Callum Back in San Francisco a few weeks after the wedding, things were starting to feel settled. Like this had been my life for years instead of weeks. I’d officially moved in with Maisie and Brody. My toothbrush now lived right next to hers, my hockey gear with Brody’s in the garage. Our mornings were a blur of breakfast and getting ready for work. I’d never realized how chaotic mornings with a child could be, but I loved every second of it. In the afternoons, I picked Brody up from hockey practice, and every night, I crawled into bed with my beautiful wife. Thanksgiving was around the corner, which was also the week of Brody’s championship game. Maisie had jumped right into planning the holiday with my mom like she’d been doing that for years too, and I was still toying with the idea of taking them snowboarding for Christmas. Start our own traditions. All things considered, life was damn good. If I would have known marriage to Maisie would be like this, I would have proposed back in college. Just gone right down on one knee, put the solo cup down for a second, and told her she was it for me. Brody came out of the rink with his bag slung over his shoulder, his cheeks flushed red from the hours he’d spent on the ice and a sheen of sweat on his forehead. I grinned, striding over to take the bag from him once he was a respectable distance from the doors. Naturally, he didn’t want me coming inside, helping him pack up, and then carrying the bag out for him. Apparently, that would be embarrassing. I was an embarrassing dad. I loved it. “Hey, champ,” I said as I wrapped my fingers around the strap of the bag and hoisted it onto my own shoulder instead. “You look exhausted. Good practice?” “Yeah, it was grueling, but Gage says we’re getting there.” “Good man.” I popped open the trunk and Brody collapsed into the back seat like he was going to fall asle ep right there and then. After making sure he’d remembered to buckle up, I climbed in behind the steering wheel and backed out of the parking space. “Are you up for burgers or should we just head straight home?” Some life sparked in his eyes at the mention of food. “Burgers. Yes. Starving.” I chuckled. “We’re down to one-word responses, huh? Alright, I thought this would only happen once you became a teenager, but I’ve heard kids these days start everything early.” Burgers at the little joint between the rink and their neighborhood, the same place where I’d asked if I could marry his mom, was our after-practice ritual. Just the two of us. Once we were there, we placed our identical orders and grabbed the same booth next to the window where we had sat that day. Brody rested his cheek in his open palm, his elbow propped on the table. His eyelashes were fluttering like he was about to doze off, but as soon as the burger was set down in front of him, he straightened up and tore into it with a gusto not even I could parallel. In between bites, he took sips of his chocolate shake and it was like I could slowly see the energy returning to his body. I didn’t speak while he ate, just giving him time to recover.
While he chewed, I devoured my own food, but I also couldn’t help just staring at him. It had been weeks now, but I still found myself marveling over little things, like the exact curve of his chin or how his hair stuck up slightly in the back no matter what Maisie did with it. My son. We hadn’t come up with a way to tell him just yet, but the words pressed against my teeth, sitting heavily right at the tip of my tongue. I’d come so close so many times. Since he was only seven, I doubted he would really understand much of it yet, but right now, he still thought his real dad hadn’t wanted him. It was becoming harder by the day to live with that knowledge. I couldn’t stand it. It was the one blight on the otherwise perfect life we were all building together. The urge to say it had never been quite as strong as it was in this moment. I was sure it would be even stronger tomorrow, but I suddenly found myself wondering why I was waiting. What I was waiting for. There would never be a better time than right now. Hell, there wouldn’t have been a better time than immediately after the wedding. As soon as the dust had settled. “I’m your real dad,” I said before I could stop myself, looking right into his eyes as my heart start pounding. “Did you know that?” Brody didn’t even blink. He just took another bite of his burger, chewed, swallowed, and shrugged. “Yeah.” “Yeah?” I r epeated like an idiot. My heart stopped for a short