Page 28 of The Last Thing (Baker Girls #4)

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

WILSON

“Everything looks great. Your labs are excellent, and both the scan you had a couple of weeks ago and the one today show perfect growth—around the seventy-fifth percentile. And you haven’t had any bleeding since the day you went to the ER, correct?” Hallie’s doctor asks.

Hallie nods. “That’s right.”

“Then I think it’s safe to say it was just some mild spotting after sex. No cause for concern. But it’s good you were seen.”

Hallie squeezes my hand tightly.

“So you think it’s okay to share the news?” Hallie asks.

She nods. “Personally, I think it’s fine to do that anytime. It’s always good to have support. That said, everything looks good, so I don’t think there’s any reason not to.”

“Specifically, we’re planning to tell my daughter, who is eight.”

Hallie’s doctor smiles. “That’s very exciting. Yes, I think now is a great time to tell her. Do you think she’ll be excited?”

“Beyond belief,” I say with a laugh.

“That’s great. Yes, go ahead and tell people. Celebrate this time with the people you love. Everything looks wonderful, so you’re good to go. They’ll schedule you for your next two appointments at the desk.”

“Great. Thank you,” Hallie says as the doctor leaves the room.

She leans into my chest, and I wrap my arms around her.

Over the course of the last ten days, things have changed.

The walls around her heart are gone, and while I can tell she’s still scared, she’s leaning into this.

She wants this the same way I do. I can’t wait to tell Sophia, so we can finally stop hiding.

I want to be able to kiss her when I get home from work and not have to hide from Sophia that she’s waking up in our apartment.

At some point, I want her to move in with us. Before the baby is born—whenever I can convince her. In some ways, we’ve moved quickly, but I know with certainty this is where we’re supposed to be. We’re meant to be a family.

I’m trying to believe in those thoughts—to revel in them—because they’re pieces of my dad.

Pieces of who I used to be. I want to be that man again.

One who sees the beauty in life and revels in it.

I want to live life instead of just going with the flow and trying to keep everything perfectly together and controlled.

That’s not who I want to be. Not for Sophia.

Not for Hallie. Not for our baby. They deserve the best version of me.

My dad gave me that, and I want to do the same.

“When do you want to tell Sophia?” Hallie asks, stepping out of my arms and taking my hand.

“Part of me wants to pick her up from school early and tell her right now, but the practical side of me says Friday would be better. Then we’ll have the whole weekend to be a family.”

My chest burns as I say the words. She could put up a wall, tell me that’s too much. This stage of our relationship still feels fragile, and I’m never sure what to expect.

She looks up at me, her face blooming into a troublemaking smirk. “Are you asking me to spend the night on Friday?”

“I want you in my bed every night, Hellion. But Friday, it’s official.” I catch the side of her neck with my hand. “You’re mine now, and I hope you understand I don’t let go of what’s mine. I keep it and cherish it.”

“Wilson…”

Leaning in, I brush my lips over hers. “Mm, if I could, I would fuck you right here and show you exactly how possessive I can be. But it’ll have to wait until we get home.”

I step back, and she lets out a shuddery breath.

Pulling open the door to the room, she looks up at me. “You better speed.”

Fuck, if I thought she was killing me before, now that she’s mine, she’s making me absolutely feral.

I check the time on my phone for the tenth time in the last half hour. Usually I’m not rushing to finish work, but I’m about to yell at the guys to put their shit away and get out of here. I’m ready to go home and finally tell Sophia the truth.

I’m a little nervous because it means her heart will be involved in the equation now, but at the same time, I’m certain about my feelings for Hallie. And I don’t do anything by halves. When I’m in, I’m all in.

Hallie’s the wild card. But after her admission at the carnival last weekend, and how she’s been for the past two weeks, I’m hopeful.

Maybe too hopeful. I have a plan in the works that might be a little crazy.

It’s probably too much. But now that Hallie has awoken the idealistic side of me again, I can’t help it.

“Hey, how’s everything going here?”

I practically jump and tear my eyes from my phone.

Nick Ardito grins at me. “Dirty text?”

That’s the last thing I was expecting him to say, and I burst out laughing.

“That’s one thing I don’t do on the job.”

He holds his hands up. “Hey, man. I’d give you a pass. We can’t control when our girls send us dirty things.” He pauses and thinks for a second. “Actually, my wife would purposely do that at the worst possible time, so…” He shrugs. “Anyway. Everything good here?”

