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Everything inside me seemed to melt at the sight of him. His feet were bare, and all he had on was a pair of old sweats. His chest had a smear of what looked like mint green paint that went down toward his navel, and there were drops of the same color in his hair and on his brow. Several days’ worth of beard darkened his jaw, and I had the sudden urge to rub my fingers across the scruffiness.
“Dreamer,” he breathed, stunned to see me.
“H-hi,” I murmured shyly. “Can I come in?”
He caught me around the waist and pulled me into him, and I went willingly. Damn it, I knew I shouldn’t, we still had so many things unresolved between us, but it felt so good just to be held by him again. I snaked my arms around his neck, and I held on like he was the only thing tethering me to the ground.
“Fuck, it feels good to have you back where you belong,” he groaned into my neck, and I couldn’t fight the shiver that assaulted me at the feel of his scruff on my soft skin. “Don’t leave me again, woman. If you do, I might go insane.”
I was too choked up to speak, so I buried my face in his bare chest instead. He smelled so good. It was a mixture of sweat and paint, but underneath, I could smell nothing but him, and instantly, it gave me the peace I had been craving for months. I held on tighter, hoping he knew what I was trying to say without having the ability to speak the words aloud.
For long minutes we stood like that, just holding and breathing each other in. Anyone could have walked by and seen us, but we were too lost in the feeling of finally being back together to care.
It wasn’t until he felt my tears on his chest that he forced me to p
ull back. Cupping my chin, he lifted my head, making me meet his gaze. “Why the tears?” he asked with a pained look in his dark eyes.
“I’m just really happy to be here,” I told him with a wobble in my voice. “I missed you so damn much.”
“Dreamer,” he whispered, lowering his head until his forehead rested on mine. “I’ve ached to hold you like this again. I was scared you would never come back to me.”
A small kick right behind my belly button pushed into Cash, and he lifted his head in confusion as I laughed at the intrusion of our daughter. I touched both hands to my stomach as he looked down at my new bump.
“What was that?” he muttered to himself.
I lifted my shirt, exposing my stomach. The skin fluttered as another kick bounced off my insides. “I guess someone wanted to say ‘Hi’ too.”
His hands shook slightly as he touched them carefully to my stomach. After a moment, the baby kicked again and his eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise, but a grin lifted his lips. “That is the most amazing thing I’ve ever felt.”
My breath caught in my chest as I watched him stare down in awe at the feel of his baby moving inside me. “R-really?” I whispered.
“Really, Dreamer.” Grasping my hand, he entwined our fingers and tugged me into the apartment, finally shutting the door. “Come here. I want to show you something.”
He tugged me through the apartment and stopped outside the closed doors of his bedroom and the smaller room where he kept his guitars and keyboards. The distinctive sound of blowing fans came from the other side of the closed instrument room, and he seemed to gulp as he glanced down at me.
“Close your eyes,” he instructed.
“Why?” I asked cautiously. “Is my best friend in there?”
He snorted at my attempt at humor and smacked me on the ass playfully. “Actually, she’s been over a lot lately. And if you would close your eyes, I’ll show you what she’s been helping me with.”
Curiosity had me covering my eyes with my hands. I heard him open the door. Holding my shoulders, he guided me into the room and maneuvered me until he was satisfied before telling me I could look. Dropping my hands, I fell back against him as tears instantly began to flood down my face.
“This is…” I shook my head, unable to finish as a lump filled my throat.
The mint green paint that was smeared on him covered two walls, while another was a soft brown color. Teddy bear decals graced every wall, overlooking the chestnut-colored crib that had a mixture of teddy bears and guitars hanging from the mobile. Mint green sheets and a soft brown comforter covered the small mattress inside.
A rocking chair with matching footstool sat to the right of the crib, while a changing table completely stocked with everything we could possibly need for at least a month was against the wall. A baby swing and at least a hundred stuffed animals completed the room’s decorations. The closet door was open, and there were already tiny little outfits suitable for either a girl or a boy hanging from the tiniest plastic hangers I’d ever seen.
“What do you think?” Cash asked, his worried eyes glued to my face.
“You and Riley did all this?” I asked in wonder.
He shrugged. “Yeah. She’s a tyrant when she’s helping out, but once we got the walls painted and the crib and swing together, she was pretty much fed up with me. I went a little overboard with the stuffed animals, but I have no clue when it comes to that kind of thing. I never had one, but wanted our baby to have as many as he or she wanted, and they all looked cute…” He shrugged again, and my heart melted with love for him.
Opening my bag, I grabbed the ultrasound picture and placed it in his hands. “Say hello to our baby,” I told him as I wiped away the last of my happy tears.
His eyes widened then narrowed as he tried to make out what he was seeing. Laughing when he gave me a pleading look, I leaned over his arm and pointed out our baby. “That’s her head, her spine, a little foot. And there…a girl.”
