AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Do you really?” he asked, sounding unsure.
Tossing my head back, I laughed at the crestfallen look on his face. When he realized I was only playing with him, he grabbed the back of my head and pulled me in for a quick, hard kiss. It was over so fast, I didn’t have time to enjoy it. Our first real kiss in forever, and he didn’t give me time to savor it.
“Be good,” he warned when he lifted his head, the heat in his hazel eyes telling me he was starving for more than the little taste he’d stolen. I wanted to beg him for more, but he was trying to be good and not rush things this time around. I had to respect that. We’d jumped into bed so fast the first time that we didn’t have a chance to really get to know each other. Now, we were moving slower, getting to know each other first before we took things in that direction.
That, and Dr. Rose was adamant that we not have sex of any kind after the ultrasound we’d had two weeks ago. She’d also extended her week-long request for me to take things easy indefinitely. Which was why I was still lazing around in bed most of the day. But if I had to spend the rest of this pregnancy lying on my back, I was perfectly fine with that. Anything, as long as the babies were safe and healthy.
“I do like those names, but I don’t think they are the right names for our girls. And we don’t have to pick an initial and stay with it. I want something that fits them, that they won’t groan about when they get older, or get made fun of because it’s hard to pronounce or spell.”
“Luckily for us, we still have a while to go before they arrive. I think this is going to take some time to figure out.”
“But I want to decide as soon as possible,” I whined. “It will be nice to have a name to grumble when one of them kicks me in the bladder and makes me pee a little.”
“Did that happen again?” he asked with concern.
“Maybe,” I muttered, ducking my head to pretend to read a few more names and their meanings. It was beyond embarrassing to admit that I’d literally peed myself earlier that morning when one of the babies had played soccer with my bladder.
“You are definitely a fighter, and I think our babies will be just as fierce as you are. Let’s give them strong names.”
I looked up at him through my lashes, trying to figure out if he was for real or if he was making fun of me. I didn’t feel like a fighter. At times, I felt helpless.
“Yes,” he said, nodding at his own musings. “I like that. Names that are strong, that will embody the warrior princesses we will raise.”
“Do a search on your phone, then,” I advised. “I’m sure it will be easier and definitely quicker than if we look through this entire book.”
Thirty minutes later, after looking through a dozen different baby name sites, we’d finally found the three names I loved.
Bain cleared the bed of all the dishes, and when he came back to me, he lay on his stomach beside me. Pulling up my shirt, which was really just one of his old T-shirts, he kissed my belly, causing goose bumps to pop up along my entire body.
“Hello in there, Kella,” he murmured, kissing where Baby One was. “Elda,” he said with a smile as he kissed the spot where Baby Two always liked to kick. “And sweet Alessia.” Baby three’s foot fluttered against him as he touched his lips to her spot.
Tears stung my eyes, and I quickly blinked them away. When he did thoughtful things like that, it was hard to remember what he’d done to get me there. But I was starting to see just how starved Bain was for love and affection. An actual emotional connection. He hadn’t had that with his mother or Sheena. And while he worshiped his father’s memory, I wondered if his dad had been any better when it came to showing his son how to love and care for others.
Maybe he really did need me as much as he claimed.
With one more kiss just under my navel, which was already starting to push out, he took my left hand. He rubbed his thumb over the backs of my fingers. “When are you going to marry me, mo chroí?”
I froze, caught off guard by his question. I hadn’t thought about actually marrying him. “Um…d-did you have something in mind?”
“I thought since you aren’t supposed to be out of bed for long periods of time, we could get a minister to come here. We could have a small ceremony in the library.”
It was a far cry from how I’d always imagined myself getting married. I’d hoped to have a huge wedding. With a dress that took six people to help me wrangle, Papa walking me down the aisle, Zariah, Nova, and Samara as my bridesmaids. A million flowers. Perhaps some fireworks at the reception to signal it was time to leave for my honeymoon.
But given the circumstances, I knew that was a pipe dream. There was no way I could ever have those things now.
Forcing a smile, I nodded. “Okay.”
His face pulled into a huge grin. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed, my smile a little less forced at the sight of his happiness. Reminding myself that this was my life now, I pushed down the disappointment and tried to make the best of what I was given. If I couldn’t have my family with me, at least I was marrying the man I loved. Even if I wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure it was the smart thing to allow myself to love him. “I think I even have a white dress in the closet.”
He jumped up with a whoop. “I’m going to go make a few calls, mo chroí.” Bending, he kissed me, hard. “Fuck,” he breathed when he pulled back. “I can’t wait for you to be my wife.”
