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They take a seat somewhere behind me. I never look back at her. She’s my past. The woman sitting next to me is my future.
Thirty minutes later, I escort Allie to the train station.
“Do you expect me to take your name?” she asks.
I cock my head. “That kind of came out of nowhere.”
“What you said to the doorman last night about us being Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. Is that what you want?”
A slow roll of air leaves my body through my nose. “Of course it’s what I want, Al. But I know keeping the name of your family business means a lot to you. How about we compromise? You be Allie Montana at work, but Allie Anderson everywhere else, especially in our bed.”
She bites her lip in contemplation. “I think that could be arranged.”
I’m jumping for joy inside. She’s thinking ahead. I step close and put my lips to her ear. “Thinking about marrying me, eh?”
She brushes away the tickle. “I do think about it, Asher. I think about it all the time. But we still have hurdles to overcome.”
“One hurdle,” I say holding up a finger. “One.”
“It’s a pretty big one.”
“Allie, we’ve been in Calloway Creek less than a week. Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Her lungs expel a harsh sigh. “No. It took about eight hundred years. I know. I wrote a paper on it in high school. So if you’re trying to make me feel better, that’s a horrible analogy.”
I’m trying not to laugh, but it’s hard. “Sweetheart, it’ll happen. You and Bug will find your groove. Whether it’s her seeing you as a mother figure or just a friend, I truly believe she’s going to accept you.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
“She will.”
“Just humor me. If she never accepts me. Then what?”
I shrug. “I guess she’ll go off to college in a little over four years.”
I cover my face with my hands. “Oh, god.”
He takes my hands off my face and kisses them. “It’s not going to come to that. We’re going to find a way for all of us to live together peacefully.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’m right.” I kiss her temple. “Listen to me. I’m older and wiser.” I point. “There’s your train. Today will be a long day, and I’ll be home late. But I’ll be home. I promise.”
It’s a promise I intend to keep. Even if we’re not done with the job and I work until midnight, I’m going home to her. I never want her to have a reason to doubt me. And I intend on keeping every single promise I make to her. Especially the one that has her becoming my wife.
Chapter Thirty-one
Allie
“This is so stupid,” Bug says from the back seat when we’re almost there. “Why can’t you just show me the pictures after?”
Asher looks at her in the rearview mirror. “We want you to be a part of this, Bug. The anatomy scan is a big deal. Plus, it’s pretty cool.”
“Whatever.” She huffs. “It’s still stupid. Who takes their kid?”
“We do,” I say.
“I was asking my father.”