Page 34

ANNA

I stood in the bathroom off of Blue’s and my bedroom, in our Kansas City home, trying to talk myself out of puking. I exhaled slowly, trying to focus on figuring out a way to tell Blue we were having another baby. I mean, he was going to be out of his mind thrilled. He loved kids. Especially the two we already had. Twins, Blaze and Belle. But this wasn’t a planned pregnancy.

A boy and a girl was perfect. We’d repopulated ourselves on the first try and that was enough for me. We’d just gotten them into kindergarten. For the first time since graduating from vet school, I’d finally been able to work an actual part-time job. Up until two months ago, I’d only been able to take night shifts at the emergency clinic here and there. With Blue’s crazy schedule, traveling all over the country during football season and training during the offseason, that had been my only option. And now we’d be starting over from scratch. Still, there was a part of me that was excited. Having babies with Blue was my dream come true. Just like being a vet. I just wished it wasn’t so hard to do it all.

Knock, knock . Blue rapped on the door. “You okay, babe? You’ve been in there a long time.”

I had. Because I knew what he was waiting for out in the bedroom, and I wasn’t sure I could give it to him without tossing my cookies all over his perfectly sculpted chest. I didn’t think that was how he wanted this to go. Not when he had to leave in half an hour for his Thursday night game. Over the years, things had shifted and changed as our relationship grew. Without me, he’d worn my necklace during every game. Once I was back in his life and before every college game, he’d required a good luck kiss. Once we were married, it was pre-game lovemaking. Which was the best ritual ever. It was imperative to his mental state and we never, ever missed.

He popped the lock and tiptoed inside. At the sight of him, wet hair tousled on his head, only a towel around his waist, my breath hitched. You’d think after almost eight years of marriage I wouldn’t still get butterflies at the sight of him, but I did. Especially when he was shirtless.

His head cocked and his dimple flashed. “Glad to see you’re alive. I’d really like to get this party started before the kids’ movie is over and they come busting down the bedroom door. Belle figured out how to pop the lock last week, remember?”

“Yeah. I’m ready.” I forced a smile and walked over to him. He pushed my robe off one shoulder and brushed a kiss to my collarbone. Goosebumps sprang up across my skin and warmth filled my belly. Peace washed over me. I loved this man. So incredibly much. He was the other half of my soul. I felt that truth to my bones.

“Good gosh, woman.” He groaned causing more goosebumps. “You smell incredible.”

I ducked down, making his mouth meet mine. I wasn’t going to make it through a lot of foreplay. We needed to get straight to business. I let out a little moan. After all these years, he knew that was the signal. Full steam ahead.

He smiled against my mouth. “All right, then.” His hands hooked around my thighs and with a jerk he lifted me up, hitching my legs around his waist. At the motion, my stomach rolled. I kissed him more intensely, trying to power through. He dropped me on the counter and kissed me until I couldn’t breathe. Literally. I had to cut off my air because his spearmint toothpaste was trying to do me in.

His mouth was on my throat. Pressing kisses, down, down, down. I shivered in delight, as I wished the queasiness away.

There was pounding on the bedroom door. Four little fists, trying to get in.

“The kids,” I said.

“No,” he growled. “Go watch another movie,” he yelled. Then his mouth was back on my throat.

More pounding. Now on the bathroom door.

“Let us in!” Blaze yelled.

The added noise made my stomach roll. Vomit pressed against my trachea. Nope. I wasn’t going to make it. Without warning, I shoved Blue to the side, jumped off the counter, and sprinted for the toilet. I made it just in time to throw up everything I’d just eaten for lunch.

His fist came around my hair, pulling it back as I wretched again. His hand was on my back. “Babe, are you okay?”

In response, I heaved again.

The door flew open and Belle and Blaze giggled.

“Daddy,” Belle squealed.

“Your butt!” Blaze snickered.

Blue hissed out a swear word and dropped my hair.

I peeked under my arm to see him bear-crawling back to the towel that he’d apparently lost halfway across the room. I laughed which made my stomach wrench again. Dang it. I wasn’t done.

“Mommy?” Belle sounded on the verge of tears.

“Mommy’s okay.” Blue dropped down next to me again and picked my hair back up. “She’s just not feeling well.”

I was finally finished. I flushed the toilet, closed the lid and flipped around, leaning my back against the porcelain base. My lungs needed a second to slow. Blue handed me some toilet paper to wipe my mouth.