beat. “Uh-huh.” He reached for a fry and dunked it in some ketchup, sending me a she epish smile. “I overheard Sadie talking to Jameson about it in Scotland, but I know I shouldn’t eavesdrop, so I pretended I hadn’t.” I blinked hard, completely taken aback, but he wasn’t even done yet. “Besides, everyone knows anyway. We look exactly alike, so I kind of figured.” He chomped happily on his fries as I sat there, completely floored. It felt like my entire world had just shifted on its axis and Brody was just... fine. Finally, I leaned back in my chair and laughed. Brody grinned, pumping his eyebrows before he picked up his shake. “Kids aren’t stupid.” “No.” I chuckled, my head shaking. “No, you certainly are not.” In a state of complete disbelief, I finished my burger like a major bomb hadn’t just detonated in my life. Fuck, how was that so easy? I should’ve done this weeks ago. On the other hand, I kind of liked how it had happened this afternoon. Brody was a cool kid. Just like his dad. At least, I think so. Once we were finished eating and on our way back to my car, he looked up at me. I could see nerves shimmering in his eyes and I frowned, but before I could ask, he was talking. “Was it ever true that you didn’t want me?” I shook my head, moving in front of him and sinking to my haunches right there in the parking lot. The sun was setting fast and streetlights were blinking on, but I held his gaze directly, needing to get this right. “There is no universe in which I don’t want you, Brody. Things were just a little complicated between Mom and I for a while, but I’m here now and I’m never going anywhere ever again.”
He stared at me silently for a beat, then grinned and tossed his arms around my neck in a rare display of exuberant affection. “I knew it. I knew it wasn’t true. Can I call you Daddy now?” Something really hot put pressure at the backs of my eyes. I nodded, holding him tight against me. “Please do. I would love that.” Brody laughed as he pulled away from me. Glancing at me over his shoulder after opening the back door of the car, he said, “Okay, Daddy.” If my heart hadn’t belonged to this kid and his mom already, I would have shoved it into his hands without a second thought the moment he said that word. What was more was that we got to go back to our own little slice of paradise together now. Maisie’s house. Technically, my house now too. I’d paid off her mortgage and bought her a new car. She’d been so proud of hers, but a car salesman had sold her a dud and there was no way I was letting them drive around in something that unreliable. The only thing I hadn’t managed to do yet was convince her to move into a bigger place, but that didn’t bother me much either. I liked the little Craftsman and the neighborhood. The neighbors themselves. By the time we stumbled into the house, Brody with his hockey bag dragging behind him like it was suddenly a hundred pounds heavier, Maisie was cooking our second dinner. It smelled like heaven, garlic, and butter, and something spicy simmering on the stove. “Hi, Mom,” he called, dropping the bag just inside the door and bolting upstairs like he’d just gotten a second wind. I vaguely heard him muttering about Legos and I chuckled but headed for the kitchen. She was leaning against the counter in one of my T-shirts, her hair pulled up, looking like she belonged in my arms. Twisting when she heard me walk in, she flashed me a smile over her shoulder and set the spatula down on a brightly patterned spoon rest. “Hey, husband.” “Hey, wife.” I st epped in behind her, slid my arms around her waist, and pressed my lips to the side of her neck. “That smells incredible.” “You two ate burgers already, didn’t you?” she teased, calling me out instantly. I chuckled against her skin and breathed her in. “Guilty.” She turned in the circle of my arms, her hands resting on my chest and those gorgeous green eyes coming up to latch onto mine. “How was practice?” “Exhausting. Gage texted to say Brody worked real hard, though. The kid’s a machine.” I hesitated, then decided not to dance around it. “Oh, and, uh, he knows I’m his dad.” Maisie froze, blinking up at me. “He knows? Callum, you told him?” “Not exactly.” I grinned, rubbing the back of my neck. “I just said it and he was, like, ‘yeah.’ It turns out Sadie let it slip and he overheard her. Apparently, it’s also obvious because we look exactly alike. His words, not mine.” Her mouth parted, a mix of shock and relief flashing across her beautiful, delicate features. “Is he okay with it?”
