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Bentley hugged herself, growing small and worried. “I’m sorry,” she started.
But Beau cried, “No! You can’t get pregnant again.”
“Yes, I can,” Bentley started, her eyes filling with tears. “The doctor said there was no reason we couldn’t have another baby.”
“But I don’t want another baby!” my brother shouted.
“Beau,” I gasped in reprimand as Fox and Bella surged toward Bentley, flanking her protectively.
“Jesus, man,” Fox snapped. “What’s your fucking problem?”
“My fucking problem?” Beau demanded, looking pissed and defensive. “I guess my fucking problem is that I almost lost my wife last year to a miscarriage, and I’m not exactly looking forward to going through that shit again.”
“Hey,” Gray murmured, appearing at Beau’s side and hooking his hand around my brother’s arm. “Why don’t you step outside with me for a minute to cool off.”
“I don’t need to cool off,” Beau growled, shrugging him off, only to pause when he noticed that Bentley was crying and Bella was hugging her, trying to console her, while Haven and Chloe rushed to her other side to pitch in, and Fox looked like he wanted to kick Beau’s ass.
“Dammit, Bent,” Beau said, his voice cracking as his own eyes went heartbroken. He shifted toward her, looking regretful and apologetic. But what he said was, “How can you be so okay with this?”
“It’s not like I planned for it to happen,” she sobbed. “I didn’t mean to. I just—”
“Baby.” Tears pricking his eyes, Beau tugged her away from the women and into his arms. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. This wasn’t just you; I know that. And I didn’t mean that about the baby. I just can’t lose you. The idea of you going through what you did last year, or worse, scares the shit out of me. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Bentley hugged him back and stroked his shoulder. “But the probability of that happening to me again is—”
“Higher than I’m willing to risk,” Beau cut in, looking into her eyes. “I don’t care if it’s point, zero, five percent. You and Braiden are my entire world. We can’t lose you.”
She cupped his face. “You’re not going to lose me.”
“Swear it,” he demanded, looking intent.
Bentley rolled her eyes. “You know I can’t swear something like that.”
“Swear it, anyway.”
His wife leaned in and softly kissed his mouth before whispering, “I swear it.”
Beau exhaled, relieved by her promise. Then he nodded at her and offered her a tremulous smile before cupping her stomach gently. “Are we really having another baby?”
She bit her lip and nodded.
His features broke into a proud, new-father grin. Then he yanked her into his arms and shouted the announcement, “We’re having another baby!”
The room exploded in a volley of cheers, while I merely groaned out a sigh and pressed a hand to my chest. “Geez. You two know how to nearly give a person heart failure.”
I thought I was going to witness the end of their marriage for a second there.
When I glanced over to share a knowing look with whoever was standing beside me, I was surprised to find that Vaughn, along with most everyone else who’d been in the front room, had come to the kitchen to watch Bentley and Beau work through their issues.
“They argue like this a lot?” he guessed.
I rolled my eyes. “Only for as long as I’ve known them both, which is my entire life.”
He grinned, then elbowed me lightly. “Hey,” he murmured in a soft, intimate voice. “Ava Grace is getting a new cousin.”
I chuckled out a reluctant smile and had to nod my agreement. “Yes. Yes, she is.”
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