I smile and tip up onto my toes, landing my lips on his again and again. “I hope we never stop.”
“Won’t happen.” He grabs my waist and pulls me tight against his massive frame. “You’re mine now and I’m never letting you go again.”
“Promise?” I smile.
“I promise,” he groans as his hand moves up my back and slides into my back pocket. “What’s this?” He pulls out the piece of paper the doctor gave me the other day. The one I’ve been carrying around and trying not to look at.
“It’s the sex of the baby. The doctor wrote it down in case I wanted to know.”
“So, you haven’t opened it yet?”
I shake my head as I stare up at him. “Do you want to?”
“If you do,” he says, kissing the tip of my nose.
I take the paper from his hand, our fingers brushing together as I unfold the wrinkled white sheet and stare down at the three letters that change our lives.
“Boy. We’re having a boy.” Tears fall from my eyes on cue, as though I’ve been planning their arrival, as Wyatt lifts me into his arms and swings me in circles.
“A boy! My boy! We’re having a boy!”
“We’re having a boy,” I repeat as I stare at the man I’ve been in love with for as long as I can remember. “We’re having a boy, and you should probably get outside to help Wade before he blows a gasket.”
Wyatt laughs under his breath then kisses the top of my head. “You’re right, but we’re celebrating tonight and I’m doing all this all over again. Got it?”
“If you think you can handle me a second time.”
He chuckles emphatically before leaning in closer. “Trust me when I tell you, you’re never leaving my sight again.”
Epilogue
Wyatt
Two Years Later
Alice sits on the front porch with a glass of sweet tea and a fuzzy pink blanket. It’s nearing spring so we’ve been seeing warmer weather, but there’s still a bite in the air before the sun is up. Right now, the sun is barely peeking over the horizon and that chill is chillier than ever, though the pink and orange sky makes up for it.
I land a kiss on the top of her head and settle into the rocker next to her. “You’re up way too early. Thought you were sleeping in.”
She rubs her hand over her expanded stomach and rolls her head toward me. “Baby girl has been up kicking all night. I think maybe she knows about the tree fort and she’s showing her excitement by getting her legs in shape for the climb.”
I smile and reach for my wife’s hand, brushing my thumb over the back of it as we talk. “Do you want me to say something to her?”
Alice bites back a smile and nods.
“Okay, Riley honey,” I stand up from the rocker and kneel between Alice’s thick thighs, my hands resting on her pretty little bump, “your mama and I love you to high heaven, but you’ve gotta give her a rest today. She’s got a big party tonight. We’re celebrating her front-page article in the Gazette.” I kiss Alice’sbelly. “I know you don’t know what that means so you’ll have to trust me when I say it’s a big deal. She’s kind of a local celebrity.”
Alice pushes my shoulder playfully and dips into a southern accent as she says, “Why yes, I am thebiggestof local celebrities. Everyone knows that the girl that writes the article on local ranch life and the risin’ cost of hay is a star!”
I ignore my sweet peach and continue talking to our little girl. “She is a star,and your brother and I are very proud of her. That’s why we’re having a party tonight. You’ll see soon enough. She’s the sweetest, smartest, most loving mama you could ever ask for. And if you’re lucky, you’ll look just like her.” I rub my palm over Alice’s belly as my girl presses her tiny little foot out so far that I can see the outline of her toes. “Damn. She’s about to claw her way out of there.”
“I know.” Alice leans her head back and closes her eyes. “I can’t believe we have four more weeks. Maybe the doctor got the dates mixed up.”
“Are we ready for a four week head start?”
“No.” She laughs under her breath and shakes her head. “Not at all. I mean, can you believe we’re about to have two kids under two? I was reading in this pregnancy magazine that households with two working parents need very strict schedules, I still have to get the hospital bag ready, and—”
“I thought we weren’t reading pregnancy magazines anymore. They stress you out.”
