Page 53 of Solid Ground

I kiss her temple. “You’re not. Your body is adapting to this massive change.”

“It’ll keep changing until you don’t want me anymore.”

I run the loofah over her belly. “I love your body no matter what. You have no idea what it means to me to see you like this. You’re beautiful.”

“And then giving birth will be messy and?—”

“And another beautiful thing where we get our baby in the end, and you and I can work out what we’re doing next.”

She laughs softly. “You’re not going to let me be negative at all, are you?”

“There’s nothing to be negative about. I’m not sure I’ve ever been so content. You’re what’s been missing in my life.”

Zoe raises her hand and lays it on mine. “How do you always know the right things to say?”

“Because this is meant to be. This pregnancy. Us. I’m not sure I ever believed in fate, but I do now because we were supposed to meet, you and I.”

She hums her agreement. “I like the way you think.”

We sit in the quiet of the bathroom as I gently wash her. Her head flops against my shoulder.

“I think it must be time to get out,” I murmur.

“No,” she moans.

“You’re falling asleep. I’m going to tuck you into bed.”

“Only if you join me.”

“You know I will.”

By the time we get out of the tub, dry off, and get dressed, she’s yawning. A good night’s sleep is what she needs.

I guide her to the bed, and she sits on the end.

“I love you,” I say.

Her breath hitches, and her eyes fill with tears. The way things have been lately, I’m not sure if it’s due to hormones or my declaration or a combination of both.

“I’m not perfect. I’ve got two failed marriages behind me and a sex tape floating around the Internet. I’m an alcoholic. I’m the last man you could ever really want to be your baby daddy.” I take a breath. “But I’m yours, Zoe. I think I was from the moment we met, and I just didn’t know it.”

This is the least romantic way to tell her, but I can’t pretend my past doesn’t exist. It’s not pretty.

“I don’t need you to be perfect,” she whispers. “But I need you to keep yourself together for us.”

I nod. “I will. The last time I had a drink was the night we were first together, and I’ll get help. The rest I can’t change, but I can be a better man going forward. I just want you and our baby. We can live anywhere you want, and I’ll do whatever it takes. I love you.”

She blinks rapidly, but tears roll down her cheeks. “I love you too. You haven’t missed a step since you’ve been here.”

I gather her into my arms and kiss her tears away. “All I need is you two. I never knew what I was missing out on until now. I don’t need Hollywood. I don’t need the career pressure.”

“Are you sure? I want to keep working for myself after the baby’s born. I love it. But I did worry about how I’d balance everything.” She sniffs.

“Whatever you want, babe. I’ll stay home and change diapers and be a dad.” I suck in a breath. “Holy shit. I’m going to be a dad.”

Zoe laughs, and it’s music to my ears. “Yes, yes you are.” She wraps her arms around my waist and rests her head on my shoulder.

“You two are my reason for going on. You know that, right? You make being sober easy.” I plant a kiss on the top of her head. “You came along right when I needed you.”

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