“Well, you could try trusting me.”
His worry lifted and he drew her in close. “I’ve trusted you from the moment I read the notes Connie left about you. Meeting you just made it more personal.”
With her face against his warm, solid chest, his indescribable, addictive scent filling her head, Pixie asked, “Do you mean that?”
Brushing his mouth against her temple, he said, “I swear it to you. And because you trust Marlow and Cort so much, I’m inclined to feel the same about them. I know good people when I meet them.”
Perfect … she couldn’t ask for more than that. Drawing away from him, she looked up and said, “If Ruthie knew you were here, she might know about Andy and Shayna’s wealthy grandparents, too.”
After a moment, he stepped away with a groan. “Shit. If I don’t deal with her, she’ll turn to them. That’s all I need.”
“Eventually, they’ll need to know about Shayna.”
“Sugar isn’t a secret. I’ll proudly show her to anyone. I wanted to do it one person at a time, though.”
“I understand,” Pixie said, because she did. The coffee was ready, so she poured them each a cup, and they took seats at the table.
“After the things you’ve told me about them, I’m not even sure they’ll be interested in meeting Shayna.”
“Oh, they’ll be interested.” Pixie wasn’t sure how they’d react, though. Remembering how staunchly they’d defended Dylan, as if their son could do no wrong—as if he hadn’t cheated on Marlow, hadn’t gotten Pixie pregnant while married to another woman—made her believe they’d be devastated by the news.
Then again, this shouldn’t be anything new to them. They’d already had to face the fact that Dylan wasn’t the paragon they’d envisioned.
Brogan sat back in the chair. “Ruth will try to extort money from them.”
“They’ll destroy her if she does.”
“Or,” he said, disgust heavy in his tone, “they’ll give in to her blackmail to keep their son’s name untarnished.”
A little late for that, she thought. “Would you like me to tell them?”
“No.” He sat forward again. “I’ll take care of it.”
Pixie considered him, but she could see from his expression that he wouldn’t shirk what he considered his responsibility, so she nodded.
Then he surprised her by saying, “I’d like it if you were there, too. They know you, and I think you care about them.”
Yes, in her own fashion, she did. How could she not when they were Andy’s grandparents?
“That is, if you want to be a part of it. No pressure.” He huffed out a breath. “Damn it, I don’t know the right move here.”
“Then let me help by saying I appreciate that you’d includeme, and yes, I’d like to be with you when you call.” She briefly squeezed his hand. “I’ll get the phone number for you.”
He caught her hand before she stood. “Let’s wait until the kids are up. I’ll call late morning.”
As if he was eager to start the ball rolling, Andy called out to her, and seconds later, they heard Shayna. With a shared smile, they headed in different directions, each to change diapers.
After breakfast, Brogan took the kids for a walk while she showered and got ready for work. It was so much easier with Andy occupied. She’d love to work out a routine with Brogan—for the long term. She loved him, she knew he cared for her, and they each cherished the kids.
Pixie couldn’t imagine anything more perfect … unless it was that special commitment, the one she hadn’t dared to hope for after all her disappointment with Dylan.
She finished with minutes to spare and was back at the table, messaging with Marlow and sharing her thoughts, when Brogan returned.
When he’d left, he’d had Shayna in her carrier and Andy in the stroller, but now Shayna was in the stroller and Andy was helping to push her.
Pixie grinned at her son’s proud face. “Are you helping?”
He squinted his eyes shut and gave her a huge grin. “Wokin’ my baby.”
