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“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out.
Nash laughed. “Way to break the news, sweetheart.”
Inwardly cringing, she turned to him. “Sorry. I’m botching things up here.”
He took the stack of plates from her hands and kissed her cheek. “You’re fine.”
Lily glanced around the room to the stunned faces. Only Ian was smiling and threw her a wink and a nod of encouragement.
“It’s okay,” she told them with a smile as she blinked back the tears. “Nash and I are both excited about this. While we certainly weren’t planning on a baby, we are thrilled.”
“A son and a new grandbaby on the way all in one week?” Damon asked as he puffed out his chest and grinned. “This calls for a major celebration.”
“How about Wednesday?” Cassie suggested with clasped hands and a wide smile. “That’s the fourth. We could have fireworks, grill out and make a big night of it.”
Lily’s head was spinning as the Barrington sisters started planning, then Linda came in, heard the news and chimed right in on everything she could make, too. As she babbled on, she bustled around the table, took the plates from Nash’s hand and kept right on planning without missing a beat.
The moment went from her instant onslaught of tears to a chaotic meshing of voices chattering over each other.
“I think they’re excited,” Nash leaned over and whispered in her ear.
Damon came around the table and settled his hand on her shoulder. “Congratulations, Lily. I’m really happy for you guys.”
Lily couldn’t help the lump of emotion that settled in her throat. Nash’s newly minted father was already welcoming her and the baby into the family. This was everything she’d ever wanted to give her children...a sense of belonging.
“Thank you.”
Nash’s hand slid over the small of her back. “We want to keep this private for now,” he informed his father. “Lily is taking some time off and staying with me until we figure out the best course of action. If the media gets hold of this news before we’re ready...”
“I understand completely,” Damon nodded. “If you need anything, let us know. Privacy is something we value here. I promise to only keep Nash a few moments in the stables and then we’ll be back and we can continue this celebration.”
Nash leaned down, placed a kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be back in a bit,” he murmured before following Damon and the other men from the room.
Lily looked up to see, Tessa, Cassie and Linda all smiling at her. Damn it. She wished she could label her relationship with Nash because she didn’t want to bond and fall in love even more with these amazing women if it wasn’t going to be long-term.
Now that Nash had come clean with his family, would he want to get closer to them? Surely he wouldn’t want to just pack up and follow her back to LA. But, she had a job, a life there that she couldn’t ignore.
She loved her job, not so much the lack of privacy, but digging into roles and bringing emotion to the screen. She still hadn’t decided whether to take the film Ian had sent her way and she had to discuss things with Nash, too.
Lily needed to know what he was thinking, what he was feeling before she fell any deeper in love with this family.
But she was afraid it was too late for that.
Thirteen
Nash entered the stables, like he had many times before, but this time Damon walked silently at his side. The fresh, familiar smell of hay and leather greeted them, while a couple of the horses peeked their heads out to see who their new visitors were.
A tug on Nash’s heart irritated him. He couldn’t think of this estate as home or as a place where he would be welcome once Damon found out the truth. But he truly loved these grounds, these horses.
“Man-to-man,” Damon started as he moved easily down the center aisle, his cowboy boots scuffing against the concrete. “How nervous are you about this pregnancy?”
Nash laughed. “That’s not at all what I thought you’d say once we got down here. But, between us, pretty nervous. Not about the baby, and I know Lily will be an amazing mother. The worry more centers around the fact I want her to have a healthy pregnancy.”
Damon stopped in front of the stall that housed Don Pedro, Tessa’s prizewinning horse that had helped her secure the coveted Triple Crown and put the Barrington sisters in the history books as the first females to accomplish such a feat.
“It’s rough being the man in this situation.” Damon rested his hand on the top of the half door. “You’re used to fixing things, being in control of everything in your life. I know when Rose was pregnant with our girls, I was a nervous wreck until she delivered. But once I held that baby in my arms, I knew for certain I’d never let anyone or anything hurt them if I could prevent it at all. I’d sell my soul to the devil himself to keep my girls happy.”
