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“Are you ready?” Cracker asks him quietly, squeezing his hand.
“No,” Kameron says, sucking in a deep breath, blowing it out through his pursed lips. “But I don’t think I’ll ever be.”
“It’s fine. You’ll be fine.”
“What if she doesn’t like me?”
Cracker laughs, rises onto his tiptoes, presses a kiss to Kameron’s temple. “Impossible. I love you. Literally everyone loves you. You’re the most lovable.”
Kameron shifts uncomfortably. “It’s just… I don’t know. This is a big step. Are you sure we’re ready?”
Cracker’s sure. Of course he’s sure. He’s never been more sure of anything in his life, other than the fact that he’s madly, desperately, furiously in love with Kameron, and this is absolutely the next step.
“Of course,” Cracker says. “Babe. Come on.”
But Kameron’s always been hesitant as far as they’re concerned. Deciding to be together had turned out to be the easy part, orchestrated primarily on Kameron’s part, mostly because he can’t keep his hands to himself and is an incorrigible flirt. Everything else had been… well. More complicated.
Kameron loved Nashville. Cracker loved New York. So when the topic of them moving in together had been broached a few months ago, it had instantly sparked a fierce debate between them. After ten days of terse, short texts (and no FaceTime or calls or sexting), they’d had a layover in Chicago and forced themselves to sit down and talk things out like grown adults.
And they’d compromised on Los Angeles.
It made sense, really. Their careers were taking off from California anyway, and while they would both miss the lives they were leaving behind, both admitted they were more than ready to start anew with the other in a new environment.
But this… This is another huge fucking step.
“Really?” Kameron says again. “You think we’re ready to be parents? We’re gone a lot, we’re constantly busy, we’re always—”
Cracker shrugs. “Brooke and Vanjie make it work. Monet and Nina... It’s doable. We can still have a normal life and travel at the same time.”
“I don’t know…” Kameron chews his lip.
“Babe. If you don’t want to do it, all you have to do is say no,” Cracker says quietly. “We can revisit this later, when we both feel ready. It’s okay.”
“No.” Kameron takes in a deep breath, steels himself, squeezes Cracker’s hand tightly. “You’re right. Let’s do this. Let’s go meet our daughter.”
They’re home and settled in on the couch with their legs tangled together, arms wrapped around each other, and they’re watching their puppy chew on her new rubber ball. They named her Maddy (don’t ask why. Neither of them is sure; it just sounded right), and they’re both in love with her already.
They rescued her from a shelter, so they think she’s just a mutt, but to them, she's perfect. She has golden fur and floppy ears and the pinkest nose Cracker thinks he’s ever seen.
And they love her.
“Still don’t feel ready?” Cracker says quietly, fingers trailing up and down Kameron’s arm.
Kameron presses a kiss to Cracker’s temple. “No. You changed my mind.”
A grin crosses the smaller man’s face. “I’m awfully good at that.”
“You are,” Kameron agrees. “But don’t get any ideas.”