Page 61

Kelsey

W e stopped at my apartment before heading back to Sam’s place so I could pick up anything Crew and I needed before we left for Texas the following day.

My tiny apartment had never seemed particularly joyful, but today, it looked especially sad and lonely.

Even if I hadn’t spent all my spare time with Sam, I had committed to leaving and was no longer trying to make the space into a home for Crew and me.

“Are you okay?” Sam asked when I stilled in the bedroom.

“Yeah, it just feels a bit surreal. In a couple of months, my entire world has changed. There is nothing about my life today that resembles where I was even two months ago.”

“I feel the same way, but I don’t doubt for even a second that everything about this, everything about us, is exactly where we are meant to be.”

I held two duffel bags of clothes, one on each shoulder, realizing that I could leave everything behind right now, but the man standing there, holding my son, protecting and loving us both, had become my entire world .

“I’m not coming back here, am I?”

“I hope not,” Sam said with watery eyes, holding Crew a little tighter.

“I’m not moving in with my parents, either?”

“I hope not,” he whispered.

“Okay,” I said, dropping the duffel bags as I slid into his embrace. I closed the circle, the three of us, my home, my heart.

“Hey, Sam?”

“Yeah?”

“I love the car, thank you.”

He started shaking with laughter, and Crew followed suit until we were all hysterically laughing. When Sam caught his breath, he said, “I’m glad we’re finally on the same page. You’re welcome.”

Shortly later, we arrived at Sam’s place and ushered everything from our trip and what I’d picked up from my place into the master bedroom.

Sam set a play mat on the floor with toys for Crew to get some play time and stretch out after being cooped up in a car most of the day.

I opened the door to the space we’d been using as Crew’s bedroom and received another shock.

It was as if someone had found my private Pinterest board, which I’d labeled “Dream Nursery” when I found out I was pregnant, only to re-create every detail.

The crib was the mahogany convertible crib I had been saving for, stashing a small percentage of my cash tips in an envelope with the hope I could afford it before he outgrew the bassinet.

I wiped away the tears that welled in my eyes as Sam watched anxiously in the doorway.

“How did you do this?”

“Kylie and Monica,” Sam shrugged. “I gave them free rein. Some other items are coming while we’re away next week. But Kylie pulled a lot from what was left on your baby registry, not the one you shared, but the wish list you thought you’d hidden from the world.”

“This is…” I trailed off, not knowing how to explain it. “I feel like I’m supposed to protest, to tell you it’s too much, but I love it, I love everything about it.”

“Are you upset that I did this?” His eyes searched mine, looking for reassurance.

“Do you want me to pretend to be?” He broke out in the signature Sam smile, the one I’d realized was reserved only for Crew and me.

“Only if we can have a pretend fight, followed by pretend make-up sex.”

I laughed, “Seriously, Sam, I don’t expect a BMW and nursery furniture every time I suck your dick.”

“None of this is transactional, Kelsey. None of this means anything without both of you. Your struggles with money made it a focal point of your life, and I hate that. Every day, you woke up afraid because you didn’t know how to make ends meet.

I never want you to be scared like that again.

I love that I can make things easier for you, but the gratitude you’re showing me is not something I’ve earned.

I never want you to feel you owe me something because I ran a credit card through a machine.

You aren’t buying my affection with blowjobs and amazing sex. ”

I took a long, shaky breath, letting his words wash over me quickly. I looked towards where Crew still played happily within our eyeshot.

“It is pretty amazing sex, huh?” I asked him as flashes of the other night danced through my memory.

“Fucking incredible, explosive. Thinking about it makes me hopeful for another nap for the little dude.”

“I have no idea what he’s going to do. He slept half the day in the car,” I answered apologetically. “But maybe if we brought him out for a run, after some fresh air, he’d be ready. After yesterday, travel today, and knowing tomorrow will be busy, my legs feel like they need a good workout.”

A wide grin split his face, “I love that we can run together.”

“Let’s get ready. I want to be back before he’s hungry again.”