“Tell me about it,” Zac commiserated, shoving a crumpled envelope into his back pocket.
Any other time, Todd would have pressed for more information, maybe even tried to sneak the paper from Zac’s pants to sus out what was up. But frankly, Todd was a little preoccupied at the moment. So playing Mr. Fix It Sounding Board Guy wasn’t on the agenda.
The crunch of gravel beneath tires sounded from the driveway.
“Showtime,” Todd dead-panned, though the excitement of doing something nice for his friends was starting to lighten his heart.
“Do we hide?” Zac asked, circling around the living room like a lost child at a supermarket.
“And what? Scream ‘surprise’ and jump out at the very, very pregnant woman so her water breaks all over the new floors? They’re water-resistant, but I think I'd rather avoid the mess,” Todd scolded while rolling his eyes. “Plus our vehicles are in the driveway. They know we’re here.”
Zac paused and shoved his hands into his pants pockets. “Right.”
A car door slammed, followed by another opening and a melodically cheery voice lilted on the summer breeze. While he had no idea what Lucy was saying exactly, he could guess it had something to do with the presence of his and Zac’s rides out front.
The couple approached the front steps just as a buzz sounded from Todd’s pocket. He pulled out his cell and peeked at the text.
His heart lunged for his throat.
Only the name showed on his lock screen. But seeing who it was, he knew what the message contained. And the knowledge did fluttery things to his belly. Things he’d addressaftershowing off the hard work he and Zac had put in to upgrade the Miller residence for their growing family.
The front door swung open and Lucy waddled in with her hands under her big belly and a husband carrying loads of luggage mere inches behind.
“Todd! Zac!” She spread her arms wide, and Todd carefully accepted the hug, even as she squeezed the shit out of him because . . . well . . . it was a Lucy hug. She released him after a minute and waved the other man over for the same treatment. “What are you guys doing here? Not that you aren’t welcome, but—”
Her words cut off as she took in the open-concept design of the main living area. Long gone were the bland white walls and a-single-dude-lives-here furniture. In its place was a soothing spa gray with pops of color and the most comfortable (and huge) sectional that would fit in the living room. Plenty of space for a family of four and their uncle Todd when he came to visit.
“You did all this?” She hadn’t even tried to slow the welling of tears as she looked back and forth between each man.
“We did—” Todd began.
“He designed it,” Zac interrupted. “All I did was show up with tacos and beer and paint a couple walls.”
Lucy turned to Jonathan, who stood in the entryway, still holding the luggage, mouth agape. “Did you know about this?”
He finally found his voice. “No. No, I . . . wow. This is incredible.”
They all stood in silence for far too long before Todd laughed and said, “Don’t just stand there. You need to see the nursery.”
More tears, but this time the dad-to-be added a few to the mix.
Todd stood back so Zac, Jonathan, and Lucy could walk down the hallway toward the twins’ room. He took that moment to pull out his phone and click on the notification.
LB:
Four months and counting.
Can’t wait to see you again, DO. X
There were those funny belly wobbles again. Todd swallowed his heart as it threatened to pound its way up and out of his mouth. He didn’t need to respond. It didn’t matter if he did or not becausehewould be there regardless. Christmas Eve.
“Hey, Todd,” Lucy’s sweet yet watery voice surprised him and he hastily tucked away his phone.
“Yes, Luce?” He snaked his arm around her shoulders and pecked a kiss on her temple.
She leaned in and whispered, a hint of shame tinging her words, “Any chance there are some tacos left?”
Todd laughed, brought completely back to the moment. “How about this, mama bear. I’ll go get you a fresh order after we finish the grand tour. Sound good?”
