“I have something to say,” Helena said. “I have news, too.”
No way.
Chad’s face drained of any and all color. I put Marigold down on the floor and took my son back from him, afraid Chad might actually pass out.
“Please tell me you’re not pregnant, Helena,” he said. “We just got the bed back to ourselves.”
Helena started laughing. “I’m totally not pregnant. I just couldn’t resist.”
Chad doubled over onto the kitchen island. “Oh thank God.” Then he chuckled at his wife. “That was evil.”
“It was hilarious,” she said. “Your face was everything.”
“Helena, what was that about?” Sera asked, laughing. “That is so not like you.”
But Chad had peeled himself off the island and went toward Helena with a saunter. “Naughty girl. You know what happens to naughty girls, right?”
“Whoa. Hey, now,” I said, already pulling Marigold against my leg so I could cover her ears and eyes.
“They get tickled.”
Not what I’d been thinking, but I was grateful that’s what he said.
Chad went for Helena’s midsection and she shrieked and ran away, grabbing Lincoln. “You’re using our child as a human shield?” he asked, grinning. “Nice.”
“So just confirming here… Sera and Toni are pregnant, Helena is not. Is that correct?” I asked.
“Yes,” Toni said. “That is correct.”
“What if y’all are having twins?” Chad said to me. “Wouldn’t that be crazy? Then you’d have six kids.”
Sera put her arm around my waist and leaned against me. She reached out and passed her finger lightly down Nelson’s cheek. “I would not be surprised by anything at this point.”
“If we have twins, we’re moving. This house isn’t big enough,” I said, amused by the thought of adding two more babies to the chaos.
“No, we’re not,” Sera said. “I’m never moving ever again.” She looked up at me. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”
The same was definitely true for me.
“Whatever my wife wants, my wife gets.”
* * *