“He’s the person who shot me,” he says, confused. “Wait, how did I get here?”
“Matteo found you and called for help, and you were brought in by ambulance. He didn’t tell me what happened, but he said that everything was taken care of.”
Kane exhales heavily. “I owe your brother big time. Jim was working with Theo to steal from me. Apparently, Theo had wanted in on the waterfront expansion, but your brothers said no, and then you told him you wouldn’t date anyone working with your brothers. So, when I showed up and claimed you and got in on the waterfront expansion, he was pissed. Blackmailed Jim into stealing from me. Theo shot Jim and then me.”
“Ugh, and to think I thought Theo was a green flag.” I shake my head. “I guess looks can be deceiving. What a freaking psycho.”
“Enough about him,” Kane says. “I want to hear about this decision you made.”
“I made it days ago, but I was afraid to say anything. I kind of felt stupid since I’d told you I needed time, and then not even a week later, I knew I wanted to be with you.”
“Come here.” He nods toward the bed and shifts slightly so I can climb in and snuggle next to him. “So,” he prompts, “you’re giving us another chance?”
“I love you,” I tell him for the first time. “I love you witheverything in me, and if we’re being honest, I’ve probably loved you since before we got married. I knew from the first night we spent together that you were the one for me, and I’m done wasting time. I want this life … the marriage and babies and happiness … and I don’t want it with anyone but you.”
“Good.” Kane brings his lips to mine. “Because I don’t want it with anyone but you.”
43
Brielle
Two Months Later
“So, what do you think?”Kane asks with a boyish grin. “Last chance to make your guess.”
We’re standing on the beach, under a pavilion Kane had brought in for today, with our closest friends and family surrounding us. There’s a table in the center, and on it are elegant-looking cake pops.
When he asked how I wanted to find out the gender, I told him that even though it’s super cheesy, I wanted to do something sweet, like having cupcakes or cake pops made for everyone in attendance—with pink cake for a girl or blue for a boy inside. But that I wanted to wait until after the first trimester.
He didn’t laugh at me. He simply said he’d handle it, and for the next few weeks, I didn’t give it another thought. Between Kane recovering from his bullet wound and having to hire a new CFO and me getting the studio up and running and preparing for the grand reopening, we were busy.
So, when he told me not to make any plans for today, I didn’t think about it and was beyond shocked to walk out onto the beach and find our friends and family here to celebrate our pregnancy.
“I just want them to be healthy.” My hand goes to my belly.I’m four months along, and just being pregnant by the man I love is enough for me. It doesn’t matter whether they’re a boy or a girl.
“Well, I, for one, hope you’re having a girl.” Peyton laughs. “We need as many girls as we can get.”
She side-eyes her three rambunctious boys, who are currently playing in the sand, and everyone cracks up.
Peyton might act like they drive her nuts—and I’m sure they do—but she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Peaches,” Dominick coos, “if you want a girl so badly, I’ll give you one.”
He waggles his brows, and Peyton scoffs.
“Yeah, okay. You might think you’re God, but even you can’t determine the gender of a baby, and your track record isn’t exactly good in that department.”
“Well, if they’re not a girl, we have three more tries since I want at least four kids,” I say.
“Four!” Peyton hisses. “You’re insane. Talk to me after you give birth.”
“Yeah, I thought I wanted to have a few, but with Alba being colicky, we haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep since she was born,” Dani says, giving her baby girl an affectionate kiss on her forehead. “I’m thinking one more, and we’ll be done.”
“Just make sure you’re on strong birth control then,” Peyton notes. “Because if Dominick is anything to go by, these Antonov men have strong sperm.”
“And on that note”—Kane coughs through his laugh—“let’s find out what we’re having.”
He hands out the cake pops to everyone and then hands me one.
