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“Just a little something for my Charlie’s Angels,” I tell them. The girls tear into the bags and I just shake my head and exchange a smile with Lake.
They each lift out a t-shirt that says, “Badass & Beautiful” on the front and their name on the back. Eden also has a second, much smaller t-shirt in her bag for Violet, her and Colt’s new baby girl. The girls squeal over the tiny shirt.
“Look how little it is,” Fallon purrs and sends Ryan a meaningful, little glance. He slides an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close.
“Is that a hint?” he asks.
“Maybe,” she answers with a mysterious, little smile. His brown eyes narrow slightly, trying to read her, and Sailor punches Maddox in the arm.
“You’re going to give us a little girl one day,” she predicts.
“You think so?” he asks.
“Just do whatever she says,” Colt tells him and we all laugh.
“I know so,” Sailor whispers.
“If you want to start practicing for parenthood, you can babysit Violet,” Eden offers and they laugh.
I hold up a hand. “This conversation is making me nervous,” I say, eyeing them all closely. “You can’t all get pregnant at once or I’m not going to have any employees.”
“You’ve got us,” Maddox says and nods to Colt and Ryan.
“Yeah, but I need my Charlie’s Angels. So from this point forward, ladies, if you’re going to get knocked up, please confer ahead of time and let’s work out a maternity schedule—”
Lake presses a finger to my lips. “Loosen up, Slater,” she murmurs. “There are some things you don’t plan or control. Life just happens.”
I nip her finger and she squeals. Then she discreetly tilts her head at Fallon who slips away. “What’s going on?” I ask, noticing their interaction.
“Just a little something for you, too,” she answers.
Fallon quickly returns with a gift bag and hands it to Lake who then turns to me.
“Surprise,” Lake whispers.
I have no idea what she’s up to and I glance over at Fallon who shrugs. No one else seems to know, either, so I reach into the bag and remove the tiniest baby outfit I’ve ever seen. On the chest, I read the words, “Future Jedi.”
“You better start working on thepaternityschedule, Daddy,” Lake murmurs.
My mouth drops and emotion slams through me. “You’re…pregnant?” My throat threatens to close on the words and I barely get them out.
She nods and my team goes nuts. Whistles and boisterous cheers fill the air as I do my damndest not to cry like a baby. Then I drag her into my arms and kiss her senseless. She’s right. There are definitely some things you don’t plan. And, like love, some of those unexpected blessings turn out to be the best things in the world.
“That’s the smallest onesie I’ve ever seen!” Fallon cries.
“So precious,” Sailor coos.
“Congratulations, Boss Man,” Eden exclaims, leaning her head against Colt’s shoulder.
My world has never felt so full or beautiful, and I pull back to look at the amazing woman in my arms. It’s all because of her. “Thank you,” I whisper.
She smiles. “I hope you’re ready for a new adventure.”
“With you? Always?”
You just never know when you might stumble into the person you’re meant to spend forever with and, lucky for me, she practically fell into my arms.
“I love you, Mrs. Slater,” I say, wrapping a red curl around my finger.
Lake reaches up and loosens my tie. “And I love you, Mr. Slater. Thank you for rescuing me.”
“You’re the one who rescued me, Red,” I tell her. “In every possible way.”
And for that, I will be forever grateful.
For the first time in my life, I understand what Fallon meant when she said finding the right person isn’t about checking boxes. And even though I said I wasn’t looking for a ray of sunshine, Lake is definitely that.
Maybe I am a bit of a romantic after all,I think. Because right now, I’m holding my happily ever after in my arms. And I know exactly what it means to be feeling all the sparkly butterflies.
