“Yes,” I said before adding quickly, “How many more?”
“One or two.”
“You want a son.”
“No, I’m cool with another girl. There isn’t much difference between boys and girls except a boy’s ability to piss standing up.”
“Can it really be that easy?” I asked as he crawled over me and kissed my throat. “Can we become a family after only a week?”
“Yes. Life is about choices. I made the decision to stay away from you. Now, I’ve decided to love you with everything I am. Nothing will change my mind.”
The look on Boone’s face silenced my fears more than his words. He was a man completely at peace with what he was saying.
BOONE
I kept my pants on for most of the girls’ two-hour nap. By the time they stirred in bed, Nova and I were cleaned up and fully dressed. While I prepped the grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, Nova went to make sure Skylar and Lyric were still interested in sleeping over.
“Maybe we should wait until next weekend when we have our clothes,” Nova suggested as the girls left the bedroom.
Hurrying over to the spot at the window, Skylar insisted, “We can sleep in our clothes and wear them tomorrow.”
As I heated the griddle, I suggested, “Or I can get someone to run to your house and pick up overnight items. I bet Lula would be happy to pack them for you.”
The girls looked to Nova, who had settled down since we talked. When she nodded, they clapped their little hands and whispered to each other.
“Next weekend, my mom is bringing Beef Jerky to Little Memphis. You guys need to help me win back his affections. He’s been angry with me since I went to jail.”
The girls frowned at the “jail” part. At the pool, I’d explained how I got locked up for stopping a bully in a bar. They felt so bad for me that they wanted to send the boogeyman after the sheriff who arrested me.
Once lunch was ready, I turned one of my wide chairs toward the windows and adjusted a side table near them.
“You can look outside while you eat,” I said, winning smiles from the girls.
Nova and I ate at the kitchen island. I couldn’t take my eyes off her, even when I was supposed to locate someone to bring overnight supplies.
“If no one in the club wants to throw us a bone, we have prospects and people who run errands for the club.”
Nova watched me with affection. “Back in Baton Rouge, Dan had people to do his peon work. I always felt lazy calling someone.”
“It’s not about laziness,” I said and kissed her head. “It’s about using your time wisely. Besides, you’re doing these errand boys a favor by paying them for easy work.”
Smiling lovestruck at me, she murmured, “You make everything sound so reasonable.”
Nova remained in a great mood for the rest of the evening. Even when Goldie, Farley, and Rowdy showed up with the overnight stuff, she didn’t lose her confidence.
Eventually, we took the girls to the complex’s game room, where they stood on chairs and tossed basketballs into the hoop arcade game.
Just before we headed to dinner, my mom finally responded with a threatening text.
“I want to talk to them on the phone, or else I’m riding north.”
Relenting to Yarrow’s threat, I brought the girls outside and explained how my mom had already met them quickly at the wedding. Now, she wanted to talk to them again since she knew how much I liked their mom.
“Are you going to be our daddy?” Skylar asked me.
“Yes,” I said without hesitation. “My mom will be your grandma. She’s so excited to get to know you, but I said she had to wait until next weekend to visit.”
“Can we go see her now?” Lyric asked, ignoring my rational ideas.
