Songbird (40 page)

I could say all of that, but I don’t.

The truth is, she did raise a smart girl, because I’m seeing clearly for the very first time. My unplanned arrival turned my mother into a bitter person, but that’s her problem, not mine. She chose to give up on her dreams. She decided money and material possessions were the most important things to her. And she’s the one who gave up on her marriage.

Choices . . . every one of them.

I choose to not be like my mother.

“Your granddaughter will be here very soon. She will be loved and adored and never be made to feel like she ruined my life. She’ll have a father like mine—one who is kind, generous, and loves her for who she is. And she’ll have a family who will do everything in their power to love and protect her. It’s up to you whether you want to be part of that.”

Mom says nothing in response. I take her silence as a sign that our conversation is over.

“Goodnight, Mom.”

With my mind filled with a contentment I’ve never known, I make my way back to bed. Devin’s arms immediately find me and pull me close to his chest.

“Devin?”

He sighs softly and kisses the side of my neck. “Hmm?”

“Will you marry me?”

T
his girl—this beautiful, incredible, amazing woman—is literally going to be the death of me.

“What did you say?”

She turns over and slides her arm along my waist.

“Will you marry me, Devin?”

I’ve wanted to ask her to marry me for weeks now. I’ve just been waiting on the ring so that I could plan and execute the most romantic proposal ever known to woman or man. I even have a speech prepared. But now, my plans have been blown because she just proposed to me.

Wait.

Callie just proposed to me.

“Don’t tease me, Songbird. I don’t think my heart could take it.”

She traces my mouth with her fingertip. “I’m not teasing. I want everything in its proper order before Beth arrives. I love you, you love me, and we love our kid. We’re getting ready to move into our big, beautiful home. We should be a family—officially. It’s time.”

She sounds so sure, and my mind begins to race with possibilities. Screw the sentimental engraving. I’ll book a flight to Vegas and marry her tonight. Today. Right now. What time is it? Does it even matter?

Nope. Doesn’t matter at all.

I gaze into the eyes of the only woman who could bring me to my knees with just a touch. “I should be upset that you’re raining on my parade, but I’m not.”

“I want to be your wife before the baby arrives.”

“I want to be your husband before the sun sets tomorrow.”

Surprise flickers across her face, quickly replaced with a slow grin. “Really?”

“Really.”

“Our parents would kill us.”

“You’re bringing their first grandchild into the world. They’ll get over it.”

Callie laughs and places my hand on her stomach. “Beth apparently likes the idea of eloping, too. Feel that?”

Sure enough, our daughter is kicking the crap out of her mom’s belly. Our little girl, who’s going to have me completely wrapped around her finger from the moment she’s born. Many years from now, I’ll walk her down the aisle and straight into the arms of a man who won’t be anywhere near good enough for her.

Greg Franklin’s face immediately pops into my mind. No matter how much I want this
right now
, I can’t take that moment away from Callie’s dad.

“We should do this right. You deserve it.”

Her forehead creases. “You mean . . .”

“Yep. Dress. Flowers. The whole thing.”

“But—”

“Callie, nothing about us has been traditional. You should have a wedding, and your father deserves the chance to walk you down the aisle. I won’t take that away from him, because I wouldn’t want anyone to take it away from me.”

Her eyes glisten with tears. “Wow.”

“Is that a good
wow
?”

“It’s a great
wow
. There’s only one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“You didn’t accept my proposal.”

I smile and bury my face against her neck.

“Yes, Songbird. A thousand times yes.”

After that night, time seemed to start moving at warp speed. Ellen, the realtor, knew we were anxious to move into the house as soon as possible, and with the homeowners more than ready to sell, we closed on the house later in the week. We hired movers and decorators and anyone else she’d let me pay to ensure that Callie did as little as possible. To my surprise, she wasn’t at all interested in choosing furniture and drapes, so I gave Megan and Lorie my credit card and told them to go nuts. Simon and Owen had warned me those words were dangerous, but I didn’t care. By the end of the week, we were moved in and the house was fully furnished. Most importantly, it’d been accomplished without adding one ounce of stress to my fiancée’s life.

But now there’s a wedding to plan.

And a crib to assemble.

That’s my job, and it’s proving difficult.

“Screw this
Slot A
into
Slot B
bullshit. Just give me the sideboards.”

Simon laughs and hands me the directions. “I know we’re guys, but maybe that’s why it says
READ THIS FIRST
right here at the top.”

I never imagined I’d be sitting with my brother and my best friend in the middle of a nursery, trying to assemble a crib. The instruction manual’s the size of Callie’s baby book.

It’s just a rectangle. How hard can it possibly be?

Owen points to the red label on the wood. “That’s
Slot C
, Devin. No wonder it doesn’t fit.”

With a groan, I toss the pieces back onto the carpet. “Why didn’t I just let the store put it together?”

Simon flips through the pages of the manual. “Because this is part of the whole daddy experience.”

Owen nods. “Plus, it’s good practice for me. I’ll be needing your help with this very same project in about seven months.”

Stunned, I drop my screwdriver. “Seriously?”

He grins. “Yep. Lorie’s pregnant. We found out last week.”

“But you just met her!”

Simon chuckles. “Umm . . . actually, he met her at my wedding. Which is the exact same weekend you met Callie.”

Oh yeah.

“And if I recall correctly,” Owen says, “You knocked up Callie the first night you met her, so . . .”

“It could have been the second night,” I mutter.

“Exactly, so save your indignation and just be happy for me.”

I grin. “Are
you
happy?”

“I’m ecstatic.”

“Then I’m happy for you. Getting married?”

“Not for a while. Lorie says one wedding is enough right now.”

I can’t disagree, because the girls are downstairs right now, making lists and setting up appointments with bakers, caterers, and bridal shops. Like a good groom, I once again handed over my credit card, and the three of us had made ourselves scarce by hiding out in the nursery.

For the next few hours, we work on the baby furniture. Now that we’re actually reading the instructions, the crib starts to take shape. We then move on to the changing table and dresser, and before long, we have everything assembled and in its proper place, just like Callie wanted. All that’s left are the curtains.

Owen and Simon sit down next to me in the middle of the floor while the three of us admire our handiwork. As I gaze around the room, I am amazed that
this
is my life. I’m a grown man, sitting on plush carpet, surrounded by pastel-painted walls and cherry baby furniture.

What was once in pieces is finally whole.

Just like my life.

Just like my heart.

“There you are,” Lorie says. “Proud of yourselves?”

The three of us look to up to see our lovely ladies standing in the doorway. The smile on Callie’s face tells me she loves it.

“Actually, yes,” Owen says. Simon and I nod in agreement.

Megan snaps her fingers. “On your feet, McAllister. There’s more work to be done.”

I stand up and grin. “Yes, ma’am?”

“We’ll get this cleaned up. You guys need to get down to the courthouse and apply for your marriage license.”

“And the engraver called, so you can go pick up the rings,” Lorie says.

I wind my arms around Callie’s waist. “Anything else?”

Megan nods. “You need to call Callie’s dad, get his blessing, and get him
here
next week.”

“Done.” I’m actually happy to have an excuse to escape the insanity for a while. If the look on Callie’s face is any indication, she feels the same way.

I grab her hand and lead her downstairs, both of us happy to have some time ourselves.