I turn, momentarily confused, until my eyes land on Maggie standing three feet away. She’s dressed in a pair of fitted, dark blue jeans, a white sweater layered over a cream shirt and worn brown combat boots. Her hair’s swept up into a messy bun, and in that instant, I’m hit with the undeniable truth—she’s the most breathtaking sight I’ve ever seen.
“Is everything okay?” It’s the first thing out of my mouth. I wasn’t expecting her for another three weeks, and the panic starts to set in, thinking something might be wrong with her health that has her returning early.
I rush toward her, wrapping her in a hug, scanning her from head to toe, looking for any signs of trouble. She seems fine—she smells like fresh soap, like she’s just showered—but there’s something in her eyes, a nervousness that doesn’t sit right with me.
“Everything’s fine, really,” she says quickly, “but... can we go somewhere more private to talk?”
I nod, leading her inside Cameron Ranch, down the hallway, and into my old bedroom. Once the door’s shut, I sit on the edge of the bed, watching her as she fidgets with the hem of her sweater.
“You’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
Her eyes lock onto mine, and this time they look different—brighter, almost glowing. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to blurt it out... I’m pregnant.”
The words hang in the air, and it feels like the wind’s been knocked out of me. I blink, trying to make sense of it. “What?”
She nods, launching into a nervous ramble about the failure rate of condoms, that I’m the only one she’s been with in over a year, how she found out yesterday at a hospital in Spain and hopped on the first flight to tell me. She’s already two months along. And then, she says something that makes my heart race and not in a good way: she doesn’t expect me to want this, but she’s keeping the baby—and she’s really, happy.
I cut her off mid-sentence. “What?” I ask again.
She blinks, taken aback. “Were you even listening to anything I just said?”
“I heard every word. But why would you think I wouldn’t want this?”
“I don’t know... we never talked aboutthis. It kinda feels like I trapped you into having a baby.”
“Trapped me?” I growl, standing up and stepping between her legs, dropping down on my knees in front of her.
Her eyes widen as she tilts her face downward. “Maggie, you’re only twenty-one years old. You haven’t even started your career yet. I’m the one who feels like I’vetrapped you. Are you sure this is what you want?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “Yes. I never thought this could happen for me, and it’s the most amazing news I could’ve ever received. There might be risks because of how close I am to my transplant, but the doctors in Spain said everything looks good. The kidney’s strong, it's been six months, my symptoms are under control.I want this, Clay.”
I nod, leaning in to kiss her because it’s all I can think to do. “Then I want this with you, Maggie. Because I want it all. Marriage, babies, forever. I felt this way before you told me this. The pregnancy just expedites things.”
She exhales softly, her arms wrapping around my neck, fingers tangling in my hair, as my hands move to the waistband of her jeans.
In one swift motion, they’re sliding down her hips, followed by her underwear, pooling on the floor. And then I’m there, between her legs, my lips and tongue worshiping her again, tasting every inch that I’ve missed, while murmuring how much I’ve craved her, needing to remind her just how deeply she’s been etched into my very being and always will be.
Her fingers glide through my hair, then gently press on my sides, guiding me to stand so she can remove my shirt. Seated on the edge of the bed, she looks up at me as I shed the last bits of clothing, revealing the small, five-centimeter scar near my hip for the first time in the daylight to her.
Silence surrounds us as her eyes notice it, fingertips reach out to gently trace the scar. I'd kept it hidden after her procedure and she'd been too distracted with her healing to notice it.
Her lip’s part, as if she’s about to say something, but I shake my head, holding her gaze with a silent plea to not speak.
Not now.
She closes her mouth, her eyes glistening with unshed tears that start to pool in the corners and drip down her cheeks, the emotion between us thick and unspoken as she realizes what I’d done.
I kiss each tear away as we make love, reminding her with every touch that she is full of life—my life, her life, and the life growing inside of her that’s a part of both of us now.
Chapter 37 – Epilogue – Clay
A few months later...
“Congratulations, Uncle Clay.”
“Thanks, Wilder,” I reply with a grin.
“You think it’ll be twins?”
