by Quinn, Taryn
“Fuck it.” I grabbed a white Henley and her favorite vest with dark-washed jeans and my dress boots. She might look at me funny, but she’d know I wanted to take the time.
For her.
Always for her.
Latte started barking his fool head off and my stomach tightened.
“Fortress?”
I smoothed my hand down my shirt and made sure it was tucked in all the way around. “Hey, you’re home.” I came down the hall with a smile.
“Hey.” Her crown of braids she wore for work looked a little more lopsided than usual after a shift. Latte was wiggling to get down and she let him free. “At least you’ll want some of my kisses.” Her smile was tired, but still bright and beautiful.
“Always.” I crossed to her and drew her up on her toes for a kiss. Cinnamon and vanilla and Veronica. The best parts of my life would be forever linked with those scents. And I was so very okay with that.
Her eyes were a little fuzzy and soft by the time I set her back down on her heels. “Well, hello there. Were we supposed to be going out?” She toyed with the buttons of my shirt. “You look amazing, but I really wanted to just stay in tonight.”
“We’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh, good.” She tilted her head and gave me a dreamy smile. The one that meant I would have a handful of cuddly female tonight. Some days she came at me like I was the last bit of water in a desert, other times she was like this. Just soft and sweet and so very mine.
“What were you up to today?” she asked.
“You’ll see.”
“Oh, will I?” A sparkle dented the tired in her bottle green eyes. “Does it have something to do with your very yummy smell?”
“Side benefit.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I smell like burned cookies and baby drool.”
I buried my nose in the little bits of hair that escaped her braids. “You smell amazing.”
“That’s only because you love me.”
“I do.” I straightened. “So very much, Miss Veronica Dixon.”
“Oh, what did I ever do to deserve you?” She gripped my arms and smiled up at me. “I’d love to just have soup and toasted cheese and watch something blow up in a movie I’ve seen a million times.”
“Sounds pretty perfect. And I’m the lucky one, believe me.”
“Let me go take a shower and then we’ll turn off the world.”
I grabbed her hand before she could escape. “Wait just a second.”
“I’m filthy.”
“It’ll just take a second. I want your opinion on something.”
She sighed as I drew her over to the back door. “Okay. Do I need my coat?”
“Here.” I went back to snag her shawl off the back of the couch before returning to her. I settled the worn, soft wool over her shoulders and gathered her into me. “We’re going to the garage.”
Not about to miss a trick, Latte scrambled down from his perpetual perch on his stack of pillows and shot between our legs to get outside.
“Why are you acting so weird?”
“I’m not.”
“You so are.”
I laced our fingers together and opened the side door to the garage. Latte scooted in first and I almost stepped on him. “I’m a little nervous.” I turned on the light and she pulled away and ran to the huge fridge.
“Oh my God. Is this for me? For us?” She tried to wrap her arms around the steel frame, but she couldn’t quite reach. Her purple sneaker bumped into the panel of wood when she opened the door. “It’s perfect.” Her hands flew to her mouth. “Oh, Murphy.”
“I want to build a home with you, Veronica. A whole life. I thought maybe we could make the cabin a little more suitable for a pastry chef of your caliber. A kitchen you’ve always dreamed about.”
“I don’t need those things.” She closed the refrigerator door and gripped the ring box as she brushed a few tears away.
I moved over to her. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“No, these are good tears. No one has ever cared about me enough to want to try to make me happy. You already do that every day, Fortress. But…all this?”
I took the box from her. “I just need you to know I think about our future. About us and all the things we can have together.”
“I don’t need things,” she said again.
“I know.” I went down on one knee, then flicked the box open. “But I want to give them to you. I want you to know it’s not just about babies. Babies and more fur babies are the cherry on top for me, but it’s always been about you. About the two of us forever. Will you marry me?”
Her shawl floated to the floor and Latte jumped up between us as she curled her arms around my shoulders. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
“Thank Jesus.” I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her down until we were on the cold floor in a laughing heap. She grinned and drew Latte between us, and he showed us that he approved by licking both of our faces from our foreheads to our chins.
It wasn’t the most traditional proposal in the world, but it was perfect.
Perfectly ours.
Tears and happiness mixed into our kiss—kisses, plural—and she held me just as tightly as I was holding her.
I would never let her go.
Latte tried to chew on the corner of the box, but I managed to free it enough to pluck out the pear-shaped solitaire ring. I slid it on her finger, then I tossed the box so he’d go attack it.
Better to lose the box than the ring, and if it kept him busy while we got busy…
Well, a man had to do what he had to do.
“Oh, Fortress,” she said against my mouth.
“I’ll forever be your safe haven. I can’t imagine my life without you. Don’t want to.”
She straddled me and wrapped her arms around my neck now that we were alone for a moment. “Forever sounds pretty amazing to me. I love you so much.”
“I love you too, Veronica.”
And I was going to enjoy proving it to her for the rest of our lives.
