reviews, connecting with me on social media. I love the messages, the posts, the emails. They make all the blood, sweat, and tears of writing a novel worth it.

  Ellie McLove, at My Brother’s Editor. Thank you for handling this book with care and love.

  Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations. Thank you for making this amazing cover. It’s stunning.

  Julia. My number one beta reader. Your willingness to sling the truth at me makes me better, and it’s something I treasure.