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“It’s fine,” Amanda says. “She’s technically your heir, you know. It’s better for her to have your last name.”
“Is this your way of asking me to change your last name, too?” I tease.
Surprisingly, Amanda doesn’t laugh. She flushes and looks away, and butterflies erupt in my stomach.
“Not…quite,” she says awkwardly. “But it doesn’t sound like a bad idea, anyway.
I stare at her. I’ve thought of marrying Amanda, of course, especially in the last couple of months. We’ve only been together for nine months, at this point, which was the entire length of the pregnancy.
But, hearing her saying that she’s interested in the idea… Only the fact that proposing to my girlfriend in the delivery room after she’s just had a baby is incredibly unromantic stops me from dropping to one knee.
I tell myself to calm down. I’ll stick with my original plan. I want to wait a little while longer and see how we go as a couple now that the pregnancy is no longer the defining factor of our relationship. If we can last through looking after a newborn baby together, then we’ll definitely be good to get married.
Still, I can’t leave Amanda’s words alone. I know she’s waiting tensely for a response.
“When the time is right, and when we’re not in this hospital… I’m going to ask you to marry me,” I promise, grinning. “Just wait for it.”
I stand and kiss her softly. At the movement, little Rose lets go of the breast with a cry. A nurse hurries forward with a smile, and Amanda and I break apart, chuckling.
I step back as I watch the nurse show Amanda how to hold and burp Rose. The nurse and doctor are all so supportive. I glance down at my phone. I should turn it on to send some messages out. I know Alicia, Alan and Maria are all waiting for news. The last update I gave them was an hour ago, when I told them we were getting closer, despite how long it had been at that point.
“Hey.”
I look up as I turn my phone on. Amanda is now cradling the quiet Rose in her arms. She looks beautiful.
“Yeah?” I ask.
“I love you,” Amanda says.
I smile. Hearing those words from Amanda is enough to make my day, no matter what else has happened. I stride back to the bed. I kiss her, and then kiss Rose gently on the cheek. The baby’s skin is incredibly soft.
“I love you, too,” I say. “Both of you.”
Amanda presses her forehead against mine. I know things won’t be perfect in the coming weeks. Looking after a baby will be very hard, and everything I’ve read said that sleep will be a luxury. And that’s not even talking about nappy changes, crying fits and burping.
But, right now, all of that is still a distant concern. Here, with my two girls, life is utterly perfect.
Excerpt
I want my best friend to raise my daughter!
Georgia would make the perfect mother for Lily.
My life has been messy since my ex-wife left.
And Georgia is with me every step of the way.
She’s all I have.
Her soft skin intoxicates me.
I can’t ruin our friendship by trying to claim her.
I can’t be that selfish.
Especially since my ex-wife has returned.
She’s threatening to take Lily away.
