Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99967 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
“Holy shit.” She’s panting, clinging to me, and then, to my horror, she starts to cry.
“What’s wrong? Oh, God, did I hurt you? Baby, talk to me.”
“Nothing’s wrong. It was exactly what I needed.” She buries her face in my chest and proceeds to break down as if I hit her dog with my car, and I’m still inside her.
“Help me, Harper.”
“Hormones.” Her voice is muffled against my chest, but I relax a little. “Christ, what’s wrong with me? I’m not a crier.”
“You’re pregnant.”
Now her head pops up, and she glares at me. “I know I’m pregnant, Blake. Trust me, I’m well aware. Shit, I’m sorry I snapped at you. You just gave me the best sex ever”—the tears start again—“and I snapped at you. I’m a monster.”
“Ah, sugar, you’re not a monster. I’m sorry. What can I do?”
She shakes her head, and I slip out of her, then get to work cleaning us both up before righting our clothes, and she hops off the counter.
“Just be patient with me because I don’t mean to be mean to you.”
“You’re not being mean.”
“You should have heard what was left unsaid.” She laughs at that and then boosts up on her toes so she can brush her lips over mine. “I love you, Blake.”
She’s said it a hundred times over the past month, and it never fails to steal the breath from my lungs.
“I love you too. Come on, let’s go have dinner with the family and let my parents get excited about another baby.”
“I like your family,” she says with a smile as she fixes her mascara, then runs a brush through her long dark hair. She slides her hand into mine as we leave the bathroom. “I feel bad that Ava took the heat all this time. I swear, I kind of forgot. I haven’t been at a book club meeting all month because it just didn’t fall right with my work schedule, and when she mentioned it last night at dinner, I could have thrown up.”
Luckily, that’s one symptom my girl hasn’t struggled with.
“She laughed it off,” I remind her. “Ava’s a good sport.”
“She’s the best.” Harper sighs and grabs the dessert she’s bringing for dinner. She’s always mindful to make sure everything she brings for the family is safe for Birdie, and that just makes me fall in love with her more. “I hope everyone likes carrot cake.”
“What’s not to like?”
“Harper, you look gorgeous,” Mom says with a big smile as she hugs my girl to her and winks at me over Harper’s shoulder. “Of course, you always look amazing. Dare I say, green is your color.”
“You’re too nice,” Harper says with a smile. “I hope you like carrot cake.”
Mom takes the cake from me as we walk through the farmhouse that I grew up in, but that Beckett and Skyla live in now, leading us to the kitchen.
“There won’t be a bit of this left over,” Mom informs Harper.
It looks like a normal Sunday family dinner at the ranch. Everyone’s spread out through the kitchen and outside on the back deck. Birdie’s standing on a chair, helping Skyla stir something on the stove, and Bridger’s holding the sleeping baby against his shoulder, rocking back and forth.
Dani, Skyla, and Billie have their heads together, and when they see Harper, they wave her over to join in.
My family loves my girl. Of course, what’s not to love? She fits in perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for anyone better to bring into our fold.
“I love her,” Mom murmurs next to me as she slips her arm through mine. “She’s a sweetheart, my boy.”
“I know.” I kiss Mom’s head. “Can I please have Grandma’s ring?”
Her eyes fly up to mine, and they mist over.
Christ, I’m dealing with a lot of emotional women today.
“Of course. It’s yours. Just swing by the house anytime to get it.”
I nod, watching as Harper and Billie cackle together. Bee’s eyes catch mine, and she smiles bigger.
Connor and Beckett come in from outside, along with my dad and Brooks, and since everyone’s in one place, I gesture for Harper to join me. She immediately links her hand with mine.
“We have news,” I say, getting everyone’s attention.
Harper bites her lip nervously, but I’m not nervous at all.
“We’re having a baby.” I grin at the moment of silence, and then it’s chaos as everyone asks questions, and the girls run over to hug us both.
“Wait, I thought Ava was pregnant,” Skyla says, and Harper winces.
“She was covering for me,” my girl admits. “Don’t be mad at her. It was a shock, and so unplanned, and—”
“No need to explain,” Bee says, shaking her head. “Also, that means we get to be pregnant together.”
“So many babies and weddings,” Mom says, wiping at her eyes. “I’m so glad we moved home. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”