A smile begins to form on his lips, growing wider as he mock-wipes sweat from his brow. “Whew. I was preparing for a battle.” His thumb tenderly blots my tears. “And I love you too, Mindy Hale.”
“Not yet,” I tease.
My fiancé leans forward and lifts me out of my chair before settling me onto his lap. I wind my arms around his neck, and he blesses me with a long, sweet kiss.
“Oh, sweetheart, it’s as good as done. You’ve got me locked down nice and tight.”
I place my hand over the one he’s using to cup my face, leaning into his warm touch. “Good, because I want to give you your wedding gift now.” I grin a little smugly. “And I hate to one-up my husband, but my present is even more valuable than a whole-ass bakery.”
Now it’s time for his eyebrow to shoot up. “Well, you’ve piqued my curiosity. Can I have it now?”
“No, but you can have it in about seven and a half months.” He appears confused, so I take his hand and lower it to my belly for emphasis. When his eyes widen, I know he’s got it.
He removes his hand and lifts my shirt, staring at my still flat belly as if he can actually see the baby growing inside me. Then he looks up at me, and his face glows with wonder.
“A baby? We’re having a baby?”
“We are,” I confirm. “I took an at-home test this morning, and when it came back positive, I called Nicolette since she’s a medical doctor. I know she’s a dermatologist, but she was able to do a quick blood test to confirm it.” I worry my bottom lip. “I hope you don’t mind that I called her. She promised not to tell Helix or anyone else. I just wanted to be sure before I told you, and I didn’t want to go to an actual doctor’s office. I knew you’d want to go to the first OB appointment with me.”
He holds my face in both hands. “Damn right I do. I’m not missing a single thing, and I’m not mad at all about Nic. I’m too fucking ecstatic to be mad.” He looks down between us again and whispers, “A baby.”
God, he’s so damn cute. And sweaty. And sexy. Good lord, is he ever sexy.
“There’s only one problem,” I say, and Remi jerks his gaze to me in alarm. “Your baby is doing wild things to my hormones, and I’m horny as hell right now.”
His grin is pure mischief as he stands, holding me bridal style. “Good thing your horniness is my specialty.” He carries me out of the kitchen and toward the living room staircase. “We’ll spend the rest of the day and night in bed, and I’ll take care of you.”
“We have the rehearsal and dinner tonight,” I remind him witha giggle.
“Then I’ll just have to work my ass off to make sure my wife is satisfied by the time we have to leave.”
He takes the stairs slowly, and I know it’s because he considers me and the baby precious cargo. “You’re going to be an amazing daddy.”
“Keep calling me Daddy, and we’re not making it to that rehearsal tonight,” he grumps. “I can’t believe we’re having the first of our ten kids in a few months.”
“Two kids,” I correct with faux exasperation.
“Two… ten…” he replies as we reach the top of the stairs. “Who’s counting?”
EPILOGUE 2
Perri Hale
A FEW MONTHS AGO
I tug my skirt down to be sure it’s covering my ass. I love my short skirts, but this one is risqué even for me.
My eyes dart around as I stride down a quiet side street in Houston in a neighborhood far from where I live and work. No way I’ll run into any of my family here. It’s a little… seedy.
My high heels tap along the sidewalk as I make my way to the end of the block. I get a few stares because of what I’m wearing. Tiny leather skirt. Hot-pink crop top that’s not much more than strategically placed lace. And thigh-high black leather boots. Yeah, I’d probably look too if I saw someone dressed like this.
A midnight-blue Lamborghini pulls to the curb in front of me, and I walk straight to it, waiting for the occupant to roll down the window. When he does, I bend over, hoping I’m not flashing my ass to the world. This pink bustier thing shoves my small boobs upward and gives me cleavage I could only dream about.
His eyes drop directly to that spot, and he licks his full, luscious lips.
“Hey, baby. You looking for company tonight?” I purr.
“How much?” he asks, and I’m instantly turned on by his deep, accented voice.
