time teasing him and asking his opinion whenever we went shopping.
As the weeks went by and the end of Debbie’s visit loomed closer, I finally worked up the courage to ask her something that had been rolling around in my head for a long time.
We were in the kitchen making sandwiches for lunch when I drummed up the nerve, my muscles tight with uncertainty. “So, would you consider maybe…being here when I have the baby?” I snuck a look at her face but couldn’t hold her gaze. It was a big ask. I knew that. But I didn’t have a mom. And I didn’t have a sister. And I didn’t have Serena.
“Oh, sweetie.” She immediately crossed and wrapped her arms around me. “You know I would love that. And I’m honored you asked me, but—”
My heart sank, hearing the denial in her voice already.
“I think there’s someone who deserves that privilege more than I do.”
My brow furrowed and I pulled back to look at her.
She smiled sadly and tucked my hair behind my ears. “Don’t you think Jonas’s mom would want to be here?”
I blinked. Having Jonas’s mom here hadn’t occurred to me. I hadn’t considered that Louisa would want to be there, but of course she would want to be here for the birth of her granddaughter. Why was I so self-absorbed that I hadn’t thought of that?
I closed my eyes and shook my head, upset at myself.
“Do you not want her to come?” Debbie asked, sounding worried.
“No, it’s not that,” I assured her. “Of course you’re right. Of course I should ask her. I just…” I blew out a breath. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
She gave me a side hug and rubbed my back. “It’s okay that you don’t think of everything.”
It didn’t feel okay.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Here I’m gone again
My heart consumed with guilt
Away from my one love
Who finally confessed
That love is what we built
With trust and care
Through pain and lies
Overcoming all the hurt
My love is granite
Unbreakable adoration
Diamond resolve
Pure gold
—Sean Amity
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
The last four weeks had felt endless. Not only because I was so well-rounded and uncomfortable, but because now that I really knew how I felt about him—and how he felt about me—having Sean away from me was torture. We had tried to talk several times a week, but his schedule really was insane. Finding time to call me when there weren’t people surrounding him was quite a feat. Besides, talking on the phone and texting simply wasn’t the same as having him in the same room with me.
Originally I’d planned to wait for him to get back to the duplex, but when the day arrived, I couldn’t sit still. Nick and I arranged with Sean’s security team that I would go with them to pick him up at the airport as a surprise. Debbie had kindly offered to stay behind, likely knowing that I wanted him to myself for a while.
As we pulled to a stop at the curb where Sean had agreed to meet the car, Tucker looked at me through the rearview mirror. “Whatever you do, do not get out of this car.”
I snorted a little. Tucker had been Sean’s driver since the beginning. He should know me well enough to know I wouldn’t be that stupid. “Yeah, I don’t think that temptation will be a problem.” I craned to look out at the dim sidewalk in front of the airport but didn’t see Sean.
“It’s going to be a few minutes,” Tucker reminded me, and I swear he was holding back a laugh.
“I know,” I said, sitting up taller as I pushed down on baby girl’s foot, which was poking me in the ribs.
Tucker didn’t say anything else. I think he wanted to but was too professional, which was probably for the best. The last thing I needed was to start blubbering to some poor security guy about how much I had missed Sean.
I got so caught up in thoughts of missing him that it was Tucker who alerted me to Sean’s presence.
“Here they come,” he said. “Remember, stay on your side of the car with your face turned away until he gets in and we have the door closed.”
I looked out and caught sight of the small mob heading in our direction. Sean and several security guys were surrounded by about ten photographers, cameras flashing madly, but they stayed back enough that his forward progress wasn’t impeded. It had to be annoying though. The non-stop flashing, the barrage of questions.