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Smiling, I nod. “More than anything.”
His jaw clenches with emotion. Things swirl in his gaze and I do what I’ve taken to doing these days. I grab his hand and bring it to my belly. As soon as his fingers touch me, he breathes out a long breath.
A long peaceful breath.
That makes me think that all his worries just left his body and all he cares about is this.
What’s in my belly.
“And they are too,” I add.
His fingers flex and his chest shudders. “They.”
I bite my lip, looking into his wonder-filled eyes. “Uh-huh. Both of them.”
He swallows, speechless.
I’m kinda speechless too.
Not in a million years could I have expected that when we went to the doctor’s office and the technician pulled out her wand, that we’d hear not one but two heartbeats. One after the other, totally unrhythmic but the sweetest music to ever exist. Ledger was so shocked that for a few moments he was frozen. And when he did come out of his stupor, I noticed that his eyes appeared the prettiest that they’ve ever been.
Because they were glistening.
Before I could point that out though, he whipped out his cell phone and proceeded to grab the video.
Which he watches and listens to every night before going to sleep.
“I don’t know how you’re going to decide,” I whisper then, getting my emotions under control and pressing my own hand over his.
“Decide what?”
“Which one to take to prom.”
He frowns slightly. “I’m not going to.”
“No?”
“Fuck no,” he says, digging his fingers harder. “I’m taking both.”
I shake my head at this. “You’re such a girl dad, you know that?”
“What’s a girl dad?”
“Someone like you. Someone extremely protective and possessive. Super tough on the outside but a big softie like…” Then, “Hey, a big softie like cotton candy on the inside.”
“Cotton candy.”
“Yup. All sugary sweet soul and a glittery pink heart.” He narrows his eyes but I don’t get deterred. “And look, now you’ll have two princesses to spoil.”
“Are you done?”
I press a hand to my chest. “Aww, how sweet.”
“You’re done.”
I widen my eyes in mock horror and say in a sing-songy voice, “Ooh, I’m so scared, big daddy.”
I would’ve laughed at my own joke.
But somehow it doesn’t feel like one. Not when he’s staring at me like that.
At the D word I mean.
With a heightened intensity and something dark — darker than the early winter evening around us; darker than his pitch black eyes — lurking in his gaze.
It makes my heart beat faster. It makes a pulse start up between my thighs.
Making them shake and tremble.
And just when I think I’ll explode with it, with the awareness and his potent gaze, he breaks it.
He steps back, taking his hand off my body. “Let’s just get this over with.”
He’s right.
There are more important things to think about right now.
Than the way he looks at me and makes me feel.
But before I could obey him, he says, “And it’s three.”
“Three what?”
His features are blank but his voice ripples with meaning when he answers, “Three princesses. Not two.”
It’s only when I’m halfway up to my brother’s house that I get it.
I get what he meant.
He doesn’t just have two princesses to spoil, he has three. And the third is me.
Isn’t it?
A smile blooms on my lips as I reach my brother’s house.
Alone for now.
The plan is for me to get there first and then for Ledger to follow me a few minutes later. So as to look like we didn’t arrive here together. I even asked Ledger to park out of sight from the house. He can bring his truck with him when it’s time for him to make his entry.
Only because I want to ease them into the news, not break it like an explosion. So first we’re going to have dinner — which was how I proposed tonight’s plan to Callie: let’s have dinner together — and then when it’s over, I’m going to ask Reed if we can talk in private, which is when I will break the news.
When I knock at the door, a tired looking Reed — messy dark hair and bloodshot eyes — opens it with a sleepy Halo in his arms.
“Hey, bro,” I greet with sympathy. Then I turn to the lethargic baby, rubbing her soft curls. “How are we doing?”
Callie told me over the phone that Halo’s having a hard time with teething and her schedule is out of whack right now. Meaning both their schedules are out of whack and they haven’t gotten much sleep.
Reed steps to the side, letting me enter as he says, “Well, we barely slept last night and haven’t stopped screaming and crying all day long. So,” he rubs his palm on her back, soothing her, “pretty fucking good.”
I give him a look at his F word.
He pulls a face. “Oh, for fuck’s sake. My baby girl’s suffering. That’s pretty much all the torture that I can take right now.”
