Page 41 of Silver Linings

“She needs a break. I told her to take a shower and then she’s going to take a nap. I think she’s really exhausted. Are you okay?”

Gia waved her hand in front of her body.

“I just got thinking about mom, and how much she would have loved all the commotion now that Sage is here. And of course Lily is exhausted. She just had a baby a few days ago after the world’s most insanely emotional week. I feel like we all could sleep for a month and still not feel rested, and I didn’t just create and birth an entire human.”

He rubbed Sage’s back. “What more can I be doing for her?”

“Nothing.” Gia’s hand rested on his shoulder. “You’re already doing a great job. I’m really proud of you, and thankful that she has someone so completely in her corner.”

“I meant what I said in my vows. She’s family now. There’s nothing more important to me than her and Sage.”

“She is seeing that in your actions, and that’s going to go a long way, Gunner.”

“I hope so.”

“I was just about to get started on lunch. Pasta salad and watermelon. You want some too?”

“I was going to order in from the bistro, but that’d be great.” Gunner rocked Sage lightly, looking over all the features on her face. She had the most perfect little button nose, and chunky cheeks that were filling out more even after just a few days. She had dark, long eyelashes just like her mother, and Gunner couldn’t resist pressing a kiss onto her head. He really would do anything to make this sweet girl happy.

“You can always order in for dinner later,” Gia said as she pulled a pot from the drawer under the stove.

A loud knock at the front door pulled him from his thoughts.

“Take Sage while I answer that.” Gunner walked to the door, anger boiling over when he saw who was there. Yanking the door open, he stood directly in the doorway to fill the space. “What do you want?”

His growled words had their intended effect. James’s mother jumped, literally clutching her pearls as she took a step back.

“Excuse me, but I’m here to see my grandchild. I had to hear from a friend of a friend that the baby had been born. Can you even begin to imagine how hurtful that was?”

“I don’t know, lady. Maybe it was as hurtful as you telling my wife that you were going to separate her from our child while she was being hospitalized for complications caused by your son putting his disgusting hands on her.”

“Your what? I never?—”

“No, obviously not. I told you the baby was mine. If you ever fucking show up on my private property again, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing, and I’ll gladly take out a restraining order against you for my wife and my child. Now fuck off.”

Gunner slammed the door in Corrine’s face. Who the fuck did she think she was?

“Gunner?”

Fuck.

Gunner turned to find Lily staring at him, her wide eyes bouncing between him and the door he’d just slammed. Water droplets from her wet hair were dripping down her blue robe. He had to stop himself from following the loose V-shaped opening that showed just the tiniest edge of her cream-colored bra.

Raking his hand over his face, Gunner sighed.

“Don’t worry about her, Lil. I think we’ve come to a mutual understanding.”

Lily woke from her nap feeling worse than when she fell asleep. How was that even possible? She looked at the clock in Gia’s room and groaned when she saw it had been over three hours since she laid down. Her chest ached with the need to nurse Sage, but the pounding in her head was relentless and made her want to just fade back into blissful sleep.

She’d left her baby with Gunner for too long. Before she could allow herself to spiral into thoughts of how she would make it up to him, a knock came at her door. She’d moved her head to call out and let whoever it was in, but the throbbing behind her eyes intensified, effectively shutting down her attempts to move.

“Hey, you’re awake.” Gunner smiled as he carried Sage in one of his arms, and a plate of food in the other.

“I’m sorry I slept so long.”

“It wasn’t long enough from the looks of things.” He set the plate down on the table beside the bed before moving back towards her feet. The mattress dipped and she couldn’t avoid seeing the concerned look in his eyes.

“I’m such a mess.”