Page 52

I closed the album and set it on the coffee table, shifting slightly so I could look at Sunny properly. “You know,” I said, keeping my voice light, “you’ve been staying at the Malibu house for months now. At what point are you going to admit you basically live there?”
She smirked, resting a hand on her belly. “I know, but it’s different. It’s still my dad’s house. I don’t want to be under his roof forever.”
“That’s exactly my point,” I said, giving her hand a squeeze. “You do need to move. So why not here?”
She let out a slow breath, tilting her head back against the couch. “Carter…”
I leaned closer, pressing a kiss to her fingers. “Sunny, come on. You’re about to have twins. I want to be with you every second I can, and I don’t want to drive back and forth between here and Malibu just to see you. I want us to be together, in the same house, under the same roof. I want to be there when they wake up in the middle of the night, not rushing over like a visitor.”
Her expression softened as she looked at me. “I know. And I want that too.” She sighed, running her fingers through the ends of her hair. “I guess I’ve been holding on to the idea of being independent, making sure I could do this on my own if I had to.”
“You don’t have to.” I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You’re not losing your independence, Sunny. You’re just letting me be in this with you.”
She studied me for a moment before letting out a small chuckle. “You’re really not going to drop this, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
Her lips twitched, but then she sighed, shaking her head with a playful eye roll. Relief and excitement surged through me as I assumed what she was about to say, and I was about to celebrate when I felt her grip on my wrist tighten. I looked at her in question, but she wasn’t smiling anymore. Her eyes had gone wide, and her other hand flew to her belly.
“It’s time,” she said, and I narrowed my eyes on her.
“Are you saying you’ll move in…?”
“I mean, it’s time,” she gasped. I followed her gaze down and saw the spreading damp spot on her slacks.
My heart kicked into high gear. “Oh God.”
For a second, I just stood there like an idiot. Then Sunny gripped my wrist and groaned, and that snapped me into action.
“Alright, okay—we’re going!” I grabbed her hospital bag, threw my keys in my pocket, and helped her to her feet.
“Carter, breathe,” she said, even as she winced through another contraction. “We have time.”
“Right. Time. But not too much time.”
I got her settled in the car, tossed the bag in the backseat, and handed her my phone. “Call your parents. I’ll call Luna and Jackson.”
Sunny let out a slow breath as she dialed. “Dad’s gonna freak out.”
“Good thing we’re not there to see it,” I muttered, pulling onto the highway.
The drive to the hospital was a blur of deep breathing (mostly from Sunny), me gripping the wheel like we were in the Indy500, and phone calls filled with rushed explanations. By the time we got to the hospital, Sunny was wheeled inside while I scrambled to follow.
Everything moved fast. Too fast. I barely had time to process before I was in scrubs, holding her hand as the doctors prepped for the cesarean we had planned on weeks ago. She looked excited but scared, and I was terrified.
The moment they placed the first baby in my arms, however, my entire world shifted. She was so small, wrapped in a soft hospital blanket, her tiny face scrunched as she let out a tired whimper. I barely breathed, afraid even the rise and fall of my chest might disturb her.
Then, a nurse handed Sunny the second baby—a perfect little boy, just as tiny, just as impossibly real. She cradled him close, brushing her fingers gently over his cheek. He settled against her instantly, his soft breath barely a whisper.
I looked down at my daughter, completely awestruck. “She’s so…” I couldn’t even find the words.
Sunny glanced over at me, a tired but knowing smile on her lips. “I know,” she whispered.
I swallowed hard, shifting just enough so I could look between them both. Our babies. Our family. My chest felt too full, like my heart had expanded past what my body could hold. I had known this moment was coming, but nothing could have prepared me for the way it hit me all at once.
I met Sunny’s gaze, and without even thinking—without planning or worrying or hesitating—I blurted, “Marry me.”
Her brows lifted in surprise, then amusement flickered in her tired eyes. “Carter…”
“I mean it.” I turned fully to her, still holding our daughter, still feeling like my entire world had just been rebuilt. “I love you. I love them. And I don’t want another second of my life to go by without making it official. I want to marry you.”
Sunny laughed softly, shaking her head, but there was no rejection in her expression. Instead, her lips curved into a playful smirk. “You know you’re going to have to ask my dad first, right?”
I groaned, leaning my head back against the chair, though I was grinning. “Oh, great. That’ll go well.”
Her laughter was quiet, but it was real, and in that moment—holding our daughter, watching Sunny cradle our son—I knew everything had changed for the better.
Rick would probably make me jump through a few hoops before he gave his blessing, but for once, I didn’t mind. Because no matter what happened next, I already had everything I could ever want, right here in my arms.