Chapter Forty-Two
JENSEN
“Babe!”Alley’s voice carries down the stairs of our new house. I’m in the office, knee-deep in boxes, trying to make the space mine. She gave me free rein on this room, with her sign-off, of course. It’s the first room you see when you walk in, framed by wide glass double doors. Basically a fish tank, but a hell of a bonus for us, given our history with office doors.
“Yeah?” I call back.
“Can you come here? I need your help!”
I slide the stack of books in my hand onto the shelf and head upstairs. “Where are you?” I ask halfway up.
“The zoo animal room.”
I round the corner and find her sitting against the wall, looking wiped out.
“What’s up?”
“I hate asking, but… I’m not feeling great, and there are only a few boxes left in this room. You mind?”
My brows pull together. “You don’t feel good? What’s going on?”
Her palm slides across her stomach. “Just a little nauseous. Kind of a headache too. I know, not a great track record. I’m two for two with moving.”
I snicker. “Well, the last move turned out pretty great. Ended with you naked.” I waggle my brows. “I’d be fine with a repeat.”
She laughs, letting her head fall back. “I bet you would.”
I glance around the room. “So what’s this space even for? Storage?”
“Mostly. Just stuff we don’t use much. These last few are miscellaneous, so I’m not sure what’s in them.”
“Alright.” I shrug, pull the razor from my back pocket, and slice open a box.
“Will you start with that one?” Alley points to another.
“Sure.” I move over, stab the blade into the tape, and drag it along the seam. I peel the flaps back, and freeze, confused. “The fuck…?”
Alley tilts her head, pinching her brows. “What is it?”
“Uh…” I rub the back of my neck. “Looks like a bunch of baby shit.” My fingers dig through the contents—books, stuffed animals, toys. I push aside a blanket, revealing a tiny Chicago Cubs onesie. I hold it up between two fingers. “Promise me one thing, babe—our kids are not going to be Cubs fans. Yankees, all the way.”
She laughs, rolling her eyes, and I toss it back in the box. I dig deeper to see if there’s anything else, but nope, just a box full of baby stuff that sure as hell isn’t ours. “That’s weird.” I glance up at Alley. “Think the previous owners left it?”
She shrugs, eyes narrowing. “It’s gotta be ours. It was with all our boxes from New York.”
I shake my head. It doesn’t make sense. “Why would?—?”
My brain scrambles, refusing to connect the dots—until she grins, hand on her stomach.
It slams into me all at once. “No. Shut the fuck up.”
She just nods, eyes shining.
“You’re pregnant?”
She nods again, grin growing wider.
“Holy shit.” The words rip out of me as I stagger to my feet, running a hand through my hair. A laugh bursts free, wild and disbelieving. “Holy fucking shit. I’m gonna be a dad?”
