Page 25 of Ride Me Reckless (Millionaire Cowboys of Lucky Ranch #1)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Double Blessing

Tessa

I should’ve been used to the smell of air freshener and floor wax by now, but the second I stepped into the clinic’s waiting room, my stomach tightened like it was auditioning for a Cirque du Soleil routine.

Colt leaned over and kissed my temple. “Relax, darlin’. You’re glowing.”

I gave him a flat look. “I’m sweating.”

“Same thing,” he said with a wink, lacing his fingers with mine.

The ultrasound tech—the same one we’d seen last time—popped her head into the waiting room and smiled. “You two again. Let me guess, he’s nervous and you’re pretending not to be?”

I laughed despite myself. “You’ve got a gift for reading a room.”

Colt muttered something about this being more stressful than branding season, and we followed her back into the exam room.

“You still wanting to keep the gender a surprise?” she asked, tapping at her tablet as I climbed up onto the table.

“We are,” I said quickly, shooting Colt a look. “Right?”

He nodded. “We made it this far. Might as well ride it out.”

The tech pulled up the machine, slathered on the gel, and started moving the wand over my belly. The familiar whoosh and thump of the baby’s heartbeat filled the room, and I felt my whole body soften with relief.

But then she paused.

Not long. Just long enough for me to catch Colt’s jaw clench.

“Hmm,” she said.

I squinted at the screen, seeing nothing but gray blobs and fuzzy shapes. “Hmm, what?”

“Mind if I have you turn a little onto your left side?” she asked, keeping her voice light. “Just want a better angle.”

I shifted, heart ticking faster. Colt leaned forward in his chair, eyes sharp. “Is something wrong?”

The tech grinned, one hand still on the wand. “Not wrong. Just... double.”

“Double?” I echoed.

She tilted the monitor toward us and pointed. “That’s baby number one. And that—” she slid the wand slightly—“is baby number two.”

Colt made a noise like the air had been knocked right out of him. I couldn’t stop staring at the screen.

Two tiny shapes. Two flickering heartbeats.

Twins.

“Oh,” I breathed, a strange laugh bubbling up, “that explains why I’ve been feeling like a barge before the second trimester.”

The tech chuckled. “You’re not crazy. You’re just extra blessed.”

I glanced at Colt. His mouth was still open.

“Colt,” I said softly, reaching for his hand. “Are you feeling like I’m feeling?”

He blinked like he’d just come back from space. “I mean... We were expecting one tiny human. Not a matched set.”

I squeezed his fingers. “I guess Lady Luck figured we needed a little more chaos.”

“Or perhaps she’s making up for what we lost,” Colt grinned.

The door opened, and the doctor walked in, already smiling. “Heard the good news.”

We nodded like kids caught sneaking candy.

“Everything looks healthy, but twin pregnancies come with more strain,” he said. “You’ll need to pace yourself, eat a little more, rest a lot more.”

I gave a breathless laugh. “Does chasing after my mom count as cardio?”

He shook his head. “This is not the time for cardio. I suggest you get domestic help. I know that shouldn’t be a problem for Mr. Bennett.” Dr. Jensen smiled. “Now, have some fun. Go shopping, plan your nursery. Just don’t overdo it.” He patted Colt on the back. “See you in a month.”

And just like that, he closed the door behind him. Giving us some time to process the news.

Colt stood when I sat up, gently helping me off the table and grabbing a towel to wipe the gel from my belly.

“Twins,” I whispered. “That’s… a lot of diapers.”

“That’s a lot of love,” Colt said, looking at me like I was the only person in the universe who’d ever done something this brave.

And for the first time, I believed it too.

The ride back to the double-wide felt like floating.

Colt kept glancing over at me like I might vanish, one hand resting protectively on my thigh the whole drive. Neither of us said much. We were still processing it all—the two fluttering heartbeats, the weight of responsibility, the sudden doubling of everything we thought we knew about the future.

By the time we pulled into the driveway, the sun was high in the sky. The house looked the same, but everything inside me felt different—bigger, heavier, and brighter.

We stepped onto the porch, Colt opening the screen door for me like always, but this time he paused and murmured, “Let’s tell them together.”

I pushed open the front door and stepped inside, the cool air greeting me like a sigh of relief after the drive.

Callie sat curled up on the loveseat, a throw blanket tossed over her lap and a rerun of some baking show playing quietly on the TV.

Across from her, Mama was dozing with her chin tipped slightly forward, her Bible still open in her lap.

A small, soft snore drifted from her as the scent of lemon muffins and coffee lingered in the room.

Colt followed me in, carrying the manila envelope with the ultrasound prints like it held the Holy Grail.

“Hey,” Callie whispered, turning the volume down. “How’d it go?”

