I sat on the counter while Steed ran the water in both sinks, the tub, and the shower. Pee was nowhere to be found.
“It’s because of Amelia and Cord. I can’t perform under stress!” I cried out while burying my face in my hands.
“Want to fuck again?” Steed asked.
Lifting my head, I stared at him. He flashed me that dimple, causing me to laugh.
Then, it hit me.
I jumped off the counter. “I have to pee.”
“I’m ready!” Steed shouted as he got ready to hand me the tests. We had a system down we were sure would work. He’d hand me a test and have the next in his hand ready to go.
“Okay, let’s go!”
“Jesus, Pax, I’m impressed you can stop and start your pee like that.”
“Me too!” I chuckled.
After I peed on six tests, I wiped, flushed, and washed my hands. Steed turned off the shower and tub, and I turned off the faucets. We turned our backs to the tests, laced our fingers together and waited.
Taking in a long shaky breath, I looked at Steed. “Should we turn around?”
He shook his head but squeezed my hand. “Wait.”
Facing me, he cupped my face within his hand. “No matter what it says, I love you, and I’ll always love you. And if we’re not, it just means we’re not ready for that step yet. If we are then we’ve been so blessed the last few months.”
I nodded. “R-right.”
His eyes searched my face. “I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
A warm feeling moved into my chest. He was worried about me and how this would affect me. “I love you and just when I think I couldn’t possibly love you more, you prove me wrong. I won’t lie and say I’m not emotional. I’m thinking about the baby we lost. I’m scared I’ll lose another baby. I’m excited. I’m a plethora of emotions. Disappointed won’t be one of them. Fate. Remember?”
He kissed my mouth softly and with so much love I swore I could feel it pouring into my body.
Drawing back, he asked, “Ready?”
I sighed deeply and answered, “Ready.”
“On three.”
I nodded.
“One. Two. Three.”
We both turned, and my eyes swept across the tests.
“Fuck, is that a yes or a no?” Steed asked, staring at one of them.
I picked the first one up. Pregnant. Then I picked up the next one. It read the same thing. Pregnant.
“This is two lines! We have two lines!” Steed cried out. “Pregnant! It says pregnant!”
Tears were burning my eyes as I tried not to get emotional. Steed dropped the tests, grabbed me, and picked me up in his arms.
“We’re having a baby! We’re having a baby!” he said while squeezing me.
He quickly put me down. “Shit! I squeezed you!”
Laughing, I wiped my tears away. “It’s okay. I’m sure the baby is nice and safe in there.”
Steed took a step closer and threaded his fingers in my hair, the palms of his hands on my face.
“We’re having a baby, Pax.”
I half-cackled, half-cried.
Wow.
The last few months we had come full circle. My heart felt like it was floating in my chest.
“Crazy three months, huh?” I said while he pressed his forehead to mine.
“The best three months of my life,” he answered softly.
“We better go tell Amelia and Cord,” I said with a giggle.
The moment we walked into the living room, they both jumped up. Cord almost looked sick, and I knew memories of ten years ago were floating about in his mind.
“So? Am I getting another niece or nephew?” Amelia asked.
I remained quiet, letting Steed tell them.
Squeezing my hand, he chuckled. “Yes, you’re going to be an aunt again.”
Amelia jumped up and down and Cord rushed over to me. He picked me up in his arms and spun me around. “Holy fucking shit! You two make my head spin! You hate him, you love him, you get engaged! You get pregnant!”
“It’s like a romance book!” Amelia shouted as Steed pulled back from her hug.
“Are you happy?” they both asked at the same time.
“Yes!” I answered.
“Hell yes, I’m happy!” Steed replied.
“How far along do you think you are?”
“Well, I’m almost positive I know when we conceived.”
Amelia covered her heart with her hand. “How romantic! When?”
I couldn’t help it, I busted out laughing and so did Steed. “October.”
Amelia glanced back and forth between us and then a horrified look moved over her face. “My cabin?”
Steed nodded. “Hey, did I ever give you that bandana back, Meli?”
Thanksgiving Day
Melanie and my mother quickly moved about the kitchen. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched them talk and laugh. I also couldn’t help the small amount of guilt I had for insisting my mother not talk to me about Melanie or any of the Parkers. She eventually stopped spending time with Melanie and that broke my heart. They had been the best of friends and the reason I met Steed at such an early age. Our families had traveled together. Vacations, Sea World, Six Flags, and Steed and I were always joined at the hip. Then one day…we fell in love.
Melanie placed a dish of stuffing on the island and stopped to look at me.
“Paxton, are you feeling okay?”
My eyes lifted from the yummy cornbread stuffing to meet hers. “Yes! Why do you ask?”
She shrugged, then tilted her head. “You seem flushed.”
Lifting my hands to my cheeks, I smiled. “I feel fine. Just thinking of how we used to spend our family vacations together.”
