“I think so. It was a blur being pregnant with Hayden, especially those early months.”
“Well, sugar, I’ll be involved every step of the way this time so don’t even think about tryin’ to handle any of this on your own.”
“I won’t. I promise.”
“Although havin’ a baby is gonna be cool, the bonus is I get Hayden as mine. I want to adopt him, Red. Make him my son in name too.”
She’d always suspected Hayden had been Kane’s son in his heart. “Come on. Let’s go talk to him.”
Kane helped her to her feet. He wrapped his fingers around her upper arms and studied her intently.
“How do you think he’s gonna react?”
“Just like me.”
His eyes widened. “He’ll throw up?”
Ginger smiled. “Probably. Then he’ll strut around like he hit the lottery.” She tapped him on the chest.
“He’s going to take full credit for us getting together.”
“Because of the Little Buddies program?”
“No, because of the lucky hat he gave you.”
“It worked. I’m unlucky at cards, but I’m damn lucky in love.”
Chapter Twenty
Two weeks later…
Kane whistled as he scaled the steps to Ginger’s office.
He found himself whistling all the damn time in the last two weeks since Ginger agreed to make him the happiest man alive. So far they’d only hit a few bumps in the road in melding their lives together.
They’d decided on a small ceremony at the courthouse, keeping the attendance to immediate family: Hayden and Dash, his folks, Kade and Skylar and their girls. Ginger’s best friend, Ava Dumond, was flying in from California to stand up for Ginger and he’d tapped Kade as his best man.
But the after party, held at the Golden Boot, courtesy of his parents and Dash Paulson, would include all his McKay relations, as well as relatives from the West side, and all of Dash’s friends and clients over the years. His mother was in hog heaven planning the shindig with his Aunt Carolyn, who’d been through her fair share of McKay wedding receptions. Dash just rolled his eyes and opened his checkbook.
Hayden had taken the news of them becoming a family far better than either he or Ginger anticipated.
When Kane mentioned adoption, Hayden immediately stopped calling him Buck and started calling him
“Dad”, which had been beyond cool in Kane’s opinion. But it also drove home the point there was a big difference between being a Big Buddy and being a father. But he couldn’t imagine loving any kid more than he did Hayden.
Kane knocked on Ginger’s office door. He heard a muffled “Come in,” and entered the room.
The redheaded woman of his dreams stood in front of the window behind her desk, her left arm braced across her lower belly, her left hand up by her face.
“Ginger? Everything okay?”
She shook her head and he was by her side instantaneously.
Kane turned her to face him. His heart plummeted at seeing her tear-stained face and red-rimmed eyes. “Do you feel all right?”
“No.” Her arms circled his waist. She sobbed against his chest. She cried so hard he couldn’t make heads nor tails of the words.
He held her, attempting to soothe her. When her cries faded, he tipped her chin up and wiped her tears. “You’re scarin’ me. What’s goin’ on?”
“It’s my dad. You know he’s supposed to stay at the retirement home temporarily while we’re on our honeymoon?”
Kane nodded.
“Well, he told me he’s moving in there permanently.”
“What?”
“He said he didn’t want to get in the way of us becoming a real family and it’d be best all around if he just moved out. Why would he even say that?”
Because the old coot was being a damn fool and still making assumptions.
“I just want to scream at him. Then I think great, if I’m even remotely considering berating a handicapped man…what kind of mother am I going to be to this baby?”
“Ssh. Hey. C’mere.” Kane’s heart broke with her every stuttered sob. He led her to the couch in the corner of her office. “Sit. Relax. Better yet, lay down.”
“I don’t have time to lie down. I have to talk to him. Right away, before we get married and go on our honeymoon. I have to make him understand—”
“You need to chill out. Getting all worked up ain’t good for you. Now I want you to lay here and think happy thoughts until you’ve calmed down.”
She inhaled and released a long sigh.
“That’s my girl. I’ll go talk to Dash. See if I can’t get to the bottom of it, okay?”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Don’t you know by now that I’d do anything for you?” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “But this isn’t just about you. It affects all of us. You don’t have to do any of this alone any more, Ginger.”
Tears shimmered in her eyes again. “I love you.”
“I love you too. Stop cryin’, sugar. I’ll send Rissa in with some tea before you upset yourself to the point you start barfin’ again.”
“Too late. Oh God. Hand me the garbage can.”
Lightning fast, he had the small garbage can by the edge of the couch. “You want me to stay and hold your hair?” He’d gotten in a lot of practice holding her hair and rubbing her back as she suffered through morning sickness. Although he felt guilty as hell their child was making her the vomit queen, he was so damn excited about this baby he could hardly stand it. But he’d hold off on telling her his mother’s suspicions on why Ginger was so sick…at least until after the honeymoon and Doc Monroe confirmed it at their first prenatal appointment.
“No. Go. I’ll be fine.”
With one last, lingering look, he left and spoke to Rissa before heading outside.
In a town the size of Sundance, it took him about four minutes to walk to the retirement home. He brushed off the snow from his clothes and hat, thinking in three days he and Ginger would be in sunny California enjoying a week at Ava’s beach house, just the two of them.
He walked up to the kiosk and recognized the woman manning the desk as a former classmate. “Lucy.
How are you?”
“Good. I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Thanks.”
Lucy leaned closer. “Tell me the truth, wild man McKay. Are you nervous about settling down with just one woman?”