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Aeron holds my hand in his, which I’m sure must be gross and sweaty but I can’t stop the way my heart thuds the closer we get to the room with the tree. Taking a deep inhale, and before I can let myself get any more worked up, I let go of Aeron’s hand and stride over to the tree.
“Does anyone mind if I go first?” I ask, only a slight tremor in my voice as I bend over to pick up the red gift bag. My hands tremble, and I have to take another deep inhale to calm the nerves that are leaving me a little light-headed.
“Of course, darling,” Heather says, ushering everyone else into seats that surround the fire.
My hands shake as I reach into the bag, pulling out a long, black box, a gold ribbon tied in a bow around it. “You have to open them at the same time,” I tell the guys, walking over and handing Aeron the first one. He catches my eye, giving me a soft, reassuring smile.
“I’m sure we’ll love it, whatever it is,” he assures me, and I nibble my bottom lip.
“I hope so.”
Handing the last one to Tarl, who gives me an all-too-knowing look, I step back and wait. My heart threatens to leave my chest as they undo the bows, and Aeron is the first to pull out the long, white stick, a blue lid on one end. His entire body freezes as he looks at it, then up at me, the box falling to the floor when he surges up.
“Tell me this is what I think it is,” he demands, his voice barely above a whisper, his hand shaking.
“A stick with my pee on it,” I blurt, resorting to humor as the others remain silent.
“Fuck, Dove. You’re pregnant,” he states, striding over to me and then pausing. He drops to his knees, the positive pregnancy test falling to the floor as both of his hands reach out and slide under the emerald green, cashmere sweater I’m wearing. Goosebumps cover my skin as he lifts the garment, exposing my stomach to the room. Then ever so gently, he leans forward and places the softest of kisses on the place over my womb. “Hey, little Taylor.”
Tears fill my eyes, my hand coming up to stroke his hair as he places his forehead over the spot.
“We’re gonna be daddies!” Jude cries out, and I laugh as he gets up. “Well, Knox is already our Daddy, but you know, semantics.”
“Jude!” I exclaim, heat suffusing my cheeks at his very fucking inappropriate words given his parents and my brother are in the room. Giving no shits, he strides over, and Aeron stands up and lets Jude take his place in front of me. Palming my cheeks, he brings our foreheads together.
“Thank you, Nightingale. This is the best fucking present.” Closing the small distance between us, he kisses me with a gentle tenderness that’s unusual for my wild Tailor boy.
“The best fucking present,” Knox agrees, tearing my lips away from Jude and planting his own on them, kissing me senseless and leaving me tingling.
“Be fucking careful with her,” I hear Aeron growl, and Jude laughs in front of me, Knox pulling away, looking a little sheepish.
“She won’t break, Aeron,” Tarl assures him, squeezing Aeron’s shoulder as he makes his way to us, his beautiful face serene. Jude shifts to my other side, leaving just enough room for Tarl. “You clever, clever, beautiful bird,” Tarl praises, his left hand with the missing pinkie finger tracing the barely there curve of my stomach, that’s due more to the food than anything else.
“It’s still super early,” I tell him, dragging my lip between my teeth.
“And we’ll take the best care of both of you,” he answers, his calm reassurance like a soothing balm. Leaning in, he kisses me delicately, reverently, telling me with lips and tongue how pleased he is at the news. Though knowing Tarl, and the looks he gave me earlier, I wouldn’t be surprised if he already suspected.
We pull apart just as Adam strides towards us, Heather tucked next to him and Rook tagging behind.
“You ready to be a granddaddy, old man?” Jude asks with a grin, and Adam just grabs him, letting go of Heather to pull his youngest son into what looks like a crushing hug.
“More than ready,” he replies thickly, giving Jude a kiss on his cheek, then releasing him to pull Aeron to him. “Congratulations, boys.”
Tarl moves to give Heather a hug, and Rook is there in front of me, a teasing grin on his face.
“So, I get to be the cool uncle right?”
“Abso-fucking-lutely!” I answer, letting him wrap me up in a hug.
“But I get to teach our baby how to throw a knife,” Jude interjects.
“For fuck’s sake, Jude!” I chide, unable to help the smile that tugs my lips up.
“Calm your panties, Nightingale. It’s not like I’ll start with the best way to skin someone alive. That’s Tarl’s forte anyway–ouch!” I laugh as Adam slaps Jude around the back of the head, and then pulls him in to kiss the sting better.
The heat of the fire at my back is blocked and then replaced with the warmth from a strong, hard body that presses up against me, enormous arms wrapping around me as Knox places his hands over my stomach.
“It’ll be taught what it needs to know to take care of itself,” he says, his tone serious. “But we’ll also surround it with so much love it won’t know a world without the feeling of being one of the most important things in someone else’s life.”
I sink back into him, letting the strength of his touch and words fill me up as happy tears drip down my cheeks. Looking around us, at our family, a sense of peace flows through me, and I could swear I feel my mother’s kiss on my cheek.
We may be addicted to the pain, addicted to the ruin, but maybe, just maybe, like a phoenix rises from the flames, we too will rise from the ashes of our past and create something for our future that’s so much more than any of us ever realized we could.
