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“I know,” she says softly.
I look at her, taking in the way she’s curled up on the bench, the way my sweatshirt swallows her up, the way she’s looking at me—not with doubt, not with fear, but with trust.
I let out a breath. “I want to be a good father.”
“You will be.” she says simply.
I shake my head. “You don’t know that.”
She leans forward, resting her arms on the table between us. “I do.”
I arch a brow. “Oh yeah? How?”
She tilts her head slightly. “Because you are one. Now, at least.”
I huff out a laugh. “Yeah, now at least.”
She keeps going, her voice steady. “You think being a good father means knowing everything, never making mistakes. But it doesn’t. It means showing up. It means trying. It means loving your kid enough to figure it out as you go.”
I swallow hard, looking away.
Annie watches me for a second, then stands up. Before I can process it, she walks over and sinks down next to me on the bench. She doesn’t say anything, just leans into me, resting her head on my shoulder.
I let out a slow breath, wrapping my arm around her waist, pulling her in.
I don’t know what’s going to happen next.
But I know I’m not in this alone.
Chapter Forty
Annie
The moment we step through the doors of the mansion, reality crashes down on me like a tidal wave.
Vacation was one thing. The island had been a bubble—warm, secluded, separate from the real world.
But here? Here, everything feels too sharp, too real. The air is cooler, crisper, carrying the familiar scent of polished wood and flowers in the vases along the entryway. The high ceilings stretch above us, the grand staircase curling up toward the second floor, and the house feels heavier than it did before we left.
I don’t know why I’m so nervous.
It’s not like anything has changed. Not outwardly.
And yet, everything has.
Knowing I was pregnant while we were on vacation was terrifying. But stepping back into real life, back into the place where responsibilities exist, where the outside world exists, where there’s no beach or storm or island to shelter me—it makes it all feel somuch more real.
And even more terrifying.
Robbie, on the other hand, seems completely unaffected. Of course, he doesn’t know anything. Regardless, the second we step inside, he bounces on his feet, taking in the familiar surroundings like he’s been gone for months instead of a week.
“We’re home!” he announces to no one in particular, spinning in a quick circle before turning to Cole. “Can we go swimming later?”
Cole ruffles his hair, smirking. “You just spent a week on a private island surrounded by water, and you’re already thinking about swimming?”
Robbie grins. “Yeah, but this is my pool.”
I smile despite the anxious knot forming in my stomach.