Page 87 of Her Christmas Wish

She had time to calm down while she heard him out. Dealt with whatever it was. But she started with, “I’m sorry about the calls. I was at the zoo with Leigh and Jeremiah, and his mother, Maya, and had my phone off.” Babbling again. At the zoo with Leigh would have sufficed.

She’d have called him back a bit ago...if she hadn’t had that life-altering detail to take care of...

Managed to cut herself off before that slipped out.

Sitting down next to her, leaning forward, as he had that morning, his elbows on his knees, Gray nodded. Looked over at her.

And then away.

His expression, even in the dark, had her heart pumping overtime again. She’d only ever seen him look that serious, in that deep, emotional way, once before.

The night he’d broken off their engagement.

“I’ve never been good at talking about my feelings, Sage,” he said, and she froze. Ready to take what was coming.

Because she had no other choice. It was coming.

“And I realized this afternoon, I’ve also never allowed myself to admit that I need someone...”

Her sharp intake of breath brought his gaze to hers, and he held up his hand, as though forestalling whatever she’d been about to say.

Which had been nothing. She was barely holding on to her thoughts in those seconds.

“So here I am, telling you, I realize that I need you in my life. I can’t explain it. I’m sure some woo-woo theory would work, but I’m not all that up on that kind of thing. What I know is that where I fail, you succeed, and I think, in some way, I contribute equally to your life as well. Or did. And, I hope, can again. This...attraction between us... I don’t know for sure how we handle it. My baser self would like for us to find a way to be occasional lovers, as needed, while living our separate lives in two separate homes. Preferably exclusive. At least on my part it will be. But if that’s too much, if you need to be strictly friends, no touching, I’ll find a way. I swear to God I will. I just can’t lose you a second time.”

The words seemed to tumble out of him, on top of each other, some louder than others, some barely discernible, in no way sounding like the Gray she knew.

Her eyes filled with tears. Her lips trembled.

“Please tell me you want us, too,” he said, meeting her gaze then. “Tell me I’m not wrong in feeling like that’s what you want.”

He wasn’t wrong.

But that wasn’t what she had to tell him.

“I’m pregnant, Gray.”

I’m pregnant, Gray.He couldn’t have heard what he’d just thought. Was hallucinating back to the seemingly millions of times he’d heard her voice in his mind that week, saying those words to him. Rehearsing how he’d respond.

He’d never gotten that far—coming up with his own reaction.

And, as of that morning, hadn’t had to.

She wouldn’t have lied to him about that. He knew that as well as he knew his own name.

Which might be one of the few things he felt he knew for certain about himself at the moment. That and the fact that he shouldn’t have had that third beer.

Granted, three wasn’t anywhere near his limit. But was three more than he should have had before attempting his current conversation with Sage.

It had taken the third one to get off his ass and down the beach to actually follow through on the idea. He’d spent the second going over reasons for her unreturned calls.

“Did you hear me?”

Blinking, Gray glanced over at her. “Did you say something?”

She had. He knew she had. Just wasn’t yet able to process the actual content.

“I said I’m pregnant.”