I nodded. “I think he’s better than okay, actually. He just shrugged and went back to his burger. He did ask if he could call me Daddy, though. I said yes.” “Wow.” Maisie let out a breath that sounded like she’d been holding it for seven years. Her arms wrapped tighter around my neck, pulling me closer as a smile ghosted across her lips. “I can’t believe this is really happening.” “Neither can I,” I admitted, burying my face in her hair and inhaling the scent of her shampoo. “Can you believe it all started because of Harrison’s insane idea of putting an ad in the paper for a wife?” Her laugh was soft, muffled against my shoulder. “It started long before that, but we should definitely buy a physical copy of that edition and frame the ad.” I grinned. “I’m on it.” As I lowered my head to kiss her, Brody suddenly shouted from upstairs. “Daddy! Daddy, look.” Before I could even react, a blur of fur hurtled into the kitchen with Brody right behind it. I squinted and it took me a beat to realize it was a dog. A golden retriever. It skidded across the tile, barking joyfully with Brody in hot pursuit, squealing and laughing. “Sadie came over, didn’t she?” I said, not really asking as I raised my eyebrows at Maisie. “This has her written all over it.” Maisie laughed. “I think you’re right about needing a house with a bigger yard.” “I’ll get on that, too.” I tightened my grip on her and turned my head to watch with her as Brody chased the newest member of our family around the house. “Fuck, I never thought I could be this happy.” The words came out as barely a whisper against her hair, but she nodded her agreement without lifting her head from my shoulder and smiled up at me. “And this is only just the beginning.”
Epilogue Maisie Thanksgiving morning came with the scent of crisp air, popcorn, and the faint tang of ice. The rink was packed, parents bundled up in coats and kids clanging cowbells and blowing horns. The atmosphere was festive, but this was also the championship game and it was a real nail-biter. My stomach was twisted into knots the entire time, but when the buzzer sounded and Brody’s team exploded into cheers, I thought my heart might burst right out of my chest. They’d won. My sweet boy was on the team that had taken the championship title. Callum had spent the game next to the boards with Gage, and Brody skated right into his arms like he’d done it a hundred times before. As I watched, Callum laughed, scooping him up off the ice and spinning him in a full circle while Brody pumped his fists in the air. It was almost too much. The sight of the man I loved holding the boy I loved, both of them radiant. Along with Callum’s entire family, I raced down to the edge of the rink. Sterling, Harrison, Jameson, Laney, and Sadie all pressed in close, their voices booming with cheers. My mom and CC were crying, Harlan and my dad beamed with pride. The boys pounded on the glass like maniacs and Brody waved at them from Callum’s shoulders like he was on top of the world. When they skated over to us, they waved us onto the ice. The next moment, there we were, slipping and laughing, clinging to each other for balance. Someone wrangled a photographer and the man came over with his camera raised. “Okay, everybody, get in!” Even in our unbalanced chaos, we managed to form a loose circle. Brody was on Callum’s shoulders and I was tucked against his side, my mom and CC holding hands. The Westwood brothers crowded around, Harrison shouting a cheer that made everybody laugh. The flash went off, freezing the joyful moment in time. I already knew I wouldn’t need a picture to remember this, though. It was already etched into me, my whole life feeling like sunshine wrapped up in laughter, family, and love. Callum finally let Brody down from his shoulders before we made our way off the ice. He reached for my hand, wrapped his fingers around mine, and grinned. “Your first Thanksgiving as a Westwood. Are you ready for dinner?” I laughed, widening my eyes at him. “That d epends. What exactly does Thanksgiving as a Westwood entail?” “That’s the question on my mind, too.” Laney appeared beside me, her hand on her massively swollen baby bump as she carefully navigated her way off the ice with Sterling. “I guess we’re about to find out.” I would’ve expected to feel nervous about spending the holiday with his family, but the truth was, I was looking forward to it. They’d been so welcoming, and after everything we’d already all been through together, I felt like one of them.
