I look up, wide-eyed. “Was that?”
Charlotte’s eyes are glassy, smile trembling. “Yeah,” she whispers. “You felt it?”
Thump.Again. Right against my palm this time, unmistakable.
My throat tightens. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
Another kick. Strong. Sure. Like they know I’m here, like they’ve got something to say.
I press a kiss to her belly, voice gone hoarse. “Hey there, little one. You trying to upstage your mama?”
Charlotte threads her fingers into my hair, her touch soft. “They know you’re here. That’s what it is.”
We decided to wait to find out what we’re having.Charlie says it’s one of life’s only true surprises. Me? I’ll be happy either way.
I rest there a second longer, overwhelmed by everything. By her, by this tiny life that’s ours, by the sheer impossibility of how much I love them both.
Then I glance up at her, eyes locked on mine. “You still need me to make it official before you believe I’m yours?”
She shakes her head, tears slipping quietly down her cheeks. “I never needed the vows, Sam. Just you.”
I crawl up and kiss them from her skin, one by one. “Then you’ll have both.”
A loud knock has us both groaning.
Phern calls out, “We’re getting this place insulated while you’re on your honeymoon.”
“Go away,” I call back.
“No. And, Charlotte, you wanted me to remind you that the dress will bring Sam to his knees.”
Charlie sighs. “She’s right. You’re going to cry so hard when you see me in it.”
I grin. “Is that so? Well, I guess we better get up and get dressed.”
She stretches like a cat, completely unbothered by the fact that she’s still mostly naked and glowing like she just won the lottery.
“You better cry, Sam. I mean full-on ugly cry. I earned it.”
I chuckle, reaching for my pants. “If I do, it’s your fault. You broke me first.”
She laughs softly, brushing fingers through her hair. I step behind her, kissing the back of her shoulder, and she hums in that way that makes me want to ditch the whole ceremony and marry her right here, barefoot and wild.
But another knock comes—three sharp taps.
“Five minutes!” Tish’s voice now. “And someone pleaseopen a damn window in there, it probably smells like sex and candles.”
Charlie snorts. “She’s not wrong.”
“I regret nothing,” I mutter, pulling on my shirt.
She’s tying the sash on her robe when she glances over her shoulder, eyes soft. “You sure about this, Sam?”
I walk over, hands settling low on her hips, pulling her close. “You’re the only thing I’ve ever been sure of.”
Her breath catches but this time, it’s not about lust. It’s love, raw and wide open between us.
I kiss her again, quick but deep, then step back. “See you at the end of the aisle, darlin’. Don’t keep me waiting too long.”
