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“What happened?”
She shrugs. Because either she honestly doesn’t know, or she just doesn’t wantmeto know. I don’t push her, respecting her repeated request that I let them navigate this on their own.
“How was your trip?”
“Uneventful.”
“As in no ex-wives showed up at your hotel bar?”
“It wouldn’t have mattered.” I draw her close. “Because, sweetheart, I only have eyes for you.”
She grins. “Do you practice being so charming?”
I chuckle. “It comes naturally.”
Allie takes my hand and presses it to her stomach. “They’ve started kicking a lot more this week.”
A gentle tapping sensation against my palm occurs repeatedly. I take note of where it’s happening. “That must be our little boy.”
“I think so too. He’s slightly more active than she is.” She watches me enjoy the movements. “You pick a name yet?”
I don’t answer. Still concentrating hard, I don’t remove my hands until I feel the very last movement.
She smooths out her shirt. “If you want to name him Asher, I’d be okay with it. We could call him AJ.”
“Technically, a son needs to have the exact first, middle, and last name to be a ‘junior’.”
Sadness washes over her. “You want him to have your middle name?”
I gather her hands in mine, bring them to my mouth, and kiss them. “Not on your life. That’s already been decided.”
Her face softens. “We could still call him AJ informally. I mean, if that’s what you want.”
“I don’t know. Having a son named after me isn’t all that important. Honestly, I’m just elated to be having another child.” I swipe her jawline with my thumb. “And to be havingtwo… you’ll never know what a gift you’ve given me. We can call him Ralph, Ignatius, or Pikachu and I’ll still love him to the ends of the earth.” I touch her lower belly. “And her.”
She giggles. “I’m glad you’ll love them no matter what their names are, because Bug has been coming up with some real doozies.”
“Just how long are you going to let that go on?”
“Do you really want to talk about this again? Because we could be getting naked right now.”
I sweep her into my arms. “I’ll take option number two.”
She laughs as I carry her to our bedroom. “You won’t be able to do this much longer.”
“Not true.” I lean down and peck her forehead. “In case you haven’t noticed, I feel like Superman every time I’m around you.” I stop cold when I step inside the bedroom. My eyes dart from one side of the room to the other. “You did all this in just a few days?” I set her down. “Allie, please don’t tell me you lifted all those boxes.”
“Mia helped. And my brothers. Even Bug brought some stuff in.”
I draw back and study her. “Stuff that wasn’t hers?”
She pulls her shirt up and over her head. Then she shimmies her skirt to the floor, making me forget what I was asking. I’m not sure how she’s become even more beautiful over the past few days, but she has. My gaze shifts to her full breasts that are covered in black lace, then down to her protruding belly, where just beneath is a matching set of panties.
I hastily remove every stitch of my clothing and sit on the bed, drawing her to me so I’m eye level with her chest. When I inhale her scent—a mixture of subtle perfume and pheromones—my cock is instantly hard. They say smell is the strongest of all the senses because of its close connection to memory and emotion. I’d have to agree. Because right now, all kinds of emotions are swirling around inside me. Gratitude. Love. Awe. Desire. Admiration. But the one standing out the most right now? Happiness.
Lowering my head, I place a kiss on her rounded belly. “How did I get so goddamn lucky?” Then I look up into her intense, loving eyes. “Every day with you feels like Christmas.”
She runs her hands through the top of my hair, then her lips meet my forehead. “I’m glad to hear I’ve got you fooled.I’mthe lucky one.”