Melanie smiled. “That was fun. But still, you seem a bit off. You’re sure you’re okay? All that cooking last night got to you, didn’t it?”
“No! I loved it!” I answered as Chloe climbed up on the stool next to me.
“Paxton spent the night in the guest room,” Chloe busted out as my mother and Melanie looked at Chloe, then me. Little stinker ratted me out.
I had told Steed I didn’t think I should stay, but he wanted to celebrate the baby and since I had the cooking party with his family yesterday afternoon, Steed said he needed to be with me. Who was I to say no?
“Is that so?” my mother asked with a huge smile.
“Yep. Aunt Meli stayed too.”
I grinned. Ha! Take that! Steed only had to pay her two hundred dollars for that little favor.
“Yep, but poor Paxton was throwing up this morning before Daddy took her back home. Daddy had to pull over, and she got sick again. Ain’t that right, Paxton?”
“Isn’t that right. Ain’t isn’t a word, Chloe Cat,” I said, attempting to keep my voice still and unaffected.
She snapped her fingers and peered up. “Darn it. Why don’t I ever remember that?”
A quick survey of the area, and I saw Amelia. I went to call for her when my mother said, “Not feeling good, huh?”
Don’t. Look. In. Her. Face.
“Yeah, I’m sure it was something I ate last night.”
Melanie leaned over and said, “Chloe, sweetheart, will you go find Uncle Trevor? I need him to do me a favor. He’s around here somewhere.”
Chloe’s eyes lit up. “Okay, Grammy! I’ll go find him.”
Watching her run off, I slid off the stool. A voice stopped me.
“Stay, Paxton Lynn Monroe.”
Shit.
I took in a deep breath and blew it. Act normal. Just be yourself, I chanted to myself.
“Did y’all need help?” I asked with a fake grin.
They both shook their heads. Melanie crossed her arms and stared. “I knew it! Didn’t I tell you a few weeks ago, April!”
Huh?
“Um…you knew what?” I asked as my gaze swung between the two of them.
“You called it, Melanie.”
“What are we talking about?” I asked.
Raising her eyebrow, my mother said, “Maybe she doesn’t know.”
“I don’t know what?” I asked.
“Oh…that could be.”
They turned and started cooking again. I was about to ask them what in the hell they were talking about when I felt Steed’s arms wrap around me. He gently placed his hands over my stomach and kissed my neck.
“How are you feeling?” he asked in a soft voice.
“Okay,” I stated, looking suspiciously at our mothers. “I think they know,” I whispered.
Steed chuckled. “They couldn’t possibly.”
Spinning around, I motioned to go outside. Once we were off the porch, I started to tell him what Chloe had said and what their reaction was followed by the whole I don’t think she knows.
Steed ran his fingers through his hair. “You think Amelia or Cord said something?”
I shook my head. “No. They promised, and I believe they won’t spill.”
Next thing I knew, Steed was spinning us around. “They’re looking out the window. They totally know.”
“Shit. Do you think they’ll keep it a secret? And how? How do they know?”
“Amelia said you’re glowing.”
I chuckled. “I am not.”
He cupped my face in his soft, warm hands. “You are.”
“It could be because I’m engaged to be married to the love of my life.”
His eyes closed, and I knew he was attempting to get his emotions in check. When he opened them, he looked directly into my eyes. “I know this isn’t a do-over. I know we lost a precious child, and there will always be this void in my heart, but a part of me thinks I’m the luckiest son-of-a-bitch for getting this second chance with you. I would have been happy with just you saying yes to marrying me. But a baby. Pax, I’m so over the fucking moon it’s not even funny. I feel like God is giving me another chance to get this right. When I found out about Chloe, I wasn’t happy.”
Sadness moved across his face. “I was angry, and I hated Kim for getting pregnant. But then I realized what was at stake. There was no way I was going to lose another baby.”
I shook my head. “Steed, you never have to explain your love for Chloe. Ever. Everything happened for a reason, and I’m so happy to have her in my life. I can’t wait to see her face when we tell her tonight at dinner we’re going to get married.”
The corners of his mouth raised, and I was blown over by that smile. We had decided to wait and announce the engagement, even though everyone knew. Chloe didn’t, and Steed wanted her with the family when she found out.
“I can’t wait either.”
He glanced back and chuckled. “Want to have fun with them?”
I lifted a brow. “What did you have in mind?”
Dropping to his knees, he cupped his hands at my stomach and started talking to the baby.
“Hey little one. Your two nosy grandmas are spying on me and Mommy.”
My fingers ran through his dark thick hair. Happiness blossomed in my chest with Steed talking to our child.
“Oh yeah, one more thing. Go easy on Mommy with the whole morning sickness thing.”
I chuckled.
He gazed up at me. “Are they still watching?”
Trying to peek without them seeing me, I covered my mouth and turned away. Melanie and my mother had been hugging each other and jumping up and down.
“What?” he asked standing up and looking. “You think they’re happy?”
“I’d say they were a little happy.”