“We can have fun, but we don’t need to be producing no fruit.”
“Didn’t the good Lord Gram preach about say ‘be fruitful and multiply’?”
“You’d better not let her hear you over here blaspheming, or she’ll pull out a bottle of oil on you in a second.”
He laughed again. “Seriously, baby.”
“I am serious. When we do have kids, I will not be having five or six kids in this body, maybe not even four.”
“You’ll still be fine,” he muttered against my lips before kissing them deeply.
I pulled back. “Maybe I will, maybe I won’t. That isn’t what I’m worried about. I’m concerned about running behind that many childrenandtrying to keep up my career while you’re out working.”
“I’ve got your back, baby.”
“I’ll bet you do.”
We laughed and giggled some more, enjoying the evening before it was time to thank everyone for coming and for their gifts.
After all my gifts were in the car and Waverleigh had left to take Gram home, Ethan and I linked hands and stepped out of the restaurant onto the sidewalk. We walked to the end, out of the way of new patrons arriving.
“Man, you got me good tonight. I never expected to have a surprise birthday dinner. I thought it was just the two of us. But seeing Gram, Waverleigh, and everyone else just made my night. You didn’t have to drag your brothers out.”
“I wasn’t dragging them. They wanted to be here.”
I rolled my eyes because we both knew that was a lie, at least in Liam’s instance, anyway.
“Let’s not do that.”
He chuckled and kissed me. “You have a good time tonight?”
“Yes, I did. I’m so thankful for you. I love you. Thanks for making this a special night for me,” I replied as we walked to his car.
“You’re welcome, baby. You deserve nothing but the best.”
I stared at the stars twinkling in the sky above before I looked back down and into his eyes. I wanted to believe both my parents were looking down from heaven and smiling on me. It was my twenty-fifth birthday. I was a quarter of a century, and I had learned a lot in my short life. But no matter how much I had learned, nothing could prepare me for what came next.
Just as Ethan opened the passenger door for me, someone called out to my husband. “Ethan, funny seeing you here. I was about to call you tomorrow.”
A chill ran up my spine at the sound of that nasally voice behind me. I squeezed my husband’s hands, kept staring at him, and clenched my jaw. His expression was troubled and anxious rather than soothing and calm.
“Don’t get upset, babe. It’s your night. I’ll get rid of her.”
“Ethan, I doubt that’s going to happen. I’ll be sticking around for at least the next eighteen years,” Pandora, Ethan’s ex, declared.
I spun around even as Ethan pulled me into his side.
“Excuse me?”
She smiled, showing her rows of even, perfect teeth that could only be achieved through an expensive orthodontist. They looked more like shark’s teeth than human teeth.
“Ethan, sweetheart, I’ve been having some concerns lately. Your mother made me an appointment with her gynecologist, since mine is out of town. I just learned today that I’m pregnant. Congratulations, we’re expecting a baby.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Ethan growled, clenching my hand so tightly that I winced.
“I’m pregnant. If you don’t believe me, ask your mother. She accompanied me to my appointment.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
