Page 105 of Hero for the Holidays

“I wanted to talk to you,” he said.

She was ready for it to be some strange conversation about last night. She really needed him to not say that he regretted it. Because that was going to make her feral.

And maybe homicidal. And nobody wanted that.

“What about?”

“Lila said that she thought it was weird that we were living apart. And I agree. Us doing things together in Portland... It was great.”

“Yes...”

“Fia, what would you think about me taking a room here at the farmhouse?”

She felt her eyes go wide. “You want us to live together?”

“Yeah. As co-parents, still. I’m not suggesting... I’m not suggesting we jump into anything. But this is a big house, and you’re here by yourself now.”

“You’re a King. You’re working on that barn building project.”

“Most people have a way longer commute than that. Yeah. I am a King. And... We’ve got, what, five years before she moves out? Five years to have this. To make the best we can? Christmas is coming up, Fia. We’re going to, what...have our first Christmas with Lila in separate houses? Or we can get a tree here. Make our Christmas morning here. We can do it all together. If you want to move over to King’s Crest, I’m happy to do that, but that would leave nobody here and...”

“No,” she said. “It would have to be you coming here.”

“Only if you want,” he said. “Or like I said, you can come out to King’s Crest. But we need to do this for her.”

Five years. They only had five years. Not eighteen. They’d missed so much already. Could they afford to continue to be a family separated like this?

He was right. There were divorced couples that were able to do this for their kids.

“I... Yes. Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Where?”

“Here,” said Fia. “Let’s live here.”

THENEXTFEWdays were a blur. Landry broke it to his siblings that he was planning on leaving the ranch, and they were more than a little bit confused.

“You’re a King,” said Arizona. “You can’t live at Sullivan’s Point.”

“I sure as hell can,” he said. “Because it’s where my child’s going to be.”

“That’s kind of why I live at King’s Crest,” said Micah.

Arizona frowned. “It’s legacy.”

“Yeah, and Elsie Garrett lives at McCloud’s Landing, and so does Alaina Sullivan.”

“You’re notmarriedto Fia,” Arizona pointed out.

“Yes. Thanks,” he said, his teeth gritted. “I’m aware.”

“Are you going to be?” Denver asked.

He realized that actually that would be good. He would like it. But he knew that Fia would absolutely freak out. The truth was, his feelings for Fia were deep. And they were independent of Lila. And as much as he wanted to broach that subject in the name of making a family, he also knew he had to resist the urge to do anything that looked like manipulation. Or anything that looked like he wanted to have more control in parenting Lila, and whatever else.

If he made a move like that with Fia, it had to be about her.

“No plans to.”

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