Epilogue
Vee
Sometime in May…
Good thing I loved my husband more than anything on this earth. Okay, equally as much as our little guy. I stroked the soft, springy fluff on Latte’s head as I scrolled through my to-do list. Well, Murphy’s updated to-do list. It was time to do my monthly checkup on the website to make sure it was all running smoothly.
If it wasn’t, he’d step in and do his computer stuff. I didn’t understand all the coding and backend things he mumbled about. All I cared about was making sure the women and men who wanted to make a family could find each other. And it was working beautifully.
A little too well, actually, because my life was positively stuffed with to-do lists lately.
I flipped back and forth from my work calendar tab to my personal one. Between the website and the café, I was getting a lot of use out of my paper planner to keep it all in check. Handily, Ally and Sage had pulled me even deeper into their planner girl circle with Kelsey and a reluctant new convert, Rylee.
Now that the wedding was taken care of, there was more time for work. We’d gone over the top with our ceremony on St. Patrick’s Day and had even ended up getting matching shamrock tattoos and a little baby shamrock for Latte—on each of us, not him, since dog tattoos were not yet a thing, thank God—to commemorate him as part of our family.
Ten days in Colorado for our honeymoon had been one hell of a way to start our marriage. Seriously, the Rockies were as impressive as I’d hoped.
Life was settling into a pretty amazing routine. I still pinched myself pretty much hourly that I’d gotten so lucky.
The ever-present snick of Murphy’s nail gun was the only thing that I’d change. Since we’d gotten home, he’d been working on our new addition—the secret addition that I sort of knew about but wasn’t allowed to see until it was done. And really, how could I fault the man I loved for wanting to do something sweet for m
e?
Especially when it would end in a professional baker’s dream kitchen.
At least that was what I figured based on my one clue.
I was learning that my even-keeled Murphy was very stubborn about certain things. I forgave him because it was all about me. Hey, I could be selfish too. When he asked to watch me bake in the café kitchen was when I got really excited at the prospect.
I’d always dreamed of a personalized workspace. I’d even caught him designing an under-cabinet mount for an iPad Pro.
For that alone, I’d attacked him to show him how appreciative I was. He hadn’t exactly known what I was thanking him for, but it didn’t stop him from enjoying himself. It was for a good cause. He was so excited to design the whole thing for me that I couldn’t ruin it for him.
Even if I did want to string him up from the beams for all the dust and noise that invaded our quiet little cabin most nights.
I flipped back to my personal calendar and skimmed through our handful of personal appointments. Things like a few couples’ dinners with Sage and Rylee and their spouses, a movie night with Macy, and a birthday party for Jodi that I’d agreed to bake a special cake for. A girl only turned eighteen once.
My finger slid past the small pink color code I used for…
Wait.
I paused, then glanced down at my watch.
I was six days late.
I’d been keeping track of my cycle. We’d decided to just live and let live about the baby thing. The stress we’d put ourselves under had almost cost me Murphy.
Or it might have if he wasn’t so damn understanding.
I curled my hand between Latte and my flat belly. Well, mostly flat. We’d done a lot of indulging in Colorado. Ice cream was truly evil. Especially the Murphy-sized bowls I’d been eating.
But could it be true?
I fumbled for my phone and swiped for the baby app I’d deliberately buried in a folder where apps went to be forgotten.
I will not obsess.
I will not obsess.
I will not…
The app date blinked red as soon as it opened.
Missed period.
I dropped my phone and Latte yelped when I shoved my chair back. I set him in my seat and ran to the back of the house. I halted at the large black zippered tarp barrier my husband had put up. “Murphy!”
The music was blaring. I raised my voice and called his name again.
When the volume lowered, his disgruntled voice came from somewhere back in project land. “I’m not falling for that again. You cannot come back here.”
“I have to. Murphy, you don’t understand.”
“Yesterday you told me it was an emergency because you had ideas for the size of the oven.”
“I know, but it’s not about that. I mean, I still think you should check with me about what oven you’re buying, but it’s about something else.” A whole different oven. My oven and the possible bun in it.
“I’m almost done with this one thing.” He let out a grunt. “Then I’ll be right out, I promise.”
“It can’t wait.”
He blew out a breath and I heard a thud, then his voice got closer. “Are you bleeding?” He unzipped the tarp and tugged a dusty face mask down as he shouldered his way through the small opening.
“No. And that’s the problem.”
He frowned down at me. “Babe, you’re not making any sense.”
I pressed my lips together. His exasperated voice was so cute. It was even cuter when he slipped and called me babe. He didn’t do that too often. I secretly liked it a lot.
But right now, even the cuteness factor of my incredibly adorable and super-hot husband could not trump a baby. I grabbed his hand and dragged him away from the construction zone.
“This better not be a trick to get a look. If you’re going to try to bribe me, I prefer the hot pink teddy.”
“You already ruined that one, buddy.”
“I know. I didn’t mean to rip it.” His ears pinked up. “But I already bought you a new one. It came yesterday.”
“You did?” I smiled up at him. “You really liked that teddy.”
