Page 93 of Make it a Double

“I’m pretty sure that making a pregnant woman cry at her baby shower is illegal or something,” I muttered, wiping the fallen tear away.

Liv wrapped her arm around me and squeezed. “I love you, Sawyer. There’s no length I wouldn’t go to in order to show you that.”

Even though I grew up in this town, I never felt like I truly belonged. Everyone I graduated high school with had either moved away to chase big-city dreams or settled down and popped out a few babies of their own, while I simply floated through life not knowing what I wanted.

It was strange how quickly that had changed because of one single night of reckless fun. Beckett had pulled me from whatever trance I’d lost myself in. There wasn’t a day that went by that I wasn’t thankful to him for waking me up.

“Come on. Let’s get this party started,” she said, pulling me into the living room where a mountain of gifts sat. “Everyone is ready to get started.”

I looked back at Beckett as Liv dragged me away. “I’m going to get us some drinks, okay? I’ll be right back.”

In the middle of the room was a chair decorated just for me. A sparkling sash that read “mom” sat on the cushion, while different shades of blue balloons were tied to the back.

I took my seat, glancing around nervously as Liv clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay, everyone. Thank you so much for joining us to celebrate Sawyer and Baby Montgomery. We’re gonna play a quick icebreaker game, and then we can get started on the fun stuff—presents!” Liv grinned over at me. “Over here we’ve got a pin the face on the baby game. I know we’re all hoping this little bundle of joy comes out looking just like Sawyer, but genetics can be weird.”

She laughed, gesturing to a poster board and pile of what looked like cutouts from photos. “Grab a parent’s face, you can pick either Sawyer or Beckett, and Charlie and Harper can help get your blindfold tied on. Whoever gets closest gets the honor of having their gift opened first!” Most of the guests got up, making a haphazard line in front of the poster of a giant cartoon baby body, and Beckett and I both struggled to contain our laughter as they tried, and failed, to get our heads into the right position. Surprisingly, Grams ended up the winner, flashing me a wicked smile that I knew darn well meant she’d peeked.

Sudden applause had us turning to look at Gram beaming on the sofa nearby. Harold smiled at her as he yelled, “Get’em, baby!”

As the guests sat back down, Liv clapped her hands again to get everyone’s attention. “If you haven’t already, be sure to grab a onesie decorating kit to work on while we go through all these lovely gifts.”

Beckett pulled up a chair and handed me a glass of Cherry 7UP. “Here you go, sugar. Made sure we had them on hand for you.”

“Thank you,” I said, leaning in for a kiss.

The laughter quieted down as Liv grabbed Gram’s present and handed it over. It was a pale blue bag with pacifiers all over it, so I thought it might be safe, but I should’ve known better. Inside was a heather gray onesie that said, “I came from nuttin’.” As if it could get any worse, a grinning sperm smiled out at me, wiggling its little tail. I gritted out my thanks as I shoved it back into the safety of the bag. “What did that say?” Beckett asked, but I just shook my head. “What’s next?”

Beckett and I worked in tandem, opening the rest of our gifts and offering our thanks to whoever brought them. We got so many things. It took us nearly an hour to get through all of them. I had no idea how we were going to get any of this home or where we would put it. Liv might just have to hold onto everything until we figured something out.

Things had quieted down once the presents were gone. Some people left while others mingled in groups throughout the family room. Liv and I were taking notes of who brought what when I heard Lukas say,” Oh, looks like you forgot one.”

Liv turned over her shoulder. “That’s right. Where’s dad’s gift for the expectant mother?”

“I don’t think that’s a thing,” I said, laughing.

“Push presents are absolutely a thing,” Liv corrected. “When I had Charlie, Grady bought me a diamond tennis bracelet and a new handbag.”

Grady raised his beer. “Seemed like the least I could do considering the ass-chewing I got during labor.”

I turned toward Beckett. “Okay, well, you’ve done more than enough,” I reassured him, laughing. “Anything more might just make me⁠—”

My words cut off as he pulled a little blue box from behind him. “Too late,” he said, handing it over. “I know you’re a little touchy about gifts, but I think you’re going to like this one.”

“Better hope,” Lukas muttered beneath his breath. “Be embarrassing if she didn’t.”

Beckett ignored him. “You don’t have to open it here⁠—”

“The hell she doesn’t,” Liv and Lukas said at the same time.

I swung toward the siblings who, to their credit, didn’t look sorry in the slightest. “Do you two know something about this?” They both shrugged, which meant they absolutely did. “Traitors,” I hissed.

“Just open the damn thing,” Liv said. She was nearly vibrating in her seat.

With trembling fingers, I reached for the lid and pulled it free. Inside, on a little silk pillow, was a shining set of keys. “What is it?” I asked cautiously, glancing up at Beckett.

He sucked in a deep breath before speaking. “I want to start out by saying please don’t freak out when I tell you. This is just as much for me as it is for you.”

My heart quickened as I looked back down. They looked an awful lot like house keys, but that couldn’t be. It wasn’t like Beckett bought me something like that. That would be crazy, right? It would be absolutely ridiculous. Even though I stayed with him most nights, I had somewhere I called home. What about Grams? I couldn’t just leave her, or spend every day driving over to make sure she was okay. Especially not with a newborn.