Page 143 of Between Hello and Goodbye

“The most beautiful,” Asher said, but his eyes were on me. I leaned over and kissed him and nearly told him then—again—but something told me to wait. Not to mention, I couldn’t wait one more second to get to my kids. I greeted Paula and Momi, exchanging hugs and kisses, then hurried down into the yard.

“Mama!” Alani shrieked and came toddling toward me as fast as she could, her blond, wispy curls floating out around her like a halo.

“Holy crap, my heart’s going to explode,” I murmured just as she reached me. I scooped her up and smattered kisses all over her chubby cheeks. “Hello, baby. Have you been a good girl? Oh my gosh, I missed you so much.”

Kaleo joined us. He was nearly eleven now and getting so tall. “She was about to eat a ladybug, but I stopped her.”

“My hero. I’m sure the ladybug thanks you, too.” I set Alani on my hip and pulled Kal to me for a hug and kiss to his forehead, then ruffled his hair. “I missed you. Why are you getting so big? Stop it.”

“I missed you too,” he said and wrapped his arms around me and then briefly, awkwardly, patted my stomach. “It’s bigger already!”

Just wait…

“Is it? No, I had a big lunch.”

He laughed and a thought crossed my mind, one that I’d been having more and more.

We’re all going to be okay.

The sun sank slowly while Asher grilled hamburgers. Paula had made a pasta salad and my contribution was to put ketchup and mustard on the table. We sat down to dinner that was full of easy talk and laughter, and Peanut fell asleep on my lap, her soft curls brushing my chin.

After a while, Momi and her nurse went home, and Paula helped Kal get ready for bed. I put Alani down, and Asher and I were finally alone in our bedroom.

I changed into a short, satiny night gown that barely concealed anything. It drew Asher to me instantly—which was why I put it on in the first place. He came up behind me, kissing my neck and then rubbing away the knots of work stress.

“Yes, please.” I leaned into his touch. “I needed this desperately.”

His hand slipped down over my breasts. “How about here? You mentioned they get sore…”

I rolled my eyes with a laugh. “Actually yes, they’re sore as hell.”

“Already?” he asked, his mouth on my neck again. “You’re only twelve weeks. Seemed like with Alani, it took longer for the discomfort to set in.”

“The discomfort. Is that what we’re calling it? You’re too cute.”

His hand slipped down lower, over my belly. “Pretty soon we’ll be able to know if it’s a boy or a girl, right?”

“Not for another six or eight weeks, but I did have a scan while I was in Seattle.”

Asher froze, then pulled away and turned me around. “Why? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine,” I said. “It just seemed to me this pregnancy is happening in overdrive. I only have three speeds these days: exhausted, nauseated, or horny. There is no middle ground.”

“One out of three ain’t bad,” Asher teased though the concern was still bright in his eyes.

“And so,” I said, moving to my carry-on luggage that was still at the foot of the bed. “I wanted to make sure that it was all normal hormonal craziness. And it is, I promise. But…”

I held up a sonogram with my finger covering one half of the grainy black and white candid of my uterus.

“This is our baby,” I told Asher and watched his face melt with pure joy and love. Then I moved my finger. “And this is our other baby.”

His eyes widened and he stared at me, then to the sonogram, then back to me. “Twins?”

“Indeed, firefighter. You are too damn virile for your own good. I used to joke around that you only needed to look at me sideways and I’d get pregnant, but I’m beginning to think I was right.”

Asher grinned. The grin turned into a chuckle, and the chuckle turned into a laugh until he fully lost it. Tears of mirth streamed down his face, and he clutched his sides.

I gave him a little shove in the chest. “It’s not funny!” I cried, laughing also. “Do you know how big I’m going to get? Not to mention, we just doubled our child count in one fell swoop. I’m going to have to sell my condo in Seattle to pay for college for all these kids.”