Page 113 of The Plus One Professional
Her shoulder lifted in a shrug as her nose wrinkled. “I mean…both?”
I reached down and lifted her up, carrying her into the bedroom as she giggled. After laying her down, I stripped her out of her clothes and kissed every inch of her body, telling her and showing her just how much I loved her. And I planned on telling her and showing her every day for the rest of our lives.
EPILOGUE
Bailey
SIX MONTHS LATER
“I still can’t getover how amazing this place is,” Olivia enthused as she grabbed the diaper bag off the kitchen island while holding Beth on her hip.
“I know. Cole did such an amazing job!” I stated proudly as I bounced Mikey on my lap.
Olivia had given birth to Michael Bradshaw Whitaker and Elizabeth Pearl Whitaker a week after her false alarm, and they’d already changed so much since they were born. They would be six months old next week. I couldn’t believe that they’d been alive for half a year already. Between the holidays, renovations, and moving, the past six months had flown by.
Cole and his crew finished the renovations, which were nothing short of miraculous, two weeks ago, and we were finally all moved in. They’d brought Grandma Betty’s and Grandpa Bill’s house back to its original glory, only better because it had all the current technology and appliances. The twins still shared a room, but that was their choice. Carly had her own room and, maybe more importantly, her own bathroom. We converted what used to be the dining room and pantry to a second main suite on the first floor, which was Sara’s, so she didn’t have to worry about the stairs anymore.
It had taken some convincing for Sara to agree to the living situation. She hadn’t wanted to intrude on me and Cole, but after months of talking and begging, she finally relented. I think what might have tipped the scale in our favor was when I took her to lunch and reminded her that she’d taken custody of Cole when she was pregnant with Carly. And then he continued living with her after he turned eighteen because Peter got sick. After that, she got sick. He loved seeing the kids every day, being a part of their everyday lives, and he would never relax if she lived in another home. He’d be worried all the time.
She must have known what I was saying was true because she caved.
The past two weeks that we’d all been living here had been the happiest of my life. I’d loved Cole before, but seeing him so happy and relaxed, having all the people he loved under one roof, had allowed me to get glimmers of the man he was before the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
I’d finished unpacking late last night, which was good because today was Carly’s twelfth birthday, and she’d invited the entire cheer squad over for a barbeque. The kids were all on the built-in trampoline Cole had installed in the backyard. Billie and Birdie were keeping an eye on them while Cole was manning the grill with Ben, Olivia’s husband, Arthur, and Trevor.
“I’m going to change her, and I’ll be back to feed that one.” Olivia pointed to her son.
“Back to feed this one?” I kissed Mikey’s cheek. “What if I eat him first?”
Mikey giggled as I pretended to gnaw on his cheek. He smelled so good. There was nothing better than new baby smell.
Well, maybe one thing. Cole. I was addicted to his woodsy, masculine scent. Just thinking about it made my nose start twitching. I couldn’t believe that I was going to be his wife in just six weeks. He’d tried to convince me to do a quicky ceremony at the courthouse and then have a wedding later, but I’d stuck to my guns.
I’d always dreamed of having my wedding in the backyard, and now that the house was finished, my dreams were going to come true.
“There’s a big truck in the front yard!” Luke shouted as he raced through the kitchen to the front door.
“A truck! A truck!” Leo trailed behind.
I stood and followed the boys with Mikey on my hip, wondering if it was some sort of delivery for Carly’s birthday. When I stepped out onto the porch, I saw a massive moving truck backing into the Knights' driveway next door. The house had been vacant the entire time Cole had been working on our place.
“Looks like we have new neighbors,” Cole observed as he joined me and the boys.
“Or not new neighbors,” I commented when the driver stepped out of the truck. “That’s Adam Knight.”
I hadn’t seen Adam in probably twenty years. He’d definitely filled out. He’d always been tall with an athletic frame, but he wasn’t a teenager anymore. He was a man whose T-shirt pulled tic on his broad chest and muscular arms. Last I heard from Grandma Betty, he was a Navy SEAL, which would explain why he was in such good shape.
“He was your neighbor growing up, right?” Cole asked as Adam opened the door and then walked inside his garage.
I nodded as Billie stepped out onto the porch behind Cole. “Olivia’s looking for you?—”
“Adam’s back.” I cut my sister off and pointed next door at the exact moment Adam walked out of the garage and pulled the lever on the rear door of the truck.
I turned to look at my sister, fully expecting her to smile, wave, or maybe even go and speak to him. But instead, she just stared at him like she’d seen a ghost. A really hot ghost.
When I looked back over at Adam, I saw that she wasn’t the only one staring. He’d spotted us. I lifted my hand and waved, but he didn’t notice. His eyes were trained on Billie. There had to be a good fifty yards between them, but somehow, the tension they were creating was so thick you could choke on it.
“Billie?” I said softly.
