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36
Ryder
I’m fucked. I’m most definitely fucked. That’s all I can think of as I take in the smallest baby I have ever seen. She is so tiny and fragile-looking. She weighs basically nothing in my arms, but I’m holding her like she is a diamond crusted brick of gold. Like she is the most precious thing in the world.
Her eyes are the palest blue, her skin has a rose hue, and her hair is nothing more than blonde fuzz that curls slightly at the end. All I can do is stare at her in awe.
She is perfect.
A little angel.
I can’t believe she is mine.
One look at her, and I already know I would do anything for her. Anything to keep her safe, to make sure she is happy and has everything she could possibly want or need.
“I named her Gwendolyn,” Penny’s voice makes me look up, and I realize she hasn’t moved yet. A moment later, the words she just said register.Gwendolyn.
“That was my grandma’s name,” I point out the obvious.
Penny gives me a small nod and smiles. “We call her Gwen.”
“Gwen,” I repeat, trying out the name. “That fits her.”
“I’ll get my stuff,” Penny tells me, and I watch her from the door as she dashes through the house to grab everything she needs.
She slips on her shoes before hanging the diaper bag over her shoulder and comes to stand by me. Mojo hasn’t left me since I arrived and looks up at us with his head tilted to the side.
“You can come too,” I tell him, and he eagerly follows me.
Penny opens the back door, and under her watchful eyes, I carefully position Gwen into the already mounted car seat. I buckle her in like instructed by the manual and check her restraints three times.
When I’m done, I turn to Penny, who gawks at me like I grew a second head. She blinks a few times, almost like she is making sure this is real before she walks around the truck and climbs in.
Mojo jumps into the back and curls up next to the car seat. I get into the truck myself and start the engine.
“Why couldn’t you take care of Mojo anymore?” Penny asks as I pull into the road.
“I…” Briefly, I consider coming up with a lie, but I figure if I want this to work, I need to put all my cards on the table. “I just wanted you to have him. I knew he helped you with your anxiety, and I knew he kept you safe.”
“Really?” She sounds surprised.
“Yes, really. I can’t believe that’s the first question you ask me. Don’t you want to know where I’m taking you?”
“Whereareyou taking us?”
“You’ll see.” I smirk. “It’s only twenty minutes away.”
Penny sinks into the seat with a sigh. She looks tired. Happy and healthy, but tired. Quickly, her sweet feminine smell mixed with the powdery newborn scent fills the cab. I suck in a deep breath, enjoying the fragrance while hoping to be surrounded by it often in the future.
When I glance over at Penny to ask her if she gets a lot of sleep, I notice her dozing off. I guess that answers my question.
A few minutes later, I pull up to the house. Penny startles awake as I put the truck in park.
“Where are we?” Her question ends in a yawn.
“If I’m lucky, your new home,” I explain.
“What do you mean?” Penny’s eyes ping pong between me and the two-story family home I bought for her.