I exchanged a quick glance with Colt before crossing the room and pulling up a chair beside her. He handed me the envelope, and I passed it over with a smile that felt too wide for my face.

She pulled out the photo, stared for a second, and then squinted. “Wait a minute?—”

“There’s two,” I said, barely holding in a laugh.

Callie blinked. “Like... two arms? Or?—”

“Two babies,” Colt said, grinning from where he leaned against the kitchen counter. “We’re having twins.”

Callie let out a shriek that startled Mama for a second, but she just snuggled deeper into her blanket with a smile. Callie bounced on the loveseat like a teenager, hugging the photo to her chest.

“Double the baby smell. Double the tiny cowboy boots,” she said, shaking her head. “Y’all. That’s wild.”

“We’re still a little stunned,” I admitted. “But it’s starting to sink in.”

Callie’s smile softened, her excitement settling into something quieter. Wiser. “Which is why I need to say something. And I’m not trying to ruin the moment, I promise.”

Colt raised a brow. “That sounds like a setup.”

She gave him a playful look, then turned her attention to me. “You two have done something beautiful here. You came back from heartbreak, from fire—literally—and you’ve built a foundation again. But now… it’s time to finish the job.”

I frowned. “You mean?—”

“I mean this double-wide has served its purpose, but it’s not where you raise twins. Or care for Mama long-term. You’ve got options, Tessa. Colt, you’re a literal millionaire with a ranch house that’s got more space than this entire lot.”

I glanced at him, and Colt’s jaw tensed, but not in resistance. More like… recognition.

“I know Mama’s doing well,” Callie continued, her voice gentle. “And I know you’ve made this place feel safe, Tessa. But the next season of your life needs room to breathe. You need help. You need ease. You need deeper roots than this place can provide.”

Colt crossed the room and pulled up another chair, sliding his hand into mine.

Callie leaned in a little. “You’ve risen from the ashes. But maybe now it’s time to take off and fly.”

I didn’t say anything at first. I just stared at the photo she’d laid on the coffee table. Two little profiles, curled in tandem like commas. A matching pair of tiny heartbeats.

She wasn’t wrong.

The crickets had just started their song when Colt stepped outside with a glass of sweet tea and lemon water for me. He settled down beside me on the porch swing. Mama was inside watching TV as the cushions sighed beneath us.

The folded ultrasound printout rested in my lap, edges curling where my fingers had gripped it too tightly. I looked down at it again—two tiny figures, side by side like they already had secrets to share. Twins. Still felt surreal.

"You’ve been quiet," Colt said gently.

I took a sip of water and exhaled. "Trying to soak it all in, I guess. I thought one baby would change everything. Two? It’s like the whole map of our lives just redrew itself."

Colt nodded, stretching his arm along the back of the swing. "We’re gonna need more of everything. Cribs. Diapers. Patience."

I let out a soft laugh, resting my head against his shoulder. "And maybe more square footage."

"Not today," I added quickly. "I know Callie means well, but I like it here right now. Mama’s doing better. It feels safe."

He didn’t argue. Just sipped his tea and let the silence settle comfortably between us.

"I get it," he said at last. "This place saved us, in a way. Gave us space to heal. But we both know it’s not where we stay. Not with two babies on the way. The doctor made that clear to me.”

I turned toward him, my fingers absently brushing the folded photo in my lap. “You’re thinking about moving back to your house.”

Colt nodded once. “Yeah. I always thought I built that place for myself. Big space, open kitchen, pasture out back for Biscuit and the other horses. But maybe… I was building it for us. You. The twins. Even Dalia.”

I blinked, caught off guard by how right that sounded.

“I’d like her to have her own quarters—close by but comfortable. Something private with her own little porch. She deserves that,” he said.

“She’d love that,” I whispered. “She keeps calling your house ‘that fancy ranch house with too many windows.’ But I think she’d love waking up to those views.”

He chuckled. “We’ll bring Biscuit back, too. I bet before long, you’ll be leading her around the yard while the kids learn to ride.”

Tears burned the backs of my eyes, but they didn’t fall. They didn’t need to. This wasn’t grief or fear—it was the weight of something good.

“I just didn’t picture it this way,” I murmured.

“No fireworks?” he teased.

I shook my head with a smile. “Nope. No fireworks. Just soft light and the sound of you breathing beside me. And babies on the way. And my mama safe. It might not be the dream I had when I was seventeen, but it’s everything I didn’t know I needed.”

Colt kissed my temple, his hand closing over mine again.

The porch creaked. The breeze whispered. And in that fading light, with Colt beside me and our future tucked safely in my lap, I knew we’d find our way.

The double-wide was our past, and Colt’s home on Lucky Ranch was our future.