Call Her Mine (Harmony Pointe #1)- Melissa Foster Page 0,60

I think of you as a daughter. I always have, and now that you and Ben are together, if my questions are going to make you uncomfortable, please tell me.”

“Roxie, she’s your granddaughter,” Aurelia said. “Your first granddaughter. This is a huge moment for all of you, and I would expect, given the circumstances, that you have lots of questions, and I want you to ask them.”

Ben’s heart took a hit at both his mother’s thoughtfulness and Aurelia’s response. “We don’t have any secrets, Mom.” He went to Aurelia, standing beside the couch where she sat, and laced their fingers together.

“Okay, honey,” Roxie said. “Your father told me that you’re meeting with Bodhi’s friend Mason tomorrow. Do you need a babysitter?”

“I’m watching her,” Aurelia said.

“We’re going to try to work around each other’s schedules so that we don’t have to leave her with anyone else for now,” Ben explained. “I think she needs the stability.”

Roxie’s lips curved up in an approving smile. “That’s wonderful, and I’m here if you need me. Babies can be exhausting.”

“We know,” Ben and Aurelia said in unison.

“What can you tell me about her mother, Ben?” Roxie asked. “Was she outgoing or shy? What color hair did she have? What’s she like as a person? It must have been so hard for her to leave the baby. What a selfless act, putting her child’s well-being above her own. Whatever the circumstances, I’m glad she was smart enough to bring her to you.”

He knew his family would always be there for them, but hearing his mother’s unconditional acceptance felt monumental.

“This is a little embarrassing,” Ben admitted. “I don’t really know much about her. Her name is Caroline, and I met her in a hotel bar where I was staying. I think she worked as a waitress there, because she said her shift had just ended. She’s blond, nice, outgoing.” He cringed inside, hating himself again for using sex as a salve for his pain. “She was trying to get over a breakup, and I was . . .” He could say anything and his family wouldn’t question it. But when he looked at Aurelia, brushing his thumb over the back of the hand that had cradled his heart forever and guided him through this whole ordeal, the truth spilled out. “I was trying not to think about Aurelia being out on a date.”

A sea of emotions rose in Aurelia’s eyes as she said, “See? B’s here because of me, so it kind of makes sense that I’m the one who found her,” with a humorous lilt in her voice.

Ben pulled her up to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “She’s our destiny, babe.”

“I know,” she whispered.

Ben was so lost in her, he caught only pieces of the conversations going on around them. His mother said something about her potions finally kicking in, and someone else—Bodhi, maybe—said Mason would get the answers they needed. Then everything turned to white noise, and there was only him and Aurelia and the pulse of love between them.

“Ben!” Piper snapped, like she’d said it more than once. “What are you going to call her?”

Still lost in Aurelia, Ben vaguely registered Piper’s question and said, “Mine.”

“Oh boy, someone’s lovestruck,” his mother said, and everyone laughed.

“The baby, Ben,” Piper said. “You can’t call her Baby Ben forever.”

Aurelia went up on her toes and whispered, “She has a name.”

“She sure does,” Ben said. “Her name is Bea. B-E-A. Bea Dalton.”

Despite knowing Bea would be the center of attention tonight, Aurelia had been nervous that her and Ben’s new relationship would become a topic of conversation. But they’d made it through a delicious steak dinner, talking about Bea, catching up on Louie’s exciting week with Willow and Zane, and, of course, hearing all about Bridgette and Bodhi’s honeymoon in Hawaii. It seemed everyone had accepted her and Ben’s coupledom as if it had been a given.

As they finished the chocolate pecan pie Willow had made for dessert, Bridgette said, “I think my favorite thing about Maui was that everything was totally relaxed. There was no hustle and bustle. We never felt rushed.”

“Hard to get that feeling when you never leave your hotel room,” Zane said with a smirk.

Willow elbowed him. “That sounds amazing.”

“I’ll show you amazing,” Zane said as he kissed her cheek.

Dan and Roxie shared a knowing smile, their eyes holding for a beat longer, and darker, than usual. Aurelia looked away, both embarrassed to have caught the desire between them and happy