Nodding, tears slipped down my cheeks. “It didn’t take long. I guess you have Olympic swimmers after all.” And then I was sobbing, I was so happy.
Bronson set the bag and shirt to the side and pulled me up higher on his lap, placing both of his hands on my cheeks. “I can’t believe it. We’re going to have a baby.” Tears shimmered in his eyes and he wrapped his arms around me, hugging me to his chest.
We held each other as we both cried tears of joy.
I pushed back a little and grabbed something out of the bag. “There was one more thing in there.”
Handing him the small scrap of material he held it up between us. It was a tiny, white onesie that said, ‘Hi Daddy. See you soon,’ in black letters and had a small, red heart under the words. It was another way to announce the bundle of joy coming.
Bronson put it on top of his t-shirt and grabbed my hips, then rolled us. I found myself on my back, with him hovering over me, tears still glistening in his eyes. “I love you. I love Stormi. And I love the baby.” He slid down my body and pressed a tender kiss to my belly.
When he moved back up, I reached around and pinched his firm butt. “Yup, it’s real and not just a dream.”
He grinned. “You just like pinching my ass.”
I didn’t get to say anything before he spoke again. “You’ve made me the happiest man in the world.”
Leaning down, he brushed his lips over mine tenderly before placing his mouth next to my ear. “Thank you, Cupcake. I’m gonna be the best husband and dad that anyone can be.”
I closed my eyes in contentment as his warm breath tickled my neck.
“You already are.”
We barely madeit through dinner.
After eating, my husband graced me with open-ended tickets to anywhere my heart desired for a honeymoon. Having never been out of Oregon, he knew I’d dreamt of traveling one day. We had even talked about going on trips together when we were teens.
Another dream would soon come true.
It was a magical night, but Bronson and I were so hyped and happy about the news that neither of us could keep it contained. I did tell River a few days after the sleepover. And my husband wasn’t upset at all that my sister and friends had known. It made the Carson and brown paper bag story even funnier when I finally got to tell him all the details.
But we were both dying to tell Stormi so we found ourselves eating faster and calling it a night earlier than planned. We’d said we would pick our daughter up by ten, but it was only nine and we were almost to River’s house.
I dialed my sister to let her know that we’d be there in just a few minutes, but she didn’t pick up. When I tried again with no answer, my stomach turned over with worry. We’d called a few times throughout the evening—River being a good sport about it and always answering—to check on Stormi, so getting no response now was unsettling.
Bronson held my hand. “Maybe they didn’t hear it or she fell asleep. We’ll be there in just a minute, sweetheart.”
Squeezing my husband’s hand like a vice, I tried to tell myself that everything was fine, but something feltsowrong.
And when we pulled up to River’s house the scene that was playing out in front of my eyes wasn’t just wrong.
It was heart-stopping.
A sea of dancing red flames devoured the home, shooting from the windows and swallowing it up before my eyes, as dark-gray smoke smothered the sky around the property. Firemen were just barreling out of the fire trucks that lined the front yard.
Without waiting for the SUV to stop, I jumped out of the moving vehicle, not bothering to shut the door and raced toward the home—toward the last place I’d seen my daughter.
“Dammit, Lake, wait! Don’t get near that house please!” my husband yelled, panic clear in his tone.
I heard him, but I couldn’t stop. Not with my baby inside.
My feet were thundering across the lawn as fast as I could go but before I could get too close someone stopped me in my path. I looked up to find Huntley staring down on me.
“Lake?” he asked, confusion crossing his face.
Pounding on his chest, I screamed, “Let me go, Stormi is inside with River!”
The smell of smoke burned my lungs as tears streamed down my face, clouding my vision. Then strong arms were circling me from behind, holding me tight.