At this point, everyone knew the truth about Callum and Brody. To my surprise, even Harlan and CC had been ecstatic, neither of them angry or judging me for not telling him earlier. CC had been disappointed to have missed out on so much of his life, but that only made her seem more determined to be as much a part of it as she could now. She’d been taking him out for all sorts of activities, he was already calling her Grandma, and their bond was growing closer by the day. Harlan had been a little more reserved, but according to my dad, he’d approached him to offer to reimburse them—and me—for just about every expense Brody had ever had. Dad had refused, but Harlan sure seemed to be trying to make up for it now, spoiling his grandson rotten. I didn’t even try to stop him. He wasn’t going as overboard as I might’ve thought. It wasn’t like he’d bought Brody a yacht of his very own or anything quite as ludicrous as that, and it was my fault that they’d had to wait so long to spoil him at all, so I was trying to remain gracious about it. Back at the Westwood mansion, Thanksgiving turned out to be chaotic and extravagant, but also warm and cozy. The dining table groaned under the weight of turkey, pies, and enough sides to feed an army. Caterers swarmed around, refilling glasses while football played on the big screen. Laughter carried down the halls. CC k ept sneaking glances at me over her wine glass, a very particular gleam in her eyes. Sadie eventually leaned in, flashing me an amused smirk. “She’s just waiting.” “Waiting for what?” I asked. Sadie chuckled and pointed at her growing stomach. “For the news that there’s another one on the way.” I nearly choked on my mashed potatoes. “What?” Laney, heavily pregnant and radiant, fanned herself with a napkin and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry. Once this baby arrives, she’ll be too busy fussing over me to ke ep hounding you. That should buy you at least a little bit of time.” They laughed, but my cheeks were still on fire. I stole a glance at Callum though, his head tipped back in laughter and Brody leaning into him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Although he hadn’t said anything about it, I knew he was waiting for that news, too. So was I, frankly. After our wedding night, I’d thought maybe we would be making the announcement by now, but no such luck. Guess we’ll just have to ke ep trying. My cheeks burned a little more at the thought, but I would never complain about the trying. God, it’s been amazing being a newlywed with a man like Callum as my husband. CC didn’t ask what the girls were giggling about, nor did she come right out and ask when they could expect another grandchild. Because it seemed tonight wasn’t about me and Callum. It was about Harrison. “Tell me, Harry,” Harlan drawled over dessert, leaning back in his chair with a glass of scotch dangling from his fingers. “What exactly are your plans?” Harrison groaned, dragging a hand across his face. “My plans for what?” “Marriage,” Harlan said, grinning like a shark. “Don’t look so surprised. Everyone’s wondering about it now that you’re the last man standing.” “I’m still a kid,” Harrison protested, laughing and waving a napkin at his dad. “Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Twenty-four isn’t a kid,” Harlan shot back. “Hell, when I was your age, I’d already taken over the company and Sterling was on his way.” “Wow, that’s really setting the bar high for me.” Harrison rolled his eyes, but the corners of his mouth tugged upward, betraying his amusement. “I’ll get married when I’m good and ready. Which will be never if you harass me about it. Sterling’s taking over the company and you’ve already got three grandbabies on the way. You’re good for now.” The table rippled with laughter and CC clucked her tongue, muttering something about boys. I let the noise wash over me, catching Callum’s gaze across the table. He was already looking at me when I moved my eyes to his, that half-smile on his face. I thought about the newspaper ad that had started all of this for us—his silly, reckless gamble that had changed my life. We’d cut it out, framed it, and hung it in the hallway at home. Well, home for now. After Sadie’s surprise gift and since we were actively trying for another baby, we had decided it was time. By Christmas, we would be moving into Callum’s manor on the estate, a place where Brody and our new dog could run until their legs gave out. Our future was waiting just beyond these walls, and if Harrison’s grumbling was any indication, his was about to begin too. ***