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I pulled her into my arms, needing to soothe her. “She’s more than okay. She’s ecstatic.”
Her eyes filled with unshed tears. “It just makes me so happy.”
I squeezed her just as Wren popped her head in. “You coming?”
“Give us a second.”
“Can I go practice by myself?” Wren looked from me to Everly.
“Go ahead. We’ll be right out.” I didn’t mind if she played in the backyard, but I was more cautious about her being in the front. I didn’t like her to be alone for long.
“I told you she’d be happy.”
“She loves me.” Everly’s voice still seemed slightly taken aback by everything.
“But you knew that,” I said gently.
“It’s just nice to hear it.”
That got me right in the chest. Everly didn’t feel loved. Not after her father left, and then her mother was too caught up in her own grief to remember she had a daughter who relied on her for support.
“You’ll always feel loved. I’ll make sure of it.”
Everly smiled through the tears.
I wiped her cheeks and kissed her softly, my heart full. Wren was here, and Everly was too. The two most important people in my life. Nothing could go wrong. I felt the happiness seep into my soul. “Now, let’s go play some basketball.”
We showed Everly how to play knock-out, although it was easier to play with more people. With Lola delivering her baby, and seeing the families with multiple kids at practice, it made me want more kids. I wanted to give Wren siblings, too.
It wasn’t something I thought about because having one when we were young was hard enough. I’d struggled to finish college and work jobs to support Lola and Wren. But I was more established now. I could hire a manager to help with my business and maybe take a step back, just doing the scheduling and marketing. It was feasible, even if I was afraid of the risk it represented. There was no guarantee the business would continue to expand.
The more I watched Everly interact with Wren, the more I realized she’d be a wonderful mother, and I absolutely wanted that with her. I’d asked her to marry me, and she’d said yes, but there was still this otherworldly quality to it, like she hadn’t quite accepted it yet. That she was still acting out a role in a play directed by my attorney.
A part of me asked whether I would have ever made a move on Everly without Jackson’s suggestion of a fiancée. Would I have moved in with her so quickly or proposed so soon? I knew the answer was no. I was more cautious when it came to Wren. The only thing that propelled me forward was the custody case. That didn’t sit right with me.
A ball hit me in the face. “Hey.”
“Pay attention, Daddy,” Wren said with her hands on her hips.
“Make sure the person is looking before you throw them the ball,” I said gruffly.
“You were looking—”
“Maybe he wasn’t paying attention. What were you thinking about?” Everly asked, her head cocked to the side.
“Just wondering if Wren’s brother or sister’s here yet.”
“Why don’t you check?” Everly asked.
I went inside to check my phone. There weren’t any messages, but then that was to be expected. I wouldn’t be the first person they’d contact unless they wanted Wren to be there to meet the baby. I’d never been in this situation before and wasn’t sure of the protocol.
“You okay?” Everly asked when she came into the kitchen a few minutes later.
Wren’s footsteps sounded on the stairs to her room.
“Yeah, just thinking about how things will change, or whether they will.” It was only part of the truth.
“It’ll work out. You need to have faith.”
