“I’m right here,” he said. “Dad’s right here. I’m going nowhere. Just gonna wait until you’re ready to come out into the world, and then your mom and I are going to take care of you. So you hang tight, weclear? Do your thing, and we’ll wait for however long it takes.”With his free hand, he took Layla’s palm, and put it over his own.“Your family is right here. Waiting for you…and we love you.”It was totally stupid to talk to what was, no doubt, nothing but a bundle of cells. But he couldn’t helpit. The words, the actions…they were at once totally his, and yet coming from a place that was foreign to him.Felt right, though.Felt…like what a father was supposed to do.”

“Hey, handsome, I’m right here. You’re doing an amazing job. I’m so proud of you.” Livia’s voice cracked a bit, and she swallowed her tears. “The ladies here are working real hard. Beckett’s here, and Cole is too. We’re all just waiting for you. But you take the time you need. I’m not going anywhere. Well, I may have to pee once in a while, but I’ll come right back.”

“Didn’t you hear a word I said to you the entire time we were together? You’re my whole world Layla. You hold my universe in your hand and no matter where I go, who I’m with or what I’m doing, you are right there with me. Here.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask, stepping out of the car.“Waiting for you.” He closes the car door behind me. “I called you earlier and your mom said you’d be home around nine. You’re two minutes early.”“Should I go away and come back?”“What do you think?” he asks, encircling my waist with his arms.”

“Zane.” His voicewas hushed and pensive. “Sometimes I’m not capable ofexpressing how grateful I am for you.”“What do you mean?”Ty put a hand to his own chest, visibly struggling tofind the right words. “For your . . . So few people have everunderstood the way I work. In here.” He tapped his chest.“Thank you for . . . your insight.”

“How long will you wait for the right time to come? The right time is now and the right place is here.”