Page 25

Cody

5 years later...

M y heart pounded as I stared down at the small image I'd found hidden away, buried under a veritable mountain of mail, documents, newspapers, and printed articles that Jamie had been working on from home. It was such a small little thing, thin in my grasp and yet it brought my whole world to a shrieking halt.

"Cody?" I turned as she entered the office. Her eyes went to the slip of paper in my hand and widened. "Oh my god..."

"You're..." I couldn't even say it. My eyes shot down to her stomach. Was it real? It had to be real. Of course, it was real. She wouldn't have this as a joke. She wouldn't look like that if it wasn't.

As if sensing my thoughts, her hands lifted and then came together closing over the front of her abdomen. I was going to be sick or pass out. No, I couldn't pass out. Not yet. Holy shit. This was real.

Jamie continued to stand there in front of me, and when the sound of the elevator doors of our New York City apartment opening reached our ears, she jumped into action. She turned and quickly shut the door before hurrying across the room to me. When she reached for the ultrasound in my grasp, I pulled it back. I couldn't let her take this from me.

"You can't say anything yet," she said quickly, her hands letting the image go as she grasped me by the front of my shirt.

Who would have guessed that I'd uncover such a secret when all I'd been looking for was a fucking pen? "You're pregnant..." I finally managed to blurt.

I couldn't believe it. She was going to be a mother. I was going to be a father. We all were. Jamie took one look at my face and giggled. "Yes, Cody."

"When did you..." I looked down at the ultrasound. It was new. The date printed at the bottom marked it as only just under two weeks old.

"I didn't want to say anything until I knew for sure," she confessed, moving closer. I lowered the image back to the top of the desk and then enclosed her in my arms. "I'm planning on telling everyone else tonight."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. This was … it was impossible and yet so very real. "Our anniversary dinner," I said.

She nodded and snuggled closer, tipping her face up expectantly. I gave her what she wanted, planting a kiss on her beautiful lips before turning and pressing her back against the desk and reaching down to cup my fingers over her nearly flat stomach.

"How long...?" I couldn't even seem to finish my sentences, but she understood me. She always did.

With another laugh that proved just how excited she was by this turn of events, she answered, "I'm still in the first trimester," then tilted her head, "I mean obviously since I'm not showing or anything, but about two months along. We've got another seven to go."

"Holy shit..." It was literally the only thing I could think. My hands contracted against her stomach as if I could somehow feel the little life inside of her growing and wiggling around. A baby. Her baby. Our baby.

"You can't tell them," she said quickly.

"I won't."

"You weren't supposed to find out yet."

I shake my head. "I figured that part out—you're a poor judge of hiding places."

She groaned. "No one comes in here," she reminded me.

"Because you keep it so messy," I said. I pulled her closer and leaned down, inhaling her delicate, feminine scent. "This explains why you've been so sensitive lately."

A blush stole over her cheeks and she dipped her head against my shoulder as her skin heated up. "Keep my secret for a little longer?" she asked.

I squeezed her—careful to keep my touch light and nonrestrictive. "Yes," I said. "I'll keep all of your secrets, Jamie. Forever. They're our secrets now."

She laughed. "This won't be a secret for much longer," she assured me. "I want everyone to know, but I wanted it to be special."

"It will be," I assured her, and then I thought about it. With a chuckle, I shook my head again. "Dex is going to shit a brick."

She laughed, and the sound was all at once musical and enticing. This woman was my everything and even as I heard footsteps in the hallway outside of the office doors, I recognized that she was everything to more than just me. There was a knock and the door opened; Taylor's head popped in, his hair shorter than it once had been.

"Hey guys, we're ready to head to the restaurant if you are," he said.

Jamie took my hand and gave me a conspiratorial wink. "Sure, let's head out," she said.

As she tugged me towards Taylor and our future, I reached back and snatched the secret image from the desk, pocketing it as I passed into the hallway. Taylor grinned and moved ahead, leaving Jamie and me to follow him.

I leaned down and turned my mouth towards her ear. "Roxi is so not going to be the godmother," I warned her.

Jamie snorted. "She totally will be."

"She's crazy," I informed her.

"But Bastien and Oliver keep her stable." She looked back with a light of amusement in her eyes. "You have to admit that they're a lot like us. Who knows, maybe she'll be next."

A shudder worked through me. "If that woman gives birth, it'll be to some demon spawn who breathes hellfire and does cartwheels on rooftops," I replied quietly.

Jamie bit her lower lip as she fought the urge to laugh. "She's not that wild," she protested.

"She absolutely is."

"Well, I'm married to four men," Jamie said, stopping just before we hit the living room and looked up at me. I couldn't resist pulling her in for another kiss. "What does that make me?"

"Perfect," I tell her. "In every way."