Tears tracked down her cheeks as she took in my words. I wasn’t sure if I had overstepped with the gift as her silence was becoming unnerving.
“Do you like it?” I asked with an air of hesitation.
“Max.. I love it. I’ve never owned something so beautiful. The fact that you took the time to have something created thatembodied both us and Charlie means the world to me.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks and leaned back, kissing me with an appreciative tenderness.
“I think I’m falling in love with you, Maxwell Daniels.” she whispered against my lips.
I felt my heart soar at her words, and I spun her around so she straddled my thighs. I wanted her entire focus on me when she heard this.
“I love you too, Stella Jacobsen. You and Charlie both. You’ve turned my world completely upside down in the short time you’ve been here, but I couldn’t imagine my life any other way. I want you to know that I’m all in. For as long as you’ll have me.”
“What if I want you forever?” she asked, a slight hesitation in her words.
“Then forever is what you’ll get,” I responded with a smirk.
I was so fucking gone for this woman.
TWENTY-SEVEN
stella
As we madeour way back to the ranch, I couldn’t stop touching the pendant that now hung around my neck. Max had been so thoughtful to get me a gift for Charlie’s first birthday.
I had never thought much about celebrating moms on their child’s first birthday. Max’s heartfelt words, detailing all my accomplishments, filled me with a quiet pride, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Charlie and I had truly accomplished a lot over the last year. Though I might have been the one to bring her into this world, her daily presence mended the cracks in my weary soul.
We hadn’t been gone more than thirty minutes, but it seemed as if in that short time, Ray had enlisted the help of every town’s person of Firefly Cove; twinkling lights, whimsical decorations, and the joyful chatter of people had transformed the ranch into a fairy wonderland.
My heart swelled with gratitude, a profound sense of appreciation for the family we had found here.
On the porch, Ray, with Charlie in her arms, was bossing people around to finish decorating. She was clearly in her element as she pointed Wade towards a tree from which she wanted the unicorn piñata hung. I’m not sure a one-year-old was going to be whacking and cracking a piñata, but I wasn’t about to burst her bubble.
Max parked the truck off on the grassy side of the barn, amongst everyone else’s vehicles. We made our way to the porch hand in hand to relieve Ray of at least one of her duties.
“Welcome back. Did you like your surprise?” she asked with a knowing smirk.
That little traitor.
I once again ran my fingertips over the dainty pendant resting against my skin. I couldn’t help the smile that crested my face as I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, Max did well,” I murmured, my hand falling on the warm, corded muscle of his arm that was a comforting weight banded around my chest from where he stood behind me. We couldn’t go more than a couple of minutes without touching each other, it seemed.
Charlie made grabby hands and attempted to wrestle out of Ray’s grasp to head in my direction. Ray settled her on the ground and she padded her way to the edge of the stairs. Waiting on bated breath, I watched as she easily scaled the four wooden platforms and released a sigh of relief when both of her tiny feet were back on the ground. She toddled over to me and wrapped her arms around my leg, nuzzling her cheek into my thigh.
“Are you sleepy, little one?” Max cooed as he ran his fingers through Charlie’s curls. She nearly purred at his touch as her eyes drifted closed and I internally chuckled.
Me too, girl. Me too.
“Let’s get you down for a quick nap before all the festivities start around here,” I said, scooping her up into my arms and nuzzling my face in the crook of her neck. She let out a sleepy giggle and cuddled into my chest with a wide yawn.
“I’ll be right back,” I promised Max, as he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on Charlie’s forehead.
“Sleep tight, birthday girl,” he whispered.
The quietness in the house was a stark contrast to the chaos that was erupting outside. We padded our way down the hallway and into Charlie’s nursery. I sat down in the rocking chair to get a few minutes of snuggles in.
Charlie curled into me as I gently rocked her back and forth. I hummed a lullaby softly as I watched her eyelids become heavy with sleep.
