I can’t stop staring at her; taking every single feature in and locking it away in a vault in my mind. My hand wanders along her thigh as my other grips the steering wheel.
I almost wish that I had booked two nights in that hotel so that I could keep her all to myself for longer. One night isn’t enough; it’s never enough—not with her.
She’s glowing, her smile stretched wide across her face as we drive through the small town that has become her home. I see the way her eyes flit all over the place, her body relaxing even more as we drive past the community center and toward the compound.
She doesn’t even ask where we’re going, instead she leans back, letting out a breath.
“I love you,” she says, her head rolling to the side as she stares at me.
I take hold of her hand and bring it to my lips, planting several kisses on her knuckles. “I love you, too.”
I turn into the road that leads to the compound, my own body relaxing, knowing that we’ll be home soon, not that we’ll be able to go to the cabin yet.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing that,” she sighs.
I chuckle, but my stomach freefalls because I feel exactly the same. Every time those three words come out of her mouth it’s like angels are singing.
I drive through the gate and head over to my spot, putting the car in park and jumping out before opening her door. She places her hand in mine and leans against me when she stands up, placing her lips against mine in a sweet, gentle kiss before pulling back.
Her eyes widen when she spots all of the cars around us. “They’re all here, aren’t they?” she asks, biting her lip.
“Of course they are. They want to welcome you home.” I place my hands on either side of her face, bending at my knees so that my eyes are level with hers. “We can go to the cabin for a while—”
“No.” She shakes her head. “Let’s do this.”
“You sure?” I ask, my eyes flitting over her face. She hardly got any sleep last night, and although she looks radiant, I can see the dark circles gathering under her eyes.
“Yeah.” She looks down at herself and the summer dress that I brought with me. You can see her small bump underneath it—I can’t believe she already has a bump at four months along. I told her last night that I haven’t told anyone yet: that I wanted to wait to tell them together. “Let’s do this.”
She pushes her shoulders back, straightening her spine and grabbing my hand. I lead her over to Ty’s place, up the steps and through the door where everyone waits for us. They all shout “Welcome home!” as soon as we’re through the door, and then Lexi is bombarded with hugs and kisses from everyone. First Livvy, then Dad and Pop, then Kay. Ty gives her a nod of his head much the same as Seb, but West gathers her in a hug and spins her around in a circle, causing her laughter to bounce all around us. It’s not until Kitty wraps her in a hug do her eyes go wide.
“Holy fuck!”
“Aunt Kitty swore! Dollar in the swear jar!” Eli shouts, pointing at her.
Kitty’s eyes look at me and then Lexi before dipping down to her stomach. “Holy. Fuck.”
“She did it again! Another dollar!” Eli shouts, a grin on his face.
“Kitty,” I try to warn, but it’s too late because her hands are on Lexi’s stomach, watching it with wide eyes.
“You’re having a baby?” she asks, her voice a whisper before her eyes connect with Lexi’s. My gaze lands on Lexi’s face, taking note of the big smile.
“We are.”
The room is silent for a beat before Livvy says, “Wait, what? Did you two old men know!” She points her finger accusingly at Dad and Pop. They give her sheepish smiles. “And you didn’t think to tell me?” She huffs out a breath, storming away from them and over to West and Seb.
I step forward at the same time Kitty backs away a step, wrapping my arms around Lexi from behind, my hands landing on her stomach as I look at everyone, noting that Luke is missing. I frown for a second, wondering where he is before I say, “We’re pregnant.”
“Holy shit,” Kay whispers.
“Mom cursed, too, Ty!” Eli shouts again, barreling forward.
“Another dollar!”
“Shhhh.” She waves her hand at him before coming forward and trying to hug the both of us at the same time. “I’m so so so happy for you both!”
“Thanks.” I grin pulling back about to say something else when Eli interrupts.