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As Jamie approaches, I hold out my hand. “I’m here,” I say, guiding him with the sound of my voice.
Jamie takes hold of my hand and I tug him down to sit beside me. He leans close and kisses me. “Did you miss me?”
“Yes. How was your party?”
“It was fine, but we realized we were missing you ladies, so we decided to join yours.”
Suddenly, the head count in the room has doubled. The twins run to Jake, who scoops them up in his brawny arms.
Dominic takes little Mia from Sophie and cradles her against his broad chest. “We heard about the cake.” He glances at the table, at the half-eaten cake. “Good. There’s some left for us.”
Sam and Cooper file in, followed by Troy Spencer, the family’s attorney, and a friend of Shane’s. Lastly are Mack, Miguel, and Liam.
The guys raid the table, filling their plates with food. Calum McIntyre, my future father-in-law, breaks out the beer bottles from the fridge.
“I hope you don’t mind us crashing your party,” Jamie says as he lays his arm across my shoulders and pulls me close.
“Of course not.” I lean into him. “Now that everyone’s here, the real party can start.”
As the afternoon progresses, Luke ends up seated on Jamie’s lap, and I have Luke’s little sister, Ava, on mine. Luke’s holding three little play cars in his small hands. When he drops one, he leans forward in an attempt to grab it, but gravity is working against him. Luke falls forward, but before he can tumble off Jamie’s lap, Jamie grabs him and hauls him back to a secure position. I pick up the fallen toy and hand it to Luke.
“Nice save,” I say to Jamie.
Smiling, he shrugs. “Good reflexes.”
A few moments later, when Luke goes off to play with Aiden, Jamie holds his hands out to Ava. She reaches for him, and he sits her on his lap. When he starts bouncing her on his knee, she squeals in delight.
Before the end of the evening, Jamie ends up sitting on the floor with the boys, playing cars with them. The twins climb on him, and he has his hands full juggling the two little girls. Watching him entertain the kids is bittersweet. Jamie would be such a wonderful father. I just hope he gets the chance.
Chapter 3 – Molly
I wake up an hour before my alarm. That doesn’t surprise me. Lately, I’ve been waking up every morning with crushing anxiety, and it’s only getting worse by the day. I have to put a stop to this—now. Jamie’s worried about me. He knows I’m on edge, and I’m sure he can guess why. He’s very observant.Very.
I slip out of bed and practically tiptoe out of our bedroom, quietly closing the door behind me. I don’t bother to turn on any lights in our apartment as I make my way to the spare bathroom on the other side of our apartment. I almost chuckle to myself because turning on a light isn’t going to alert my blind fiancé. It’s just that I feel stealthier creeping through the apartment in the dark.
I close the bathroom door behind me, and then I flip on the light. The pregnancy test kit is right where I stashed it—at the back of the bottom drawer in the vanity cabinet. I purchased this test kit over a month ago, but I’m only now feeling ready to use it.
Tired of disappointment, I stopped testing after each missed cycle. Jamie hasn’t said a word about it. He doesn’t ask. He doesn’t pry. He just holds me close every night, pouring his love and support into me.
But this time, it’s different. I’ve missed my period three months in a row. I’ve never gone that long before. So either I’m pregnant, or I need to see my doctor. I’m too young to stop menstruating.
Of course Jamie is well aware of how many months it’s been since I last had a period. The man doesn’t miss a thing. But he’s never said anything about it to me. I don’t think he wants to add to my stress.
I’m engaged to the love of my life—James Edward McIntyre—and we finally set a date for the wedding. He’s been trying for over a year to get me to pick a date, but I resisted. Not because I don’t love him. I love him more than anything in the world. It’s just that I know how much he wants children, and I’m afraid I can’t give him any.
Our wedding will be held at Shane’s estate in Kenilworth, just north of Chicago. A dear family friend, Daniel Cooper, is going to preside over our ceremony. He’s become the family’s official wedding officiate as he has presided over the ceremonies of several of Jamie’s siblings. We’ve already completed the legal paperwork and obtained a marriage license. The ceremony is just a formality.
I stare down at the blue and white box in my hand. I guess it’s time to open it and get this show on the road—before Jamie wakes and comes looking for me. Quietly, I open the box.
The box contains two tests. I take out one, read the instructions, and pee on it. Then I lay the test strip on the counter and sit on the edge of the bathtub to wait. I set a timer on my phone. My phone’s on silent, of course.
I let my mind wander to the bachelorette party yesterday. It was wonderful having the family together. I really value their unconditional love and support. The best part of the day was when the guys crashed our party. Having Jamie there to celebrate with me made me feel complete. And while I love being around all the kids, that part was bittersweet.
Finally, my phone vibrates in my hand.
Time is up.
My heart pounds as I reach for the test and stare at the result.
