Their Reign (The Rite Trilogy 3)

26

MERCEDES

“When hell freezes over,” Georgie screeches, his upper lip curling in disgust as he stabs a finger at the diaper in Ivy’s hand, “will I ever do that!”

Solana and I burst into a fit of laughter, my sides aching from possibly too much of a good thing, if that exists.

“Come on,” Ivy implores him. “Just sniff it and take a guess.”

“Absolutely not!” He shudders. “Nobody told me there would be torture involved at this party.”

Solana snorts, and my eyes move to Judge, who seems to be firmly in Georgie’s corner on this game. Santiago, too, is staring at his wife with wide, horrified eyes.

“Big babies!” Solana yells at them, her champagne nearly sloshing over the rim of her glass as she gestures across the room. “The whole lot of you. Ivy, bring that diaper to me. I’m about to show these men how it’s done.”

Ivy accepts gratefully, trudging over to Solana so she can sniff and take a guess. I’ll admit, it wouldn’t be my first choice of a game, but I know Ivy’s worked really hard planning this, so I’m not about to tell her that. As the day got closer and she really threw herself into it, I realized that she never got to have these moments during her pregnancy. She missed out on so much. And quietly, I have made a promise that the next baby she and Santi have, I’m going to make sure she doesn’t miss out on a single thing.

The diaper game continues, the women being the only good sports in the room until it comes time to measure my belly and take a guess at the circumference. Another horrifying game, but one the men seem to think they’ll have in the bag.

“Remember, boys, you’re calculating with real inches here.” Solana wags a finger at them. “Not the generous measurements you’d give yourselves.”

I roll my eyes and thank the Lord above when it’s finally time for something I can sit back and enjoy. As it turns out, watching the men blindfolded and trying to put diapers on plastic dolls is quite entertaining. So much so that we’re all in a fit of laughter by the time it’s over.

The only one who seems to be taking it seriously, of course, is Judge. He’s obviously been doing his homework, and I find the way he’s concentrating so hard on everything to be equally hot and sweet. Now that I’m getting closer, I’ve sensed he’s getting worried. But at the same time, he tries not to let it show. Yet I’ve found his stash of research in his study, printed packets of instruction manuals for first-time parents. He’s even swiped a few of my books to read too.

I get why he’s nervous because we’ll be thrown in the deep end with twins. But oddly enough, I’m not that anxious anymore. Mostly, I’m just excited to meet them.

“Okay, okay.” Ivy raises her hands, trying to quiet everyone. “It’s time for the gender reveal.”

This time, my stomach does do a little flip, and I know Judge feels the same when he comes to join me. With the assistance of Lois, Ivy wheels in the cart with the custom cake she ordered for the occasion. She’s known since my last sonogram what the genders were, but Judge and I have been waiting for today to find out.

After a heated debate about which would be easier as first-time parents, boys or girls, we still haven’t quite settled on a compromise. Regardless, we’re about to find out what the reality is, and I know we’ll both be happy whatever may come.

Ivy looks up at us, her excitement palpable as she asks, “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Judge answers for us both, trying to come off as cool and collected. Meanwhile, he’s squeezing the life out of my hand.

Surprisingly, the room does actually fall into complete silence as Ivy cuts the cake, removing a perfect triangle to reveal a cascade of colorful candies. Only, there seems to be some confusion when we all notice there’s both blue and pink.

“You’re having one of each!” Ivy yells.

“Oh my god,” I murmur as shouts erupt around us.

Judge turns my face to his, and the warmth in his eyes nearly makes me melt into the floor. He’s never looked happier.

“One of each,” he whispers against my lips. “I did that.”

I smile against him and nod, giving him the credit he’s weirdly proud of. “Yes, you did. Looks like it will be Ariana and Lawson, the second.”

“Perfect.” He drags my body closer still, his lips moving to my ear. “Now when is it appropriate to kick everyone out so I can take you to bed?”

At this, I do laugh. And I kiss him, getting so caught up in the moment, I almost forget about everyone else. That is until Santiago speaks.

“Seriously, Montgomery, get off my sister while you’re in front of me. This is fucking weird.”

Judge chuckles, reluctantly pulling away. The heat between us never quite dissipates, but we spend the rest of the evening with our family and friends. And I know without a doubt, I’ve never been happier either.