“Go big or go home,” she says nonchalantly.
“If that’s what you want, I’m all in.”
“I’m tired of keeping secrets. It’s exhausting and, in a way, I feel like I’m stuck in limbo. I won’t be able to move forward if I don’t say it out loud. Does that make sense?”
I pull through the ranch gate, reaching for her hand. It’s as if my body is moving of its own accord, drawn to her in ways I can’t explain. Every second without some sort of contact is its own form of torture. “Whatever you need. I’ll follow your lead.”
Too soon, we pull up to the big house, and I’m forced to let go. Loud chatter drifts through the yard from the back deck. I take her hand in mine and follow the sound to the boisterous family gathering.
It’s weird to see Wilder manning the grill when that’s usually my job, but I let them know I’d be picking up Angelina. Wilder stepped up to the plate at the eleventh hour. My family is great that way. Always ready to step up when someone needs an assist.
They’re also nosey as hell, so it’s no surprise when my sister Ruby links her elbow with Angie’s and pulls her away. I pin her with a glare as she grins over her shoulder at me. She drags her over to the table where Callie and Olivia are already seated.
The smell of barbecue catches on the early summer breeze,combining with the comforting scent of home. I live for days like this, for family dinners with my favorite people—good food and good women, as my Pops always says.
I drift toward my brothers on the lower part of the deck. Jaxon reaches into a cooler and offers me a beer.
“Not tonight. I’m driving.”
A sly grin spreads across Jaxon’s face, and he slowly places the drink back in the cooler. “How’s everything with the wifey?”
“Never better.”
I return his smile as I settle in a nearby chair and let my gaze wander to our women. Ruby’s sitting across the table holding Angelina’s hand, running her thumb over the diamond band on her finger, while Callie smiles and clutches her chest.
I need to find a way to get Angie to move out here with me. We’d have my family close by for support after the baby comes, but it’s more than that. I hate not being there for her every day. Driving back and forth, daily text messages—they aren’t enough. I want to be there when the baby starts kicking, and I want to hold her hair back when she’s sick. I don’t want to miss a single moment of the pregnancy.
Emmy comes bounding out of the sliding doors to the kitchen, climbing onto Olivia’s lap. Gracie toddles after her with Ruby’s stepson, Aiden, following close behind.
Aiden rounds the table to my sister and whispers in her ear. She smiles and shakes her head, scooting over on the bench seat, and he takes the spot at her side. Ruby slid into the stepmom role with ease, forming an unbreakable bond with Aiden from day one.
Sweet little Gracie signals for uppies, and my wife, smiling from ear to ear, lifts her into her arms.
My wife.
That’s when I see it—our future. A little girl with hermama’s eyes, running after a little boy who looks a lot like me in the backyard of the home I had built just for them, long before I even knew who they were or what we’d become. It’s only a brief glimpse, but potent as hell, and it spears me right through the heart.
The sliding door opens, and Mama comes out with a bottle of wine under her arm and four glasses. She sets them on the table and tucks a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. I swear she hasn’t aged a day in the last twenty years.
“Wine?” Mama says.
Callie freezes up.
Angelina’s face falls.
Olivia averts her gaze.
Do they already know Angie’s pregnant? I must’ve missed something.
I’m on my feet in an instant, bracing for what comes next.My wife’s words echo in the back of my mind.
Go big or go home.
Before Angelina can say anything, Wilder materializes at Olivia’s side, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Guess now’s as good a time as any.”
Olivia glances up at him with a soft smile before turning her attention back to the table. “I’m pregnant.”
When the words are out, Jaxon spews beer all over the deck in an epic spit take. Callie dissolves into a fit of giggles while everyone looks on in confusion.
