“But he means it, though. Right?”
“Of course he does. We have a kid together.”
“I know, but…” He cringes. “No ring. That’s like…”
His look of disgust is so funny I end up getting the giggles. Jed uses my inability to form a coherent sentence as an opportunity to dial Nix into the call.
“She’ll want to know,” he murmurs.
“Wait, what time is it?” I ask, but I’m too late. Her phone is already ringing, and I’m wincing in apology when her face fills the screen and it’s so obvious she was sleeping.
“This better be good,” she grumbles. “Nate’s got a cold and has been up and down like a yo-yo. If this call wakes him, I am going to end lives.”
“Sorry.” Tobin may have said that, but he sounds completely unapologetic. “I forgot you go to bed stupid early.”
“We go to bed at that time because our children don’t know the meaning of the words ‘sleep in.’”
“Well, maybe if you didn’t have so many…,” Tobin counters, causing Nix’s husband to pop up behind her and growl at the camera.
“Don’t you be dissing my family, dude. Those twins are meant to be ours.”
“Of course they are,” Jed quickly butts in. “And I don’t think of them as twins, I think of them as triplets. Zeke might look different from Sammy and Nate, but the three of them will be a trio for life.”
Nix’s smile grows. I can still remember the day she called to tell me that she’d had Zeke… and oh yeah, they were also fostering a set of twins who were found on a local church doorstep a few days earlier.
I couldn’t believe it when she first told me. They already had Sierra, who had only just turned four, and they were taking homethreebabies?
But it’s worked for them.
Plans were soon set in place to adopt Samantha and Nate. It took a few years, but the adoption was made official in December, and it was the best Christmas present ever.
It’s been hard, but it’s worked. And Samantha and Nate scored themselves a loving home and two people who want to keep them for life. Hopefully they can avoid having to go through the uncertainty of foster care the way Nix had to. She had a nightmare of a time, and she’s determined to save those two from the same fate.
“So, why are you waking us up at…” Darian turns back to check the time, then frowns. “Shit. It’s only ten o’clock. When did we get so lame?”
Nix snorts. “When you knocked me up and changed our lives for good.”
“It takes two to tango, baby.” He nuzzles her neck, and Tobin groans.
“Would you stop? Dani has big news. Epic news. And it was worth waking you up for it.”
“Okay, what?” Nix looks at the camera, all expectant, and I feel that thrill rush through me again. I’m about to tell her when she gasps, “Wait. Are you pregnant?”
“No.” I grin. “I’m engaged.”
Nix lets out a delighted squeal while Darian nods at the camera.
“It’s about damn time. Tell Tyrell congrats.” Then he flops back out of view, and Nix tells him off for not being more excited before turning back to me.
“I’m so happy for you, chica.”
“Thank you.” I laugh. “I’m happy for me too. I didn’t even realize I wanted to get married. We’ve always been saving for travel, so marriage just seemed inconvenient, you know? But the second he asked me…” I shake my head with a gooey grin. “Oh man, it was the best.”
“And on Valentine’s Day too.” Jed grins. “Good work, Ty.”
“Except for not getting you a ring.” Tobin’s eyebrows rise while Nix groans.
“I’m guessing it was a spontaneous proposal. She’ll get her ring eventually.”
