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Thanksgiving would be so awkward.
“This poor child is going to be entering a war zone,” I said finally. “What kind of life is that for a child?”
“You like to think of it as a war zone.” A voice came from just beyond the doorway. I recognized it instantly, even before my insanely handsome husband’s frame filled the doorway. “I like to think of it as a bridge. She will be the one member of the family loved by everyone.”
He closed the distance between us, wrapping his hands around my stomach. “Because she’s a little bit of you, and a little bit of me. Both sides get access to the house, and the legacy continues with a Saunders-Carson baby.”
He kissed me, a soft affirmation that, no matter what happened, things would always work out just as they were meant to.
“I’ll give you two a minute,” Aly said, and ducked out of the room.
“Everyone is waiting,” Hunter said, drawing me into his arms. “You can’t still be worried about Vanessa and Kyle. I’ll tell them and your aunt and uncle to leave if you need me to.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s fine. I’m not sure what’s come over me.”
My eyes wandered around the room, landing on photos from the past and present. This home demanded all the same love and attention my grandparents gave to me. My daughter deserved no less, and yet I still worried I’d never live up to those expectations—the ones I foolishly set up for myself.
“Let me guess,” Hunter said. “You’re thinking about all the places you can’t go to until the baby is old enough to travel.”
I laughed. He wasn’t entirely wrong. “We just traveled out of the country four months ago.”
“Yes, but you had morning sickness the entire time and were completely miserable.”
“Fine.” I shrugged. “I am thinking about things like that and thinking about how horrible I am for thinking those things. What if I’m not a good mom? What if I want a few minutes of peace to myself every now and then? Does that make me my parents? What if my daughter doesn’t even like me?”
“She’s going to love you.” Hunter peered back at me, his expression a meld of confusion and sincerity. “At least until she becomes a teenager, then it’ll be rough waters for a bit. But then she’ll love you again.”
My eyes narrowed onto him like missiles locking onto their target. “Very funny.”
“You’re not going to be your parents,” he added. “It’s okay to take time for yourself every now and then, even as a parent.”
“What if I can’t do this?”
“One, it’s too late to do anything about it now.” I thumped him across the shoulder. Now was not the time to be making jokes. He only laughed and continued. “Two, because I know you. You’re a wonderful person who believes in empowering others. You also like to call people on their shit, so you won’t let our daughter get away with much either.”
“Fine.” I sighed. Maybe it wasn’t hopeless. If anything, Hunter would always be there to guide me, to help me make sense of the world—the way he always had. He put me at ease the way no one else could.
His fingers cupped my chin, tilting me up to face him. “You’re not doing this alone, you know?”
“I know.” I smiled. “There’s no one else I’d want to start this new adventure with.”
He kissed me once again, filling me with all the love and warmth I never knew I needed until him. It was everything I could have ever hoped for.
Who would have thought laying down roots with a man like Hunter would give me wings?
I had found my own happily ever after by finding the right man his perfect match.
