That has my brows lifting. “I finally get to try your mom’s famous bananas foster bread?” I tip my head. “I was starting to think it was actually a myth.”
Ruth scoffs. “Excuse me. I’ve had a lot going on.” She slides off my lap, catching one of my hands as she goes and using the grip to haul me up after her. “I started a new job. Attempted to take down a senator. Got shot at…”
I grip her hand tighter at the reminder. “Maybe don’t list all those off for a while. I don’t have an appointment with Bert for a couple weeks.”
“Then let’s just say I’ve had other things taking up my time.” She drags me into the kitchen, pulling two loaf pans from the oven.
I was so distracted by the terrible news I had to give her, I hadn’t even noticed the sweet scent permeating the air. But now that I have, my mouth is watering. “It was probably smart to make two loaves.”
“One of these is for your mother to try. She asked me about it a couple weeks ago, so I thought I’d make her one.” Ruth tipseach loaf out onto a cooling rack then spreads some sort of sticky syrup stuff over the top. “I figured I owe her for helping convince the other women to take William on.” Her lip curls. “Even if it ended up not mattering.”
With William out of the way, the path to me adopting Birdie is clear and should hopefully be a pretty straightforward process.
The path to getting Ruth to marry me isn’t quite as easy to navigate. Especially now that we know Ray is responsible for at least part of what’s happened. It seems like every time I start to think I can present her with the ring burning a hole in my metaphorical pocket, yet another shoe drops.
Then I think about the way Titus first proposed to Mariah. How he proposed the second time. That Brooke was actually the one to propose to Toby, and she did it while he was laying in a hospital bed.
And I think maybe the imperfectness of it is what makes it special. So now I have to think of the most imperfect time to propose.
“Here you go.” Ruth cuts off a steaming slice of bread, sliding it onto a plate before holding it out. “If you hate it, you should probably lie.”
“I’m not a great liar.” I use the fork she hands over to break off a chunk so I can blow on it.
“That’s not true.” Ruth crosses her arms, looking smug. Like she believes she’s about to win this disagreement. “You were great at convincing your mom you loved me.”
I take a bite of what is definitely the best banana bread I’ve ever had, giving her a smirk as I swallow it down. “That’s because I wasn’t lying.”
Epilogue
Ruth
“Can you please hold still?” I keep my voice low in my daughter’s ear because I’m trying my best to reduce the chances of her ruining the day. That’s why I’m out here instead of upstairs with Maren, Mariah, and Brooke.
Motherhood is great, but there are times it can be kind of a killjoy. I’m afraid today is going to be one of those times.
I planned to hang out with everyone while Brooke got ready, but Birdie woke up a holy terror. And while I know Tucker would happily wrangle her, I also know my daughter well enough to see the signs of an impending meltdown.
And the writing is on the wall.
She’s getting more teeth, and even dosed with acetaminophen, she’s still cranky as hell. So I’ve been feeding her a steady stream of her favorite snacks as we wait for the bride to make her entrance. Hopefully she can make it through the ceremony. I’d hate to have to leave with her, because I really love weddings.
Especially when it’s two amazing people getting married.
“You want me to take her outside?” Tucker reaches out tosmooth a little of Birdie’s wayward curls off her forehead. “Then you can stay here and enjoy the ceremony in peace.”
I don’t know what look is on my face, but it’s probably the way I’d stare at him if he sprouted another head. “This is your brother’s wedding. If anyone goes outside with her, it will be me.”
This man. This gorgeous, kind, considerate man makes me want to throttle him sometimes. In a good way.
He’s so selfless and giving, and while I hate how much he struggled due to the trauma he experienced as a kid, a teeny tiny part of me is really appreciative that it kept him single until our paths could cross. Because there is not a doubt in my mind some smart woman would have snapped him right off the market.
Tucker turns in his seat looking behind us. “Hopefully she can keep it together just a little longer, because I think it’s showtime.”
I don’t know how it happens, but Birdie is remarkably settled during the ceremony. She’s good through dinner, and even makes it a decent amount of time into dancing.
But when she goes down, she goes down hard. Literally. She wipes out on the gorgeous stone tiles surrounding Brooke and Tobias’s pool, skinning both knees and scraping up the palms of her hands. Her screams echo around the vaulted ceilings as Tucker quickly swoops in, scooping her up from the floor to carry her off, Deidre following close behind.
Unfortunately, since Brooke and Tobias don’t have a toddler falling every five minutes and requesting a bandage for their boo-boo, they don’t have Band-Aids in every bathroom. That sends me in search of a stocked medicine cabinet.
