There’s something else in the box that we can’t make out.
He glances up at Sadie and she gives him the smallest nod, her eyes shining in the fairy lights, and Theo’s throat bobs. He sets the Mummy T-shirt aside and picks it up – no, picksthemup. One small tee and one tiny vest…
I’m the Sister Dino.
I’m the Baby Dino.
Granny Anna gasps. Lottie beams, clueless about the life-changing part because she’s all about her dinosaur. And Taylor… her breath catches, fingers trembling over her own stomach.
‘I figured it was your turn for the big surprise this year,’ Sadie whispers as an overwhelmed Theo swaps the gift box for his wife, tugging her straight into his lap. ‘Though I’ll be honest, I was a bit stunned too.’
He kisses her like we’re not here.
Taylor turns to me, eyes swimming, smile quivering. ‘How amazing is that?’
‘Amazing,’ I manage to echo. Because yeah, I know exactly what she’s thinking, because I’m thinking it too. That we could be in the same boat. And nine months from now, it could be double the trouble. Triple, if you count Lottie too. Which I do. Always.
I picture it: me and Theo, two sleep-deprived idiots pushing buggies around the park, Lottie on her scooter, all of us happy. So fucking happy, the image hurts.
What the hell happened to me?
But then, it ain’t the ‘what’; it’s the ‘who’…
The room erupts: hugs, cheers, congratulations. Even I get dragged in. Turns out hugging doesn’t kill you the more you do it. Who knew?
‘Happy for you, Tanner,’ I say, thumping his back. ‘You’re one lucky son of a bitch.’
And I mean it.
I just hope – for Tay’s sake – there’s enough of that luck to go around.
I find her across the room. She’s talking to her sister, all jolly and animated. But one of her hands… it doesn’t move. It stays exactly where it’s been most of the morning.
Curved protectively over her stomach in that red jumper dress…
I don’t even know if she realises she’s doing it, but does it mean something more? Does sheknowsomething more?
‘I’m not the only one,’ Theo murmurs near my ear, tracking my line of sight.
He means me and Taylor. Having each other. The baby plan is still our secret.
But damn…
I hope he’s right, in every way.
It may have been Taylor’s dream from the start, but somewhere along the way, it became mine too.
Taylor
It’s almost midnight when we finally head up to bed. Even Lottie got to stay up late, thanks to a sudden flurry of snow thatsaw her dragging everyone outside. Theo and Sadie are paying the price for it now, wrestling an overtired, sugar-buzzed Lottie into bed. Her squeals and giggles drift up through the floorboards as I sit at the dresser, taking off my earrings.
‘How are you feeling?’ Ax asks, coming up behind me.
I find his reflection in the mirror and swallow.
Bare chest, jeans unbuttoned, the dark lines of his tattoos drawing my gaze like they always do.
As for his question…
