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“When we move in, can I keep the room I sleep in now?” Miles asks.
“Oh! Can I have an American Girl room since Mommy won’t be in my room anymore?” Evie bounces up and down excitedly. “And can we get a bed for Molly? She’s so squished sleeping with Mommy and me here.”
“Umm…” Bree glances at us with wide eyes. “We haven’t…We haven’t discussed where we’ll live.”
“Well, your lease is up soon, right?” Brody points out. “And since we’ll be married, it only makes sense that we’ll all live together. And this place can fit everyone.”
“Yeah,” Bree breathes, glancing at Miles and Evie, who are watching and listening. “Can we go talk in the kitchen?”
“What’s going on?” I ask once we’re out of hearing distance.
“You guys didn’t…” Bree swallows thickly. “You’re not rushing this because I have to move out of my place, right? Like, you don’t feel bad and are trying to fix things…”
“What? No,” Brody says, grabbing her hips and pulling her toward him. “We love you and want to marry you. But if you want to wait, then we can wait. Move wherever you want, sign whatever lease you want. And once you’re ready, we’ll marry you. And then wherever you’re living, whatever lease you’ve signed, we’ll cancel it and move you guys in here. Or we can get a new place. A house or a brownstone somewhere…”
“We can do whatever you want,” I add, stepping toward them and cupping her cheek. “All we want is to be with you. If you want to wait…”
“No,” she breathes. “I want to marry you, and I know you want to marry me. I just wanted to make sure you’re not putting a rush on it because of my living situation.”
She pulls her phone out and glances at it. “What about December ninth?”
Brody and I look at each other and nod.
“That’s perfect,” Brody says. “It’s two weeks before Christmas, which will give Amalia and you time to plan the wedding and enough time for you guys to move in afterward and spend our first Christmas together as a family.”
The mention of Christmas has her lips turning down slightly, and I know it’s because she’s thinking of her late husband and how he passed away on Christmas.
“How do you feel about living here?” I ask.
“I’m okay with it. It’s bigger than any place the kids and I have ever lived, and it’s not too far from Heart’s. And maybe we can go on a little trip over winter break with the kids,” she adds softly.
“December ninth it is,” I say, kissing the corner of her mouth. “And we can definitely go away. Whatever you want, baby.”
“Okay,” she breathes, smiling sweetly. “I guess I better cancel the real estate agent then.” She glances from Brody to me. “We’re really doing this, huh?”
“Damn right, we are,” Brody says. “In less than two months, we’ll officially be a family.”
“Oh, Bree,” Savy coos. “You look stunning. And look at you,” she says to Evie. “You and your doll look so beautiful in your matching dresses.”
“Her name’s Molly,” Evie says. “And guess what? Mommy said we can be the flower girls at her wedding when she marries Brody and Hayden. And we get more pretty dresses!”
Everyone’s eyes swing over to Bree and straight to her hand, which houses the engagement ring we gave her.
Since Brody tells his parents everything, they already know, but that doesn’t stop them from giving their congratulations since this is the first time they’ve seen Bree since the engagement took place. Amalia croons over how perfect the ring is, and Savy asks if we’ve picked a date yet.
I’m so absorbed in everything that is Bree that I don’t realize my parents have arrived, and based on the way they’re glaring, they overheard everything.
“Hayden,” Mom hisses, confusion and shock marring her otherwise perfectly Botoxed features. “What’s going on here? I don’t understand.”
“We’ll talk later,” I tell her, not wanting Bree to overhear anything negative that will come out of my parents’ mouths.
“No,” Dad says, refusing to let it go. “We’ll talk now. You can’t be serious. Sharing a woman with Brody Fields? What the hell are you thinking? Do you have any idea how bad this looks?”
“Oh, Joseph, Kassandra,” Savy says without missing a beat and saving my ass. “I didn’t realize you’d arrived.” She politely gives each of them a kiss on their cheeks. “Thank you for being here. How are you?”
“We were good…until now,” my dad says. “You can’t really approve of this… arrangement.”
“Actually, we do,” Ben says, stepping into my father’s face. “Brody and Hayden are happy, and that’s all that matters. Love comes in all different forms, and we support their decision to be together.”
“This is insanity,” Dad barks. “How could—?”
“Enough,” I demand. “Now is not the time or the place to discuss this.”
