Holding You Close (Ex-Con Duet 4)

“Happy Mother's Day, Mom!” Owen says, handing the drinks to me.

“Thank you, sweetie,” I tell him, meeting Noah's eyes with a soft smile. “I totally forgot.”

“We've been just a little preoccupied,” he reminds me, and I nod.

“One second,” Owen says, then runs off. Noah takes the opportunity to lean in and steal a kiss.

“You're so beautiful in the morning,” he whispers against my lips before pulling away.

Owen rushes back with something in his hand. When he gets to the edge of the bed, he passes me the item wrapped in pink paper.

“You got me a gift?” I ask.

With a big smile, Owen nods, eagerly waiting for me to open it.

I tear off the paper, and I'm instantly in awe. Owen drew a picture of him, me, and Noah standing in front of the new house. I swallow hard, hoping I don’t cry.

“You like it?” He smiles wide.

“I love it, baby. It's incredible.”

Noah leans over and looks at it. I watch his eyes soften as a grin touches his lips. “This is awesome!” Noah encourages.

“Last week, my teacher let us make gifts for Mother's Day, and I asked if I could draw a picture instead. I've been practicing a lot with my comics.”

I open my arms, and Owen falls into them. I squeeze him tight. “Thank you. I love it so, so much.”

“You're welcome, Mama!” We break apart, and he snags a piece of pineapple from my fruit bowl with a laugh.

“Are you hungry?” I ask, offering more.

“We already ate,” Noah tells me with a wink. “Enjoy your breakfast and meet us in the living room when you're done,” he adds.

“Breakfast in bed. I can't remember the last time I've done this,” I admit, taking a big bite of eggs. Noah and Owen leave, and I nearly inhale the food. After I'm done, I get dressed and walk into the living room that’s full of balloons and several dozen roses.

Owen eagerly yells, “Surprise!”

I gasp. “You two spoil me too much.”

Happiness streams through me, and the only thing that pulls me away from the moment is my cell phone ringing. I see it's Loretta and decide to answer.

“Hey, Katie,” she greets. “I just wanted to check and see how you're doing.”

Noah meets my gaze as I sit on the couch. “I'm okay, was told to rest and drink plenty of liquids.” I don't dare tell her why, at least not yet. That’s not the type of conversation you have over the phone anyway.

“Good. I've been thinking about you all morning and wanted to know if you'd mind if I came by after lunch so we can talk.”

I owe her at least that much, considering what she did for us. “Sure, that’ll be fine.”

“Thank you,” she exhales. “I'll see you then.”

The call ends, and I stay quiet for a second.

“Everything okay?” Noah finally asks, taking a seat next to me as Owen goes to his room.

“Yeah, Loretta wants to come over later and talk. I wonder what she's going to say.” My voice trails off when Owen comes back with his tablet. I force a grin, and he turns on the TV.

“She probably wants to explain herself,” Noah suggests, and I know he’s right.

We watch TV and play games for a few hours until it's lunchtime, and Noah whips up some quesadillas. Owen hasn't left my side all day. Eventually, moments like this will be few and far between, so I try to enjoy them. After we finish eating, I sit at the table and watch Noah clean up.

“Do you think we should tell him?” I ask Noah when Owen excuses himself.

“Only when you're ready,” he says, walking over and pressing his soft lips against mine. I tug at the hem of his shirt, needing him more than I need air.

“Mmm,” I moan against his mouth before he pushes away.

Owen returns with his iPad and plops down.

“Hey,” I say to him, and he looks up at me. “There's something I need to tell you. Well, we need to tell you.”

I glance at Noah, and he sits at the table beside me and across from Owen, who glances back and forth between us. “What?” he asks.

I lick my lips then grab his small hand. “Do you remember when you were little, and you always asked me for brothers or sisters?”

Owen nods. “Yeah.”

“What if I told you that you're gonna be a big brother?” I ask, and Owen's eyes go wide.

“Seriously?”

I nod with a smile. Owen gets up and wraps his arms around my neck. “I'm gonna have a little brother or sister?”

“Actually...” Noah says. “Maybe both? Your mom is having twins.”

“Two babies?” Owen giddily asks.

“Yes,” I say, loving how excited he is.

“Does that mean you're staying around forever?” Owen asks Noah.

“I'm not going anywhere, bud,” Noah says, then grabs and squeezes my hand.

“So you're moving in?” Owen asks Noah.