The Boyfriend Experience (The Boyfriend Experience 1)

Eric sucked in a breath as a dozen of them took flight, then glanced at his wife, who merely gave him a soft smile and said, “For Trisha.”

Yes, for Trisha. Stunned by Evie’s thoughtful gesture, and overwhelmed by the emotion that filled him to overflowing—which was pure joy and happiness—he watched as the butterflies fluttered around the backyard, then flew away . . . all except one, which landed on the floral wrist corsage Evie had opted for over a bouquet. It didn’t stay there long, but Eric felt his sister’s presence with them.

Over the next few hours, they ate pepperoni and mushroom pizza with extra cheese, had cupcakes for dessert, and visited with everyone until Eric decided he wanted Evie all to himself.

They had a suite at the Ritz Carlton for the night, and the next day they were heading to Hawaii for a week long honeymoon. But for the next few hours, Eric planned to consummate the hell out of their marriage.

He sat on the bed in the hotel room waiting for Evie to emerge from the bathroom, and when she did a short while later, he groaned at how tempting she looked. She’d changed into a sweet cotton baby doll type nightie that was all white and edged in lace. As she walked toward him, the split of material in front parted ways, giving him a glimpse of matching white cotton panties with a simple pink bow on the waistband . . . and she was all his to unwrap and enjoy.

She stopped by her overnight bag and withdrew a long, flat box with a white bow wrapped around it. “I have a wedding gift for you,” she said, and smiled as she crawled up onto the bed beside Eric and handed him the present.

He took the box, feeling bad that he hadn’t reciprocated. “I didn’t get you anything.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’ve given me the best gift ever. First, by becoming my husband, and second . . . well, open the present and you’ll see.”

He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he pulled off the ribbon and lifted the lid, confused at first at what he was looking at . . . a long, white plastic stick with an oval cut-out with the word YES and a plus sign next to it. He wasn’t familiar with pregnancy tests, but as he lifted his gaze to Evie’s and saw the soft, hopeful, loving look in her eyes, his heart started to race at the possibility.

He swallowed hard, trying to hold his excitement at bay until he had confirmation. “Is this . . . are you . . . are we having a baby?”

She bit her bottom lip and nodded. “Yes, we are.”

“Evie,” he breathed in disbelief, because being a dad was something he’d never thought would happen for him before this woman had completely changed his life and his vision for their future. And yes, that included babies. A family of their own. “You’re really pregnant?”

“Yes,” she laughed, and moved over onto him so that she was straddling Eric’s thighs and facing him. She cupped his face in her hands. “I know we talked about waiting a while to have kids, but it must have happened when I switched out my birth control a few months back. I’m about eight weeks along.”

He smirked at her. “It must have been my Grade A Prime beef,” he teased as he slid his hands up along her thighs and around to squeeze her ass in his palms.

She giggled as she brushed her lips across his. “God, you’re so dirty.”

“You love it.” He dragged her closer, so she could feel that Grade A Prime beef pressing insistently against the crux of her thighs. “It’s why you married me.”

“Partly, yes,” she admitted, and stared into his eyes, right to his very soul. “But it’s because I love you more. You’re going to be an amazing dad. You got this.”

She said it with such tenderness and conviction, but he wasn’t going to lie. The thought of becoming a father and taking care of another human life was a little bit terrifying. But knowing he had this incredible woman by his side, who brought out the best in him every single day, he knew without a doubt they were going to rock this whole parent thing.

“No, we got this,” he amended, because they were now a team. “Together.”

She pressed her lips to his, smiling against his mouth. “Yes, we do,” she agreed. “Always together.”