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I heaved out a heavy exhale. “I’m not competing with a ghost here, am I?”

Sometimes, it was hard to remember that she was technically a widow. That she had been married before.

She didn’t talk about Kaleb, ever. She didn’t want to and she didn’t have anything to say about it, anyway. They’d only been dating for a short time before she conceived due to a busted condom. Then he’d passed away at work soon after Brady was born.

It wasn’t like she had memories—good ones, at least—to cling to.

She wasn’t hanging up photos of Kaleb so Brady would remember him. Brady had no recollection of his biological father.

She wasn’t mentioning how it used to be when Kaleb was alive. I was convinced that if he’d lived, she probably would’ve left him anyway.

I saw Louisa as an independent, single woman I was about to make mine forever.

Not a widow.

“It’s just that I hated it.” She winced. “My mother-in-law was a very persistent, controlling woman. I won’t speak ill of the dead, but I wasn’t sad when she passed away. She took that wedding as a gift to act like a director of what was probably her dream wedding.”

I brushed her hair back, listening and still willing to give her whatever she wanted. And if she didn’t want a huge, fancy wedding, then that was what I’d give her.

“She was so particular about image. And how things would match the theme.”

“Wasn’t the theme a wedding?” Paloma asked, standing nearby.

“No. She had some artistic theme and every little detail mattered. I gave up. I didn’t care, and that aggravated her and made her push even more to make me care. Twice, I threatened to just elope. I hadn’t been crazy about marrying Kaleb to begin with, and I second-guessed myself the entire engagement. But she was ridiculous. She force fed me these bridal magazines and still to this day, if I see one, I want to cringe.”

I smiled. “All right. No fancy wedding.”

“I just want you. And Brady and Paloma and the rest of the family.” She cleared her throat. “I don’t have any. If we have to go through all these formalities with invitations and all, it’s just another reminder of how I’m coming into this family with none of my own.”

I kissed her, realizing that I was not picking my battles well. “I just want to make all your dreams come true.”

She softened, hugging me back. “You are. I just don’t have a dream about a wedding.”

“Maybe your daughter will,” Paloma said with a wink.

She was determined to assume a precious little girl was on her way.

Brady lifted his head from where he was doing a puzzle at the table. “Daughter. Uh-uh. Mama’s going to have a boy.”

I held in a groan. I got it. He really wanted a baby brother, and he’d gotten it in his head that if he wanted it, it would happen. Just like, apparently, he’d wished on a shooting star one night that I would be his daddy and it was coming true.

Louisa and I tried to explain that wasn’t how it worked. We couldn’t choose if we’d have a boy or girl and it wouldn’t matter. We’d love them the same.

Getting into the scientific details of genetics and sperm and eggs wasn’t something Louisa or I were ready to discuss with him yet.

Due to Louisa’s lack of interest in a big wedding, we were here, a week after I proposed to her, in my back yard.

My brothers and cousins were around. Stefan Rossi had flown in as a guest from New York. A select few others were here, too. It was a small crowd—just as she preferred.

But it was a full crowd consisting of all those who mattered. Elena and Carina had gone all out to turn the backyard into a beautiful “venue” and gathering space. Flowers, ribbons, fairy lights since we were having our ceremony at night. It didn’t look like my yard anymore. All of Brady’s toys and gadgets were out of sight.

All I could keep in my line of sight was where Louisa would walk down to stand with me at the makeshift altar.

Any second now.

I smiled, thrilled that I would be taken off the market for good. Claimed. Married.

By the one who made sure I could still have faith in the goodness of the world.