Page 104 of Make it a Double

As if he could sense me wavering, he slowly reached for one of my hands and brought it up to his neck. He waited, watching me with a cocked brow before doing the same with the other.

Then we began to move.

It was slightly awkward at first, especially given the giant belly between us, but we quickly fell into sync. There was no fancy footwork to memorize, and no need to worry about crushing his feet beneath my own as we gently swayed to the beat even after the song had changed.

There was something about this moment that felt bigger than Beckett or me. It was a puzzle piece slotting into place, allowing us to step back and look at each of the choices we’d made that led us here. The odds had been stacked against us from the very first day, yet we beat them every time. Even when we had no idea what we were fighting for.

But now I did, and I refused to lose this.

I’d spent most of my life wishing I could bypass anything that made me feel uncomfortable and still enjoy the good things coming my way. But that wasn’t how things worked. You couldn’t have one without the other. After all, what good came from planting flowers if they weren’t able to withstand a little rain?

Beckett’s movements slowed as he ran his hands along my back. “Come on. I’ve kept you on your feet for too long. Let’s get home, and I’ll make us dinner.”

“Is Tate joining us tonight?” I asked.

Beckett’s sister was still in town. It was only supposed to be a temporary visit, but after chatting with Duke and Liv about the mural idea, she decided to stay around for a little while longer. Each night since then, the three of us had dinner together. I wasn’t complaining. I loved Tate. She was a breath of fresh air, and reminded me a lot of Olivia in some ways, too. Her sass was unmatched, and she didn’t take any shit. It was entertaining as hell to watch her cut Lukas down with the sharpness of her tongue.

But I was eager to have Beckett all to myself for a night. Tate was finally able to snag one of the nearby cabins, so that she was close but not too close. It felt like weeks rather than days since we’d been alone, which was something I planned on using to my advantage tonight.

“Nope,” he said, flashing me a smile. “I’m all yours tonight.”

I had a feeling he was just as ready to be alone as I was. The night of our baby shower was the last moment we were truly by ourselves, save for the precious time we had in the morning before I had to go to work. Tate’s presence hadn’t necessarily derailed our new sex life, but she did have a habit of staying over long after we’d eaten, and I missed the nights where it was just Beckett and me. Those moments would be a struggle to find after our baby was born. I wanted to soak them up while I could.

There was still so much we needed to do. We still hadn’t even talked about a name, and this house was a mess. There was furniture and boxes of baby supplies scattered between Liv’s place and the cabin. Lukas would do what he could to ensure our home was move-in ready, but time was slipping away.

Beckett turned off the music and led me from the nursery. I glanced back only once before he turned out the lights. It was strange to think that in a matter of weeks we would be holding our son in this very room. Where had the time gone? It seemed like I’d met this man yesterday, and now we were getting ready to be parents.

Life was as weird as it was beautiful.

We walked out, hand-in-hand beneath the stars. He helped me into the car, making sure I was buckled up before he slid behind the wheel. As we turned onto the highway, I said, “You know, I plan on making full use of all this alone time.”

He shot me a grin and winked. “I’m counting on it.”

BECKETT

Sawyer’s head lolled to the side as I parked outside our cabin. It was barely a fifteen-minute ride, but she was snoring by the time we pulled onto the small stretch of highway.

Today had been a lot for her. We’d been going, going, going since sunrise, and she’d barely had a moment to breathe. I was worried about her being on her feet for so long, but she kept insisting she was fine. She acted like I hadn’t seen the brief pauses when she placed her hand on her belly and let out a long exhale, or the handful of times she stretched her back and winced, but I couldn’t make her rest. Not when she’d fought so hard for me to agree to painting the nursery together.

I would, however, shoot Liv a text and tell her to keep an eye on Sawyer at work next week. The doctor said we needed to tread lightly as we approached thirty-seven weeks. Her blood pressure had remained teetering on the line of concern, but so far hadn’t shown signs of advancing to preeclampsia levels yet. It didn’t mean it couldn’t, though.

I quietly exited the vehicle and made my way to Sawyer’s side. Even though I didn’t want to wake her up, she would absolutely hate it if I carried her. “Sawyer? Hey, baby… We’re home.”

She jerked up, looking around wildly before settling on my face and blinking rapidly. “Huh?”

I pursed my lips together to stop the smile fighting its way to the surface. “We’re home. Let’s get you inside.”

Sawyer looked a little disoriented as she nodded, letting me help her out of the car and up the porch stairs. Suggestive banter aside, there was no way either of us was going to act on it tonight. She could barely keep her eyes open, and I wasn’t going to be far behind her.

Might as well get used to it now because our future sex life would be at the mercy of our son’s presence soon enough.

We made our way to the bedroom, where I helped her into the shower before heading down and making her favorite late-night snack: Cool Ranch Doritos with nacho cheese sauce. She was extremely particular about the brand, though. It had to be the red label, just like you got from the movie theater. Anything else, she scrunched her nose at and refused to eat. Thankfully, I was able to special order them and had boxes on hand to satisfy her cravings.

It wasn’t much, but it was honest work.

By the time I finished, she was sitting in our bed wearing one of my t-shirts. It’d become her comfort clothing. Not that I minded, because seeing her bare-faced in our bed, wearing my clothes, made me happier than I had any right to be. “I’m sorry I ruined our night,” she said, pouting as I climbed into bed.

I kissed her forehead before placing the plate between us. “You didn’t ruin anything, sugar. I’m happy to just be by your side.”