Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125866 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 629(@200wpm)___ 503(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
“But I’ve never been a big brother, either!”
“Well, then I guess we’ll figure it all out together, won’t we?”
Sebastian nodded, and then he looked up at me. “We’re going to be a great team, aren’t we, Mommy?”
“We sure are,” I said, kissing his hair.
“So, do I have a baby brother or sister?”
“We don’t know yet,” Kyle said.
“Can I help name them?”
That question surprised me and Kyle both, and we laughed a little before I swept Sebastian’s hair back. “Maybe.”
“What would you name them?” Kyle probed, curious.
“Spider for a boy! Or Rockman!”
I rolled my lips together to stop my laugh.
“And for a girl?”
“Flower! Twinkles! Pinky!”
“Yeah, I think we might need to work on these a bit,” Kyle said, pinching his side. “But you can definitely be a part of the conversation.”
“Okay.” Sebastian yawned, and we took that as a cue to get him ready for bed.
All of us were still excitedly chatting about the news as Sebastian brushed his teeth and washed his face. He asked me all kinds of questions, including ones I wasn’t quite ready to answer like how are babies made? But I was happy he was inquisitive. This was a good sign for my little one. He only got curious about things he really cared about.
When he climbed into bed, Kyle tucked him in. We were just about to turn out the light and leave him be when I noticed him sniffle, his little eyes watering.
“Oh, honey. Are you okay?” I asked, sitting next to Kyle.
“Yeah,” he assured us with a nod, but he sniffed again. “I’m just… happy.”
Kyle smiled, swallowing as he smoothed Sebastian’s hair back. “Because you’re going to be a big brother?”
“Because we’re finally going to be a real family.”
Kyle and I shared a look before I leaned down to kiss his forehead. “Oh, sweetie. We’re already a family. We always will be, no matter what.”
“I was wondering something,” Sebastian said.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I know you asked Mommy to marry you,” he said to Kyle, all serious-like now. “But I think you should wait until the baby is here. I don’t think it’s fair for them to miss it.”
Kyle looked at me with an arched brow, and I considered for a moment before nodding.
“You know what, that’s a great idea,” Kyle said. “Let’s wait for the baby.”
“But I can still be the ring tiger?”
I snorted. “The ring bearer,” I corrected. “And of course.”
Seemingly satisfied with all his questions answered — at least, for now — Sebastian settled deeper into his covers. He wished us both goodnight, and we slipped out of his room and into the hallway.
I looked at Kyle.
Kyle looked at me.
And then we crashed into an embrace.
Kyle held me tight to his chest as I melted into him, the weight of the news lifted off both of us. I knew we still had so much to come our way — pregnancy, birth, a wedding, a court trial. But somehow, it felt like the hardest of all of it was behind us. Somehow, it felt like it was all an easy breezy downhill skate from here.
“I love you,” Kyle said, pulling back to frame my face. “So, so fucking much. Do you know that?”
“Mmm,” I said, nuzzling his nose. “How much do you love me?”
He arched a brow. “What do you want?”
I bit my lip. “Macaroni and cheese.”
“Baby, I’m about to make you the best fucking mac and cheese of your life,” he promised, and he sealed it with a smack against my ass before he was toting me into the kitchen, kissing me every step of the way.
December
Kyle
“Bro, you are so soft.”
Leo shook his head at Braden — who was currently holding Clay and Giana’s newborn with tears streaming down his face.
“Fuck you,” Braden sputtered, swiping his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. He cradled the little bundle of blue like a football and stared down at that baby like his entire perspective on life had changed the moment he’d held him.
Honestly, it might not have been far from the truth.
I’d felt that shift several times over the last year. First, when I met Sebastian, when I saw part of Madelyn reflected in his eyes and his smile. That doubled as Sebastian and I got closer, tripled when I told him about his sibling on the way, and quadrupled when he asked if he could start calling me Dad.
And when Madelyn and I had gone to our twenty-week appointment together and seen our baby girl on the ultrasound screen… I was done for.
I didn’t dare pick on Braden in that moment, because I knew I’d be even more of a mess the second the doctors placed my daughter in my arms.
“Don’t act like you wouldn’t bawl your eyes out if I was pregnant,” Mary said to Leo, handing him a glass of champagne before taking a sip from hers.