“Hey.” He pushed a lock of hair behind my ear and he put his palm against my forehead, checking for a fever. “Don’t worry about coming to the game. Do you want me to text Martha and get her to come over and take care of the kids so you can rest?” Martha was our nanny. Having a part-time nanny was the only way to make it all work.

“No!” Blaze cried. The boy lived for Blue’s games. The atmosphere, the fans, eating all the snacks in the suite.

“I’ll take care of you Mommy!” Belle bounced on her toes, her dark hair flouncing out as she turned and ran out of the room to grab her toy stethoscope. I knew that’s where she was going. She found every opportunity to put it to “use.” Said she was going to be a vet someday, just like me.

I shook my head. “No, I’m coming to your game.”

He blinked rapidly. “Babe, you’re gonna make people sick.”

I fixed Blue with a look, trying to send him a silent message. “I’m feeling better already.” I touched my chain around his neck, always awed that he still wore it.

His eyes roved over me, his brows raised in an upside down V.

Off to the right, Blaze, brown-haired like his daddy and left-handed too, threw his foam football into the air.

“Blaze,” Blue said firmly. “You know what Mom said about throwing your ball in the house.”

“Fine,” he grumped and instead started sprinting across the bathroom with the ball tucked in a football carry, just like he’d seen Blue do in games.

Belle came flying back into the room, sliding to a stop on her knees. She pressed the stethoscope to my heart and pretended to listen. Suddenly I knew the perfect way to tell Blue he was going to be a daddy again.

“Hey, sweet girl.” I smiled. “You’re listening in the wrong place.” I hooked Blue’s eyes, took the bell of the instrument and slowly moved it down to my abdomen. His gaze flashed to my belly and I bit the insides of my cheek to keep from laughing as the realization stole over his face. His excited eyes grew quarter-sized.

“No way.” He chuckled, his expression questioning me.

I nodded once before he tackled me in a hug.

“Yes!” He shouted right by my ear.

“My hand!” Belle whined and I realized she was still trying to listen for a heartbeat, her palm smashed between us.

“Sorry, sweetie,” I said, scooting back slightly so she could remove herself, while Blue had a chokehold on my upper body. But then I realized, for once, he was crying into my neck. “Blue?” I lifted his head to see tears in his eyes. “What in the world?”

“Sorry.” He gulped, beaming. “I just love having babies with you. It’s my favorite.”

“Even more than football?” Blaze said flatly like Blue had just said he liked cheese pizza better than pepperoni. Not clued in about the baby at all.

Blue tipped his forehead against mine. “Even more than football.”

Belle put one hand on my shoulder and one on Blue’s. “So having babies with Mom is your favorite thing in the whole wide world ?”

“Hmm.” His nose brushed mine. “Your mom is my favorite thing in the whole wide world. Babies are next. Then football.”

Blaze finally dropped the ball. Now his hand was on both of our shoulders on the other side. “Mom, is Dad your favorite thing in the whole wide world?”

“Yeah.” I smiled. “He’s always been my favorite. Ever since the first time I saw him. No one else has ever come close.”

“Tell us the story.” Belle clapped. “The one about how he had to move and then Uncle Ford embarrassed you and then you got married!” I giggled at her quick synopsis of our very long love story.

“I need a few minutes with Mom,” Blue said, winking at me. “Alone.”

I giggled. “I need to help Daddy get ready for his game. But if you go clean up your rooms, I’ll tell you the story, over a bowl of ice cream.”

They took off at lightning speed. They got that from their dad.

“We need thirty minutes!” Blue yelled after them. Then his mouth broke into a mischievous smirk.

Twenty heavenly minutes later, I lay in bed, fully clothed and relaxed, watching him dress.

Still shirtless, he turned to face me. “Do you want me to turn on the TV for you?”

I bit my bottom lip and grinned. “Who needs TV with a show like that.” I waved my hand at his perfectly chiseled chest.

“You want a show?” He sauntered slowly toward me, reminiscent of a lion hunting pray, making his pecs pop back and forth. I snorted. So he roared, “I’ll give you a show!”

I squealed as he launched onto the bed, landing gently on top of me. In less than a second he was pressing kisses over my cheekbones. I sighed, happily letting him.

“I’m so glad we’re married,” he murmured. “It’s the best .” He said this every single time we were done. He’d started it on our wedding night and he’d said it every time since.

