Lily leaned back into the sofa, her ankle propped up on the table. She craned her neck around and watched Cade as he worked in the kitchen.

“What are you making?” she called.

“Firehouse chili,” he said. “Protein. It’ll help you heal.”

“You baby me too much,” she said as she popped another piece of caramel popcorn into her mouth.

“I almost lost you,” he said, and turned with the spatula in hand. “That means I get to baby you as much as I want.”

“The last two days have been wild, right?” she asked.

Lily glanced down at her swollen ankle. It was nothing compared to the burns Cade had sustained on his, but he acted like she’d nearly lost her foot.

Still, I have to admit it’s nice.

She’d been thankful that neither of them had been held overnight in the hospital. The smoke inhalation damage had been surprisingly minimal.

“You’re lucky,” the doctor had said as he released her. “It could have been a lot worse. We have one hiker in here with third degree burns over half his body.”

“My God,” Lily had said and looked at Cade.

Now, just forty-eight hours later, the whole ordeal seemed like a lifetime ago. Whatever had transpired under that fire guard, it had sealed them together for good. When she’d felt his body on top of her, protecting her, the last of her walls gave way. There was no way she was letting him go—or walking away—again.

“Gotta let it simmer for awhile,” Cade said. He dropped onto the sofa next to her. “Cornbread for a starter?” he asked. “And iced tea.”

She took a slice and bit into it. The buttery goodness nearly rivaled Jean-Michel’s work.

“Oh my God. How’d you learn how to make it like this?”

“Firehouse,” he said with a shrug. “The secret is butter four ways, brown sugar—”

She held up her hand. “Please. My waistline doesn’t need to know that. Speaking of…”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to turn into one of those women who worries about her weight all the time,” he said. “You’re gorgeous, no matter what. Now eat the cornbread your fiancé slaved over for the past two hours.”

Lily blushed. “This is serious. I need to tell you something.”

Cade put down his slice of bread and looked at her. “What you were going to tell me at the fire?”

She nodded. “I, um… I freaked out because of what happened at my appointment. It was a doctor’s appointment.”

He shoved the plate onto the coffee table. “Are you okay?”

“Yes! I’m fine,” she said with a laugh. “We both are.”

“What?”

She sighed. “I was hoping the doctors wouldn’t let it slip in front of you at the hospital, but now I kind of wish they had. I’m…” she took a sip of the iced tea he handed her and spit it back out.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Is it bad?”

“Caffeine,” she said weakly.

“What?”

“There’s a lot of caffeine in iced tea, right?”

“Uh, I guess? I mean, a normal amount?”

“I don’t know if I can have this.”

All the articles she’d glanced over during her lifetime rushed back at her. No raw seafood, no rare meat of any kind, no caffeine, and definitely no alcohol.

Was a little bit of caffeine going to hurt the baby?

“Lily, don’t take this personally, but you’re acting really weird. I’ve seen you down iced tea by the quart plenty of times.”

“Hey,” she said, and shoved at him playfully.

“Come on. Tell me what’s really going on. You know, your dad’s the one who taught me to make that tea.”

She sighed. “You know that thing I said I needed to tell you?”

“Yeah,” he said. “It was quite dramatic. At least until the helicopter drowned you out.”

“Okay. Don’t be upset.”

Cade’s face darkened, but he didn’t say anything. It’s now or never.

“I went to the doctor because I noticed that my breasts were tender, just as a precaution you know. My mom,” she said quietly. “The breast cancer… it’s a common symptom.”

Cade stiffened beside her.

“No, no! I’m not saying that I have cancer,” she said. “God, I’m fucking this up. I went to the doctor and found out that I’m pregnant.”

She shrugged and looked up at him. “That’s it, all my secrets, laid out in plain sight.”

Cade’s jaw dropped open. Lily started to count the seconds.

How long until he has a total freak out? Maybe this was a mistake. Marriage is one thing, but a baby? Already? God, a month and a half ago they were virtual strangers.

“I know that maybe you aren’t ready—” she began, but Cade grabbed her tight.

His kiss took her breath away. Her stomach fluttered, and for a moment she couldn’t tell if it was from him, from what they’d created, or a sweet combination of both. Lily laughed when he let her go.

“I thought you were upset!”

“About a little version of you? How could I be upset about that?”

She bit her lip and watched as he searched her face. After she was released from the hospital, she mulled it over for a full day.

Getting rid of it had never been an option, she knew that. But when that little life inside her had been threatened by the fire, something within her blossomed. She’d grown into fierce protective mode in seconds.

Most women, it takes them months. But I guess I’ve never been like most.

“It’s a little too early to know about that,” she said. “Who knows? Maybe it’s a little version of you. Honestly, I was completely freaked out. I still am.”

“I told you. We’ll work through anything, as long as you’ll have me.” Cade reached up and tucked a wild lock behind her ear. “And I meant what I said after the fire. You’d better damn well be willing to marry me. I’ve already got an appointment at the jewelry store. I just figured you’d like to walk in and choose your ring, rather than be carried.”

She blushed and looked down at her ankle. “Cade—”

“This, right here? This is forever,” he said. “And so what if the baby is a little earlier than we might have planned?”

“Early? You mean like years earlier than I would have chosen?”

“I never had a family growing up,” Cade said quietly. “Now here you are, and here it is.” He placed his hand on her stomach. “The perfect family.”

“And what about Elijah?” she asked quietly.

He gave a short laugh. “He was surprisingly easy to win over.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but they’re both on board.”

“I guess when it comes down to it, you always have been part of the family,” she said. “And it wouldn’t have mattered, you know. If Elijah or Aiden didn’t approve. But, to be honest, I’m glad they do.”

“Now I just have to break the news to them that they’ll be sharing best man duties,” he said.

She gave a laugh. “And from what I saw at the kickball game, my maid of honor just might be Aiden’s date.”

Cade raised a brow. “You really think—”

“Who knows?” she said with a smile. “And really, who cares? Right now, in this moment, this is about us. All three of us.”

“The three of us,” Cade echoed. “I like the sound of that. A place to put all my love.”

Lily began to tear up. She looked away and tried to discreetly wipe at her eyes.

“Are we going to blame this on pregnancy hormones?” he asked. “Because if we are, you better milk it for all it’s worth. You only have a few more months of it, Mrs. Future Hammond.”

She laughed and leaned into him. “I’m good with that. But you promise?” she asked. Lily gazed up at him. “Forever?”

“Forever,” he said. Cade kissed her on the head as she settled into the crook of his chest. “I promise.”