Page 26

I already bought the test. It’s hidden beneath the sink, just in case. I rip the box open with shaking fingers, my heart hammering in my chest.

Two minutes later, I’m staring down at two pink lines.

Positive.

I press my palm to my mouth, joy and disbelief bubbling in my throat.

I’m pregnant. Again. And this time, there’s no fear. No uncertainty. Just love.

I practically float down the hallway, bare feet silent against the hardwood floors, the test clutched in my hand, and my heart beating louder with every step. When I reach our bedroom, the bed is empty. A smile spreads across my face, because I already know where I’ll find him.

Sure enough, I peek into the nursery and my entire body melts at the sight.

Dante’s sitting in the rocking chair, shirtless, with our three-month-old daughter curled against his bare chest. She’s swaddled like a little burrito, her head nestled beneath his chin.

He’s whispering to her, his voice a low rumble.

“Don’t let those boys mess with you when you get older,” he’s saying. “Daddy will take care of them. No one will ever be good enough for you. Not a single person on this earth.”

I smile, my eyes stinging with tears.

He gently strokes her soft, pink cheek with his fingertip, a world of devotion in every movement. My heart cracks wide open.

And then his head lifts. Our eyes meet.

His smile is slow, sleepy, devastating. “Hey, angel. I was wondering where you’d gone.”

I step into the room, heart in my throat. “I, uh… I have news.”

He stands carefully, never jostling the baby, and crosses to me with his brows raised in question. I hold up the test. His gaze drops, taking in those two pink lines, and then his face lights up.

His eyes snap back up to mine. And what I see there takes my breath away.

“Another one? Already?”

I nod, laughing through the happy tears. “Apparently your swimmers don’t waste time.”

He gives a growl of satisfaction, leaning in to kiss me deeply, then again, then again, until we’re both laughing against each other’s mouths. “Of course you’re already pregnant again,” he murmurs. “My fertile little goddess. You were made to carry my babies.”

I cup his cheek, brushing my thumb along his jaw. “You’re not… overwhelmed?”

“Are you kidding?” he breathes, looking down at our daughter, then at the test again. “I’m the luckiest bastard on Earth.”

He shifts the baby into one arm and pulls me into his other, holding us both like the whole world lives in this room. “We’re gonna need a bigger house,” he murmurs, dropping a kiss onto my head. “Because I can’t wait to fill it with more kids.”

My heart bursts.

“We could buy a place in the country,” I suggest, leaning into his chest. “Maybe with some land. Lots of room to run and play.”

“Anything you want, angel. It’s yours.”

He kisses me again, and I sigh, so full of contentment and joy that it threatens to burst right out of my skin.

“I love you,” I whisper, meaning it.

“I love you,” he murmurs back, the words pressed into my skin. “To the moon and back, Avery. Forever.”

And I know he means it.

This man loves me. Protects me. Worships me. And no matter what life throws our way, I know that will never change.

***