“It really is.” My fingertips swirled over his back, goosebumps springing up on him now. “But Blue?”

His lips were on my jaw. “Hmm?”

“As soon as this baby arrives safe and sound, you’re getting snipped. Otherwise, I’m never going to be able to use my vet degree.”

He threaded our fingers together by my head and pushed himself up so he could look down into my eyes. “What the wife wants, the wife gets.” He kissed me. “I just want to give you the world, sweet Anna.”

I relaxed beneath him. “You already have.”

A smile played at the corners of his mouth. “What if it’s twins again?”

“Don’t.” I stopped him with a finger to his lips. “Don’t even think it. We do not need to put that out into the universe.” Twins clearly ran in the Dupree family. I loved Blaze and Belle but they’d been hard on my body and even harder on our sleep schedules. I did not want to do that again.

Blue chuckled and stared into my eyes. “Don’t worry about the baby and your career.”

“How can I not?”

He dropped a kiss to my mouth, putting heat right back into my stomach, revving me up again. “Because.” Another kiss. “I’m going to retire.” Kiss. “After this season.” Kiss. “And be a stay-at-home dad.” Kiss.

The idea of him staying home while I worked was almost laughable. Being at home all day would drive him crazy. “Ha. Ha.”

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Get some cows. Coach some youth league. Catch lightning bugs?—”

“Fireflies.”

“Lightning bugs, with you and the kids all summer. Be home for every one of their school activities. No overnight away games. No more being away from you.”

Wait. He was serious? “You might get sick of me.”

“Never. Not even possible. You’re my best friend. Every time you leave the room, a piece of me goes with you.”

“So cheesy.” I teased but my heart took a happy bow. Because it’s exactly how I felt about him. I hated it whenever he was away.

“Maybe,” his voice went husky. He placed a kiss on my shoulder. “But true.” Then he whispered, intensely, “It’s time for you to live your dreams, Anna. I’m done after this season.”

“You’ve only been in the NFL for five years.” He’d promised me he’d only be in for ten when he started. But he’d had two more concussions since the game at Knoxville. One at Virginia Tech and one here in Kansas City. And we were always concerned about him getting chronic traumatic encephalopathy when he was older. It caused horrible migraines, depression, aggression, and could shorten his lifespan. They were finding that it was common in football players with lots of head injuries.

His head tilted. “Do we need more money?”

I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. Because no, we definitely did not. “Are you really ready?”

“I’m ready to go home. Ready to spend all my time at our house on Dupree Ranch and raise our kids where magic happens. I already talked to Dr. Atkins. He’s excited to hand the reins over to you.”

My heart swelled. “What are you going to do with all your time? Babies grow up and cows don’t need babysitting.”

He shrugged and brushed a wisp of hair back. “I’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about me. Maybe I’ll just come to work with you every day and watch you do your thing.”

My breath stuck in my lungs and not just because a hundred and ninety pounds of solid muscle was lying on top of me. “We’re finally going home?”

He nodded. “If that’s okay with you.”

“If that’s okay with me?” Was this man serious? I’d wanted to go home every day since I left for college. But not without him. Never without him.

Four little fists pounded on the door again.

“Let us in!” Blaze yelled.

“I want ice cream!” Belle shouted.

“Go get it yourselves!” Blue hollered. “I’m not done kissing Mom.”

But the lock popped and they ran into the room, giggling.

Blue heaved the blankets up and over our heads, making a protective bubble around us.

He shook his head, lips pursed. “You know, when I dated you in high school, I pictured a lot of you and me in bed together one day. But I didn’t think it would be like this.”

“Good thing they’re so cute.” I giggled.

He shifted, pinning the edges of the comforter with his arms so the kids, who were pounding on his back, couldn’t break into Fort Love. Blue looked down into my eyes. I looked up into his.

He kissed me and then chuckled. “As soon as we get to Seddledowne, our bedroom door is getting a deadbolt.”

I let my head fall back and laughed. And laughed and laughed.

It was time to go home.

Finally.

Did you enjoy Anna and Blue’s story? Sad it’s over? Fun fact: Anna and Blue’s high school love story is featured in the previous book of the Seddledowne Series, Not A Thing . And in the epilogue of One Last Thing , The Seddledowne Series, Book 1, Anna gushes to Lemon and Silas over meeting Blue for the first time. (‘It’s the dimples for me.’)