Page 100 of The Grump I Got Stuck With

“I don’t know how to do that.”

Weston got to his feet as Aisling asked to go look at the vending machine at the other end of the waiting room. “I can’t help you there. All I know is if Madison is worth it, you’ll figure it out.”

I watched him walk away, his words repeating in my head. If Madison is worth it…

She was worth it.

She was worth everything.

Less than an hour later, Locke returned to the waiting room, looking winded. “Guess who’s a dad?”

“Aye, congrats, man,” Weston said, pulling him into a hug.

“Took you long enough to join the club,” I said, grabbing him next.

Kenna got up and tugged on his trousers. “Where is the baby?”

Locke lowered his voice as he bent down to talk to her. “The nurses said we can have a couple minutes with him if we’re really quiet. You want to come meet your little cousin?”

“Of course we want to see the baby!” Lena said, practically sprinting past him.

Weston snorted, scooping up a dozing Aisling. The group of us followed Locke down the hall, speaking in whispers, finally reaching their private room.

And there, on the bed, sat Isla with a tiny bundle wrapped in a blue blanket.

“Look at his tiny hat!” Aisling said, rushing to her side the moment Weston set her down. “It’s so cute.”

“Everyone,” Isla said, looking pleased but tired, “I’d like you to meet Andrew Lachlan Fraser. We’re calling him Baby Andy for short.”

Lena clapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes already wet. “He’s adorable.”

Kenna demanded to be picked up for a better view. I lifted her onto my hip, and she leaned over, looking at Andy. Her brow furrowed. “Where are his arms?”

Everyone laughed.

“They’re all tucked up in the blanket, sweetheart,” I explained. “Babies like to be swaddled. You used to like that too.”

She wrinkled her nose at me. “I did?”

“You also liked to be carried around all night,” Weston said. “You used to cry whenever Daddy put you down.”

Kenna laughed. “He has a little nose.”

“He does, doesn’t he?” Isla said, gazing down at her son with a glowing smile. She glanced up, locking eyes with Locke. There was so much love and adoration in that gaze, my chest panged. Here I was, surrounded by my friends, the people who cared about me most, and for a beat, all I felt was joy.

The echoing loss of Madison’s absence still pulsed inside me, but despite the ache, I felt a deep and abiding sense of peace.

With a startling clarity, I realized that this was my home. It wasn’t Braeburn or Dunhope or a property with walls and gates. It was right here with the people who loved me and Kenna. The people who’d stood by my side through my greatest joys and my hardest losses.

They were all here, except for one.

I’d pushed Madison away and robbed her of the home she was building all because I couldn’t see past my own trust issues. But I understood now that I couldn’t keep isolating myself. I’d always been there for my friends, in moments just like these, but after Jessica’s betrayal, I’d also forever written off the possibility of having the same kind of happiness for myself. I never thought it would be possible for me to build a family with a woman I loved, so I put the wall up and refused to let myself fall. But Madison had torn that wall down and made me want to try again.

I didn’t want to watch these amazing moments from the outside anymore. I wanted to live them—every messy, incredible second—and I wanted that with her. Weston was right. Madison was worth everything. I loved her beyond all doubt and reason, and I was willing to risk getting hurt again if it meant a chance at this kind of happiness.

As I clutched Kenna to me, I felt secure in my decision. If I truly wanted to make this work with Madison, I needed to prove to her that being with me didn’t mean secrecy and solitude. If she would let me back in, I wouldn’t close off her world, and I needed to show her that. Because if I couldn’t, how could Madison trust that I would be there to support her goals and dreams?

How could she trust that I would be her home? I had work to do and I knew just where to start.