“Um, that would be a fact.”
In fact, he’d ripped it on our honeymoon during our first night at the swanky ski lodge he’d booked for us. Not that we actually skied at said lodge, but it was gorgeous. I’d put on the teddy and stood in front of the huge windows in our honeymoon suite with the mountains behind me and the only light coming from a few candles and a roaring fireplace.
It had been one hell of a night. Maybe it had happened then.
Our baby. If there was one.
Gah.
“As much as I’d love to see a fashion show starring you and lace, I was putting up tiles. I swear, it will only take me another hour to finish and then I’m all yours for the night.” He tugged me closer by the little pocket of my yoga pants. “I can strip these off and we can shower off all the tile dust I’m covered in. We might even make it through a movie if we try really hard. Though I do prefer when you distract me from the screen.”
I laughed. That was my Murphy and all his perfect domesticity.
Latte came barking around the corner at the sound of his voice. Murphy was our baby’s favorite person.
Fur baby.
Knowing my luck, it will be true with our real baby as well.
But I had to take a test first. If he’d just cooperate.
“That all sounds amazing. But I think we need to do one thing really quick. It should only take five minutes. Maybe three. Depending on how many I take.”
“Take? You are making no sense. If I hurry up, I can finish putting up the tiles, then they can cure, and I won’t even work tomorrow night. How’s that sound?”
“Murphy Mitchell Masterson, will you shut up about the tiles?”
He blinked. “Did you have to use my stupid middle name?”
“Yes. I need you to come with me right now. Do not argue with me. Just do it.”
He linked our other fingers together. “All right. I’m sorry. Where are we going?”
“To the linen closet.”
“Do you need me to change a light bulb?”
I snorted. “No.”
“Get something you can’t reach?”
“Maybe.”
He laughed. “Lead the way.”
I turned and led him through the living room to the current kitchen, then down the hallway toward our bedroom. I glanced back at him just before we got to the closet. “So, this might be nothing, but I just… Oh, Murphy it might be something.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Maybe,” I whispered.
My fingers shook as I reached for the doorknob. I opened it slowly and pointed at the white bin on the top shelf. “Can you get that down?”
He reached up and pulled it down to hand to me.
“My hands are shaking too badly. Can you open it?”
He wiped his hands on his canvas pants. “You sure you want me touching any of your things? I’m all dirty.”
“You won’t hurt the box.”
He unclicked the side locks and tugged the top off. His eyes widened then his gaze crashed into mine. “What? Are you sure?”
“Six days late,” I whispered.
“Six?” He hustled me around until he could kick the door closed. “Holy shit.”
“Yeah. I was looking at my calendar for the monthly checklist for the website and…just can’t believe I didn’t notice. I stopped paying attention…mostly.”
“I did too. You’d get upset every month when we were first together. I just hated to see that disappointment in your eyes.” He blinked fast and his eyes got red. “I don’t want you to be disappointed again if this is wrong.”
Ever worried about me. God, I loved him. “I know. Maybe I should have taken a test first.”
“No.” He covered my mouth with his, giving me a hard kiss. “We’ll do it together.”
My eyes stung and I tr
ied to laugh around the rock in my throat. “I didn’t even think about taking the test without you. I literally ran right to get you.” I blinked away the tears threatening to flow like Niagara Falls. “You’re the other half of me.”
He lowered his forehead to mine and covered my hands on the bin between us. “We’ll do this together too. No matter what.”
“Maybe I can pee alone? I mean, sometimes I sneak in and pee when you’re showering if I have to go really bad, but I mean, you know, there’s this whole stick thing. Awkward.”
“I get it.” He laughed and hugged me closer. “Maybe take two?” He dug into my stash of tests. “Did you buy these in bulk?”
“Maybe.”
He shook his head. “Okay, maybe three. Just to be sure.”
“Right. Taking more than one is better. Sensible.”
“Right.” He set the bin on his bedside table and ripped open a box.
I’d read all the instructions online and knew what each one required. The main theme was to pee and me hoping like hell that I didn’t get it all over my hand.
Did I have to pee enough? Maybe I should drink some water.
I wandered into the bathroom to fill up the Dixie cups we kept in there.
“Wait. You’re doing it now? I didn’t finish reading the instructions.”
“Already read them,” I said between swallows. “I just have to make sure I can pee enough for all of them. Dammit, I just went twenty minutes ago. I should have stored it up.”
“You didn’t know.” He leaned against the doorjamb with three white plastic sticks in his hand. Two were all white and one had purple accents. “So, this one does the plus sign and this one says the actual word—”
I took them from him gently. “Yes, I know.”
He gnawed on his lower lip. “Okay, yeah. I’m sure you do.” He swallowed. “Okay, so I’ll just be out here while you pee.”
I started to close the door.
“Maybe I should stay in here with you. You know, solidarity.”
I pressed my cheek to the door. “I love you, Murphy.”
He blew out a breath. “I love you too.”
“I’m gonna pee now, okay?”