"Mateo."
"Say it again," I groan. "I've missed it."
"Oh my God, Mateo."
"I wanted to give you the tour, but the way you're headed, the only tour you're going to get is of our bedroom."
"Of the mattress on the floor? Hard pass, Daddy."
"We've been over this. That's a no," I say.
She rolls her eyes and taps Cooper's chest with a painted nail.
"Read his shirt," she says.
"Big brother," I read aloud.
I wait for her to say something smart ass but nothing comes.
"Big brother," I say again.
"Big brother," she repeats.
The words separate mean very little, but together they're everything.
"Are you? Are we? Am I? Am I going to be a dad?"
The smile she gives me is rare. A gift. It's a smile she doesn't use often. And it's all for me. For us.
She nods.
I'm going to be a dad. We're having a baby. Holy shit.
There are no words to convey the way my heart is gearing up to burst out of my chest. I take the pad from her hands, placing it on the counter and then pull her to me, pressing my lips to hers. She wraps her arms around my waist, sinking into my embrace.
Kissing Jade is like free-falling from the sky—exhilarating and terrifying. She separates her lips from mine. "So a good elephant then?"
"The best elephant," I say. "Guess it's a good thing you wanted three bedrooms."
She laughs and takes my hand. "Show me our house now?"
I give her the grand tour, starting with the space in the basement. I've spent the last week framing out a small recording area for Hashing it Out with Hayes, but there's already a larger room I planned on making her art studio.
She rolls her eyes at the idea, but there's a sparkle in them.
"Have you ever done renovation work before?" she asks when I tell her the plans I have for remodeling the kitchen.
"I've dabbled," I say. "But I have time to learn. Even with the podcast, I'm still retired."
"You won't have much spare time with a baby on your hip."
"And where will you be?" I ask.
"Working."
"Or art school?"
She sighs. "Or art school."
