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“Why?”
“It took me three months to finalize a name for my puppy when I was little, and since that perpetually confused dog, I’ve never been good at picking names. I want as much time as possible to make lists, mark through all the options, come up with other lists, and eventually narrow it to a handful to debate when the baby gets here,” she said.
I laughed. “You know, we can come up with lists of names even if we don’t know what it is. Make one for a boy and one for a girl. This will give you twice as many names to cross off and replace.”
She looked like she was considering it as we headed out to dinner. I would keep working on her. I hoped she would let us wait, but maybe she would be right and I would get so excited over the weeks I would want to know soon, too. We would just have to wait and see. I wasn’t rushing any of this. I wanted to enjoy every second of her pregnancy and looking forward to my little one.
An easy flight seemed like it was a harbinger of an easy day, but when we arrived, the front of the building was surrounded by tabloid reporters digging for a story. The story had spread like wildfire in record time, and the clamoring for pictures of Amanda and me together was high. Amanda looked embarrassed, but I had turned a corner. Rather than shy away from them, I brought her to them and very visibly gave her a kiss.
“Tom,” she said, when our embrace broke, her cheeks red and looking back and forth between us and the snapping photographers.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I don’t care if people know now. You’re moving into a new position, and I don’t want to hide you.”
She blushed, and one of the reporters moved a bit closer, and I recognized him. He was one of the few who seemed to have a bit of respect for my privacy and had been the only person I had talked to when they had hounded me before over other things.
“Sorry to surprise you,” he said, a smile on his face. “But it looks like you don’t seem to mind all that much.”
“I don’t,” I said, “but I am curious as to how they found out.”
“You guys got caught smooching at the grand opening of the bar, and the pics made their way to the tabloids online immediately,” he said.
“Ah.”
The reporter shrugged. “You can never put anything past these vultures when they need something to occupy a day’s news cycle on the gossip pages,” he said.
“I get it,” I said. “Hopefully now they leave me alone.”
“Probably,” he said. “Hey, you wouldn’t have a statement for me, would you?”
“About this?”
“I mean, that’s why I’m here,” he said, laughing.
“Just that sometimes, love just happens,” I said. I pulled Amanda in and kissed her again, eliciting another wave of flashes.
“Perfect,” the reporter said, and I whisked Amanda inside the building, our cheeks hurting from smiling so much.
We reached the elevator with minimal fuss, only some not-so-secretive gossiping by people on the fringes of the room.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Amanda said as she wrapped up in my arms when the doors closed.
“Well, at least it’s over now. If they’re still out there later, just don’t answer them,” I said. “That’s just giving them what they want.”
“Speaking of,” she said as the doors opened and what seemed like every eye in the room turned to us. We walked out to a room full of watchful people and headed to my office. When the door shut behind us, it only took a few seconds before Landon knocked.
“Come in,” I said, and Landon opened the door, a big smile on his face.
“Tom, Amanda,” he said respectfully as he shut the door behind him. “There, now the door is closed, I can say this. It took you two long enough to finally get together!”
We all laughed heartily, and Landon clapped me on the back.
“Thanks, man,” I said.
“Seriously, it’s good to see you two together,” he said. “Ignore anyone who says anything else.”
“Well, there might be more,” Amanda said, grinning and looking over at me.
“More?” Landon asked, looking between the two of us as we stayed silent, smiling at each other. “Will someone tell me what is going on?”
“Amanda is pregnant,” I said. I didn’t say anything else as I waited for the statement to sink in. Slowly his jaw fell further and further open until I thought it would hit the floor. Then he snapped it back up almost all the way and smiled.
“You’re kidding,” he said.
“Nope,” Amanda said. “Most certainly not kidding.”
“Well, damn!” Landon said, getting another excited laugh from me and Amanda. “Congratulations to both of you, damn! It’s amazing to have a family, and I am so excited for you to go on that journey.”
