We head into Hannah’s office and close the door. Zane sets Bentley’s car seat on the desk, and I reach for the seatbelt buckle. Then I stop.
“Can I…can I hold him?” I ask shakily.
“Of course,” he says, and I take him out, cradling him and showering him with a dozen kisses.
“Hey Bubba. Oh, I missed you. You smell so good. You look handsome too,” I gush.
“You should’ve seen him an hour ago. Covered in bananas and cereal,” Zane says with a smile, and I smile back.
“I notice you’re not wearing your trademark burp cloth on your shoulder,” I say.
“Yeah, I switched his formula to sensitive stomach. He hardly spits up at all now,” he says.
“Your daddy is smart,” I say to Bentley, kissing him again.
“I had some help from a friend,” he says.
“I was going to say. You’re going to have to start modeling burp cloths too. You’d probably make a fortune,” I tell him, and he smiles.
“So, what are you really doing here?” I ask.
“I need daycare for the Little Man,” he repeats and I give him a look. He smiles and wipes his hand down his face.
“God, I’ve missed your sass, you know that?”
I swallow hard.
“And I’m serious. I need help with him. Nigel doesn’t love it when I bring a baby to work.”
“You took him to work?” I ask.
“Yeah. He kind of steals the show. Nobody gets anything done. It’s a real problem.”
“I can only imagine,” I say. “He has that effect on people.”
“So do you…” he says and my heart clenches again. “Listen, Ashlyn. I can’t do this. Not on my own. Nikki and I talked. She is surrendering sole custody to me.”
“I know,” I tell him. “I talked to her, too.”
“You did?” he asks.
“Yeah. We ran into each other.”
He nods. “The thing is…even if I thought I could do it alone, I wouldn’t want to. I could put him in daycare or hire a nanny, and I’m sure we would figure it out. But I don’t want to. I want to do this with you. I want to do everything with you. I just want…you.”
“I would never have betrayed you,” I tell him with a strain in my throat.
“I know. I know that now,” he says. “And I am ashamed I ever thought you would. I also feel bad for not believing you that yousaw someone outside the windows and on the balcony. When I thought about who could have access to the house, I didn’t even consider that Nikki knew the door code. Honestly, we should press charges.”
“I don’t want to,” I say, and he shakes his head.
“Me neither. I think all of that has sorted itself out. And I’m hoping she will be in a better place now. But all that aside, I needed to see you again. To talk to you again. To ask your forgiveness,” he says, taking a step closer, and I can feel the walls around my heart beginning to rattle. “I should never have doubted you, Ashlyn. I guess I’ve never been able to trust anyone before. Outside of a few friends, this industry isn’t known for authenticity. People pretend to be real, but once they get what they really wanted…well. That’s not you. And I know it’s not. I never expected to fall in love with you. I also never expected to be an overnight dad, yet here we are.”
“If it makes you feel any better, I never thought I’d fall in love with you either,” I say with a little sass, and he grins. “Supermodels aren’t even my type,” I add for the heck of it, and it makes him laugh.
“Paparazzi definitely aren’t my type,” he says. “Unless they’re cute and clumsy and smart and quirky, and exceptional mothers.”
I blink and tears stream down my cheeks.
