Page 129 of Fierce-Baker

Wasn’t insisting she could handle it alone.

She was letting him in.

“I can’t afford to feel one way or another,” she said softly. “That’s his life. There’s always going to be a part of me that hates that Micah has half-siblings out there. But when he’s older, that choice will be his.” Her voice steadied. “These documents aren’t just for me. They’re for Micah.”

“Do you think Shane will want to see him?” he asked gently. “You haven’t said what your plan is.”

She exhaled and shook her head. “Baker, please don’t take this the wrong way. I just… I can’t talk about it anymore tonight. Guessing what Shane will or won’t do feels like wasted energy. I didn’t expect him to react the way he did, so I have no idea what comes next.”

“You’re right,” he said.

The questions had been for his own peace of mind anyway. Answers she didn’t owe him.

That he had no right to ask.

“I’m not trying to shut you out,” she added, her voice tired now. “Or hide anything. I’m just… exhausted. Like it’s in my bones. I don’t even know how I’ve functioned this past week. It’s all a blur of second-guessing every thought, every decision, and wondering what’s right, what’s wrong.”

He pulled her closer, holding her there, and letting her decide the next move.

It felt like most of his life that was what he did.

Let someone else make decisions in his relationship. But this was different.

Way different.

It wasn’t just the two of them. It was the three of them.

A little boy sleeping in the other room who had come to mean as much to him as the woman in his arms.

He’d do anything to protect them both and if that meant quieting his own inner doubts so she could work on hers, then he’d have to suck it up.

“Then shut it off for tonight.”

She turned in his arms, hers lifting and looping over his head, her mouth to his. “Help me shut it off. Help me just feel in this moment what it’s like to be with someone who loves me. Who doesn’t doubt my intentions, my thoughts, my wants and desires.”

The soft smile tugged at his lips. “What are those wants and desires?”

She stood, her hand out for his, and urged him to walk with her. “I’m going to show you.”

He didn’t hesitate. His hand slid into hers, solid and sure, grounding them both as she led him down the hall.

The bedroom was dim, a single lamp casting warm light across familiar walls.

The woman in front of him had always been honest. Once she opened up, she never stopped.

She never shut him out. Not once.

So tonight, wanting the time to quiet her thoughts was an easy request.

Maybe he needed the same from her.

She turned to face him, their hands still linked, her thumb brushing over his knuckles like she was memorizing the feel of him. Like she needed a reminder that this was real.

“This,” she said quietly, lifting their joined hands between them, “is what I want. To feel safe. To feel chosen. To not have to brace myself for the moment it all falls apart.”

“It’s not going to,” he said, voice low and full of certainty. “Not with me.”

Her breath hitched. She searched his face like she was looking for the crack, the doubt, or the hesitation. She’d never find it with him.