Page 18

SEVENTEEN

ELI

Wrenly is quiet as we drive away from Luke and Clara’s place. Ryan is passed out in his car seat, something he did the moment I clicked the belt into place. Instead of driving to my house, I know they need to get some shit, and I’m ready to check them out of the hotel.

“Eli,” Wrenly calls out softly.

Responding with a hum, I wait for her to say whatever she has rolling around inside of her head. Which, considering how quiet she’s been, is something.

“I really like Clara,” she announces.

“Good,” I say. “Me too.”

I hear her laugh softly, then she clears her throat, and I wait for what is coming next. Because something is definitely coming. I’m exhausted from practice. I want to just eat something and relax, but I also need this to get hashed out between us.

I want her to move here.

I never wanted anything more than that.

I want my family together—my brand-new family.

“I just don’t know how I can move here. Our lives are in Texas. Not just my dad but also my job and reliable day care. I can’t walk away from all the work that I put into my career.”

Pulling into the hotel parking lot, I shift the pickup into Park without responding to her. I’m trying to organize my thoughts and, at the same time, attempt to keep a cool head. I want nothing more than to demand she stay right here, taking away her choices because, to me, there is no choice.

So, instead of trying to entice her with anything, I decide to be honest. I’ve never had a girlfriend. My life has been on the ice. My world has been there, too. Except right now, my world is right here in the cab of this truck. I’ve never felt so strongly about anything in my entire life.

“Wrenly,” I say in an attempt to gain her attention without forcing her to look at me.

Her chin is dipped as she stares at her fingers wringing in her lap. When I don’t say anything else, she slowly lifts her head, turning it slightly so that her eyes find mine. I hold our connection for a moment. Then I give her a smile.

It’s a small smile because I’m scared shitless, something that I would never confess in a million years. I can’t remember the last time I was scared. Nervous, sure, but scared? Never.

“I want to tell you what to do, but I can’t,” I say. “What I can tell you is that we will never know if we can work if we aren’t together. My life is here. Your life is there. I can’t make a move. I’m contractually obligated to be in Ohio for a few more years.”

It’s almost all on the line. Vulnerable is not something I’ve ever had to be before. But I know that if I’m not, if I’m demanding and proud, she’s going to pack up my son and fly back to Texas with a smile and a goodbye. I’ll pay child support and maybe see him a couple of times a year.

That is not the life I want—for him or for me.

“Eli,” she breathes.

Shaking my head a couple of times, I clear my throat. “You need to make the best choice for you, Wrenly. But you also need to know how I feel.”

Like a giant pussy, is how I feel, but I don’t say that. Instead, I continue, no matter how difficult it is for me to verbalize this shit. Reaching out, I wrap my fingers around her wrist and gently glide my thumb along the back of her hand.

“I want my family,” I say, my eyes never breaking contact with hers.

She sucks in a breath, holding it for a moment as she stares at me, then she shifts her gaze away from mine, and I instantly think that she’s going to tell me she’s going home and never coming back.

Instead, when she shifts her eyes back to meet mine, I see wetness glittering in them. I reach out with my other hand to cup her cheek, not releasing her wrist.

“Sunshine,” I rasp.

“Your family?”

My lips twitch into a smirk. “My woman. My son. My family.”

“Your woman?” she breathes.

I snort, then lean forward, touching my lips to hers, but I don’t deepen the kiss. Instead, I speak against her mouth, unable to hide my smile because I know that she’s going to be moving here. She doesn’t even have to say the words.

“Mine.”

WRENLY

I don’t give Eli an answer, but what I do is pack up my hotel room completely and load it up in his pickup truck before he drives us back to his place. I also text my dad and tell him that I will be staying at Eli’s for the rest of the trip.

My dad doesn’t reply anything to me other than to be careful, which just means that he trusts me and my decisions. I’m not sure he should right now. My decision is leaning toward leaving Texas behind and moving here to be with a man I hardly know.

After we’ve eaten, Eli helps me give Ryan a bath, something he finds fascinating, which I, in turn, find adorable. Now, the two of them are sitting on the couch, much like they were this morning when I woke up, including a bowl of cereal in Eli’s hand.

Ryan is nodding off, and I decide to put him to bed. Walking over to them, I reach down and slip my hands beneath his arms. Eli sets his bowl of cereal on the small end table next to him, then reaches out and curls his fingers around my wrist.

His eyes focus on mine, and I can tell he’s tired. His lids are lowered, but he’s trying to stay awake. I try not to laugh because he looks exactly like Ryan. If I could have reached into my back pocket for my phone and snapped a picture, it would be like looking at twins.

“Meet you in bed?” he asks, his eyes very intently focused on mine.

A thrill of excitement slides up my spine.

Yes.

Yes, I will meet you in bed… will you be naked?

I want to ask that, but I don’t. Instead, I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and nod once. “I’ll meet you in bed,” I rasp.

He grins, his eyes searching mine before he releases my wrist. I pick Ryan up, holding him against my chest as I straighten and take a step backward.

“See you in a few minutes,” he murmurs.

I move backward a few more steps, then turn to the hallway and move toward the guest bedroom, where Ryan’s bed is all set up. After I lower him into the pack-n-play, I can’t help but watch him for a moment.

He’s not quite asleep yet, but he’s also not awake. He’s in a halfway dreamy state, and I can’t tear my gaze away from him.

He’s perfect.

I’m not sure how long I stand there, staring at him as he drifts off to sleep. But when I feel a palm against my lower back, my spine straightens. I’m startled by the touch. Turning my head slightly, I look over to see Eli with his chin dipped as he watches Ryan, too.

“I’m so thankful that you’re his mother,” he murmurs.

I’m not quite sure what he means by that, and thankfully, I don’t have to ask because he continues.

“None of this was planned, and I’m not a perfect man by any means, but I think someone bigger than us stepped in and knew what we needed.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, rolling the skin back and forth for a moment, trying to think of how to respond to that. Again, no response is necessary because he continues. I don’t even know if he’s really talking to me or if he’s simply working through his own thought process.

Either way, it ends up being a truly sweet moment.

“There are a million what-ifs and little moments that have changed the trajectory of our lives. And I’m not sure we would be right here, together, had everything not happened the way it did. If Ryan weren’t here, I’m not sure I would have ever seen you again.”

God.

That’s sweet.

Turning to him slightly, I tilt my head back and look up into his eyes again. “I would have been far too embarrassed to ever see you again, misunderstanding or not. I can, without a doubt, confirm that Ryan is the reason I’m standing right here.”

Eli lifts his hand and curls his fingers around the side of my throat, his thumb sliding across my bottom lip as his lips curve up into a grin.

“Thank fuck for divine intervention.”

Then, before I can respond, he slams his mouth against mine and gives me a hard, owning kiss.

A perfect kiss.