“It really is quite the sight.” Cecilia’s voice pulls my attention from the poolside.
“No! Uh-uh. You come back here.” Silas grabs her by the waist while holding his son with his other arm. “Turn around, Minnie. That view is not for your eyes. This is the only one you get to look at.”
Cecilia laughs as she kisses her husband. “Okay, Big Guy. Only you.”
Noah steps out of the water just as I’m finishing up Shane and marches over to Ronnie. “You’ve had enough too, Kitten,” he says before hoisting her up in the air and jumping into the pool with her as she shrieks.
Greyson raises a brow at Emma, and she points a finger at him quickly. “Don’t you dare, Wolf. If you want to keep those balls of yours, I suggest you stay in that water with our daughter.”
My brother shakes his head with a chuckle, then looks over at Shane. “See what I mean?”
Shane only laughs but doesn’t say anything. Clearly, they talked about stuff while they were together. I’m just happy they’re getting along.
Shane takes my hand and brings us over to the pool. We take the steps down into the cool water and walk farther in until it hits my chest. The sensation is strange now that my belly is bigger, but I do enjoy not feeling the extra weight.
I wrap my arms around Shane’s neck as his hands come to my waist and lift me up until my legs circle his hips. He holds me tight against him, my belly stuck between us and continues farther down the pool until the water reaches our shoulders.
His hand comes to my hair, fingers sliding through my wet strands as his eyes watch their movement. “Are you happy, Aubrey?”
I watch him for a moment, unsure where this question is coming from. But I don’t ask that, instead, I tell him the truth.
“I’ve never been happier, Shane.”
Then I seal my lips to his, proving to him just how happy I really am.
Chapter twenty-five
Shane
For better or worse…
~ One Week Later ~
I finish my workout just as my phone alerts me of an open gate request. I frown while picking it up, unsure who it could be. I know it’s not Aubrey, since she’s currently at work, and anyway she has the chip that opens the gates when she’s near them. It’s not any of the Storm brothers either, since they simply let themselves in every time. And if one of our friends were stopping by, Aubrey would have mentioned it.
I pull up the camera to see who it is, and notice a town car with its window down, waiting to enter. I press the microphone icon to speak to them before letting them through. “Yes? Can I help you?”
“I’m here to deliver a Mrs. Jefferson to the residence,” the man says simply.
My frown deepens. The only Mrs. Jefferson I know is my mother, since all of my sisters took their husbands’ names, and Aubrey still isn’t wearing mine.
“You can come through,” I say as I open the gates to our property.
Quickly heading to the laundry room, I grab a shirt from the dryer that hasn’t been emptied yet before heading to the front door. I pull it open just as the driver rounds the car and heads to the back passenger door.
He opens the door and holds a hand out for whoever is inside. Seconds later, my mother steps out and I quickly make my way down the steps to greet her.
“Mom? What are you doing here?” I ask as she comes toward me.
She places both her hands on my cheeks as I rest mine on her waist. “Can’t a mother come visit her only son when she misses him?” She smiles at me then kisses both my cheeks.
“Of course. I missed you, too,” I tell her truthfully. “Let me grab your bags and we’ll head inside.”
“Thank you, dear.”
I rush over to the trunk of the town car where the driver is pulling out my mother’s suitcase and carry-on bag. I guess we’ll be having a surprise visitor for a few days. I take it from him, thanking him, and return to my mother’s side as we walk up the steps and into the house.
I take her over to the sitting room just as Marianne enters the room. “Oh! Hello, Mrs. Jefferson. I’m very sorry, I wasn’t awarewe would be having guests. I would have prepared a finer meal if I had known.”
