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“Tell them we’re together. Tell them we’re going to raise our babytogether. I’ll come with you. We can sit them down and…”
“No, no, just wait.” She shakes her head, then sits up and sits on the edge of the bed. “I… I need to clean up. I’ve been lying here in this silly outfit.”
“Don’t call it sil—”
Silly, but she’s already run into the en suite.She shuts the door and locks it. I sit up, find my shorts and T-shirt, then wait for her in bed. She’s still wearing the outfit, her hand on her chest. “Klutz that I am, I left the bag in the car.”
“It was in the trunk?”
“In the backseat with me.”
I pick up my cell phone. “Don’t worry. I’ll have the driver drop it at the hotel lobby.”
She sits on the bed, wringing her hands. The animal in me is tempted to fall to my knees, bury my face in her cleavage, and suck her sensitive nipples, but this is serious. We have to think now. We have to plan. “I want to tell them,” she says after a pause, “but not now.”
“When, then?” I say. She throws her hands up and turns to me. Her face is red, and her eyes flood with more emotion. I walk around the bed and take her into my arms. “I don’t want to rush you.”
“I mean it, Logan,” she says passionately. “I really want to tell them, especially after tonight and all we shared. I feel like we belong together.”
“That’s because we do,” I say with confidence. “Just me and you. For the rest of our lives.”
She clutches onto my side tightly. “That’s all I want, but when I picture the future, I see Mom and Dad at family barbecues. I see Dad with his grandson or granddaughter on his knee. I see Mom teaching our daughter to knit.”
I swallow. My lack of regular family structure is showing. I only see Emma and the babies when I think of the future, but she’s right. The children deserve to have as many loving people in their lives as possible.
“Is there a way to make that happen?” I ask. “You know your parents. Is there a way to make them understand?”
“Maybe,” she murmurs. “I don’t know. Maybe if… Maybe if I told them while you were away. Then, if they agree to speak with you, we can get on video chat or something.”
“I’ll be flying down for that,” I tell her. “Even if it’s just for a few hours. That sort of conversation has to happen in person, but I’d rather—”
“I know,” she cuts in, “but I just can’t do it tonight or tomorrow. It’s too fast. It’s…”
She trails off. I decide to stop badgering her about it. She’s emotionally torn, plain and simple. I won’t hammer the point yet, but what if she starts showing before her parents know?
“It’s okay,” I whisper. “I want you to know something.” I lean down, kiss her briefly, tasting her. “I don’t want to leave you, but I have to do the right thing. That means finishing the season. When our kids are old enough to understand, I want to tell them I did that. I want to set an example for them.”
“You’re going to be an incredible example,” she says. “They’re going to look up to you, love you, and respect you because you will be an amazing father.”
“How can you say that?” I whisper.
She leans up and presses her lips against mine, letting me feel her emotion. The certainty in her kiss. Thelove. I can feel it all. Then she moves away just a bit, enough for us to stare into each other’s eyes. “I can see how concerned you are to be a good dad. I can see how much it means to you, and heck, you’re Logan Ice. When you put your mind to something, you get it done.”
“I’m going to do everything I can to be the best dad,” I say fiercely. “I’ll read all the books. Come to the classes.”
She bites down, and I know why. She’s not coming to Canada with me. We can’t discuss the later months of pregnancy until we have her parents’ blessing. She wants to return to our usual ways, disappearing into the now. Pretending nothing else exists. Like the balcony, the fire.
“How is this long-distance thing going to work?” she says quietly. “You know, in the meantime, while I work out how to tell Mom and Dad.”
She shudders, making a croaking noise. I know it’s going to be difficult for her. She wants to do it her way. I have to respect that.
“I’ll call you up as many times as I can before you get sick of me,” I say, smirking.
“Yeah…” She smiles. “Just… We’ll have to be careful. Eric’s room is right next to mine.” When I sigh, she says, “I’m sorry. Really. I’ll try to figure it out.”
I hold her tighter. “Don’t stress about it. That’s the last thing you need, and thebabyneeds too. I promise everything is going to work out.”
“How can you know that?” she whispers.
