Jess watched as I crossed the street and waddle-walked to the front door of the neighbor’s house. On the covered porch, I raised my hand to knock, but before I could, the door pulled open.
Toby stood in the doorway, his blue-grey eyes bright with excitement.
“Hi beautiful,” he said, his lips met mine for a kiss before he guided me inside.
I listened, but I didn’t hear Liz or Kel. Or the neighbors. The house was quiet.
“What are we doing here?” I asked.
Epilogue • 5 Toby
I felt giddy, like a little kid with a new toy.
“I bought dinner,” I said. “Hope you’re in the mood for Italian.”
“I thought we were eating with Liz and Kellan. Where are they?” she asked.
I ignored her questions, and took her hands in mine. Walking backwards, I drew her into the house. “Isn’t this a great space?”
Claudia looked around as if noticing it for the first time.
The Dutch colonial was a little small on the small side, and the landscape a tad uninspired, but I’d noticed it the first time I’d driven into the cul-de-sac. It was the kind of house that just screamed potential. It sat on what I was sure was at least an acre. With that size plot, there’d be plenty of space to add on.
She stopped then, refusing to be pulled further. “Toby, what are we doing here?”
“It’s for sale. Hasn’t officially been listed yet, but Liz and Kel being neighbors gave me the head’s up,” I said. “I want to make an offer.”
“You want to buy this house?” she asked. “You’ve looked at it already?”
“Yeah. I’ve looked at several houses, but I didn’t want to tell you until I found something worth bothering you about.” I pulled at her hands again, and this time she willingly followed me through the kitchen and into a family room. “This house has great bones, Claude. I can work with this. Make it the house we always dreamed of.”
Claudia raked her teeth over her bottom lip, her eyes surveying the room, the backyard. Finally, she smiled. “Well, you’d better show me around then.”
I drew her through the house, room by room, describing the vision I had for each space, how, with a few additional feet added to the back, it would give us a family room on the lower floor and an additional room upstairs for an office or a guest room. Her fingers trailed along moldings and textiles.
“I really like this view.” Claudia sat down on the cushioned window seat in the master bedroom. The window overlooked an above-ground pool and a children’s play structure in the backyard.
“It’s perfect for us,” I said. “The street is quiet, the school district decent, and the neighbors, well, I happen to know they’re the absolute best.”
I could see the wheels turning in her head, but I could tell she could see our future in this house the same way I did.
“Okay, let’s make an offer.” She smiled at me, but her hands suddenly flew to her belly. And then, she laughed. “Oh, I think baby likes this house, too. Doing a little happy dance in here.”
I knelt before her and cradled her stomach with my hands, searching for the movement of my baby, growing inside the woman I loved. A feeling came over me, sharp and immediate, and tears stung the back of my eyes.
“Tell me what it is,” I said.
“Are you sure you want to know?” she asked, eyebrows arched.
Claudia had found out the sex of our baby months ago, but I’d told her not to tell me. I’d felt so unsure and nervous about this one; I hadn’t wanted to think of it any particular sense.
I pressed the side of my face to her belly, felt the gentle motion move under her skin. I struggled to hold back tears. I knew then, without a doubt, that I had enough room in my heart for whatever our future held.
“I love you and Julianne,” I said and kissed Claudia’s belly. “And I’ll love this baby just as much.”
Claudia’s fingers stroked my hair. “And your girls love you, too. Me and both of your daughters.”
Another girl.
I looked up into Claudia’s face, thought how beautiful my wife was, how she glowed with pregnancy. The tears came then. Big fat tears of happiness.
And I didn’t try to stop them.
Keeping Claudia (Toby & Claudia Book 2) Page 43