“Yeah. We’re on track to finish by the end of next week, but I’m guessing probably Wednesday.”

“Sweet. Are you okay?”

I nod. “Yeah. Just… itching to get home. Don’t know if Leo told you, but Hallie’s pregnant. And we’re telling Sophia tonight.”

His eyes go wide. “She’s pregnant? You got your nanny pregnant?”

I run my hand over my face. “Technically, that happened before she was my nanny. It’s a long story. But we’re happy, so don’t be a dick.”

He laughs. “Well, from one unexpected dad to another, congrats. I hope it all goes well.”

“Thanks.”

“Go ahead. Get out of here.”

“What?”

He nods toward the door. “I can manage these knuckleheads for another fifteen minutes. Go home.”

I clap him on the shoulder. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“No problem. Plus, it gives me a chance to heckle the guys. It’s been too long.”

I shake my head as he aims for the back door, then my brain catches up, and I haul ass out the front door.

Time to get home to my girls.

I don’t know why we agreed to wait until after dinner to do this. I thought I was going to explode and word-vomit it all right there at the table.

I kept my shit together, but only because Hallie threw me a few stern looks.

Now the dishes are done, and I’m bursting at the seams.

“Are we going to watch a movie?” Sophia asks.

“Maybe in a bit. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” I aim for the living room, guiding Sophia in that direction too.

“Am I in trouble?”

“No. You’re not in trouble. This is a good thing.”

Then Hallie slips her hand into mine. “Actually it’s something we want to talk to you about.”

Sophia’s eyes go mega wide and she almost falls over. “Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!” She jumps up and down, excitement tumbling out of her. She grabs Hallie’s hand. “Are you going to be my stepmommy?”

I freeze. It didn’t even occur to me that Soph would take it to that place, but of course she did.

Hallie lets out an easy laugh and sits down on the coffee table. Sophia sits opposite her on the couch, and Hallie takes her hands.

“Maybe one day.”

“But you two are more than friends now? Like dating ?”

“Yes. We are. And we have been for a little while, but we wanted to be sure it was serious before we told you.”

Soph looks from me to Hallie.

“Were you dating when I asked if you were more than friends?”

Hallie tilts her head back and forth. “We were figuring it out.”

“How do you feel about this?” I ask.

“Uh… awesome! I love Miss Hallie. Wait, do I still call you Miss Hallie? Are you still my nanny?”

“You can call me Miss Hallie or just Hallie. I’m still your nanny, but eventually that might change—me being here with you won’t though.”

“Okay. Good. I like having you here.”

“I like it too.”

I rest my hand on Hallie’s thigh and take another big breath. “There’s something else too. Hallie’s pregnant. We’re going to have a baby, which means?—”

The scream Sophia lets out could be heard a block away. “I’m going to be a big sister!”

She jumps into Hallie’s arms, wavering between laughing and crying.

“You sure are,” Hallie whispers.

“I’m going to have a little sister,” she cries.

“Well, it could be a boy,” I say gently.

Sophia lifts her head off Hallie’s shoulder, a fierce look on her face. “No. It’s a girl. I already know it.”

“Okay then,” I whisper as Hallie laughs.

Sophia climbs off Hallie’s lap, then throws her arms around me in a big hug. “I knew she makes you happy.”

I give her a squeeze. “Yeah, kid. She does.” My eyes drift to Hallie’s. “She makes me really happy.”

“Can we watch a movie now? As a family?”

Damn, that hits me right in the heart. This is what I wanted. A long time ago, before Sophia was born, if you’d asked me what I imagined for myself, it would’ve been this.

Love. A whole lot of love.

That’s when it hits me. From the moment I met Hallie, she changed something in me, and now I know what it was. She opened my heart again. And there’s no denying I’m head over heels in love with her.

“Are you going to sleep here tonight?” Sophia asks Hallie through a yawn as we tuck her into bed.

“I sure am.”

“In Daddy’s bed?”

We glance at each other, and I jump in with the answer. “Yeah. Is that okay with you?”

“Well, yeah. It would be silly if you made her sleep on the couch. You told me when you date someone, they’re like your best friend. Why wouldn’t you share your bed with your best friend? That would be mean.”

Oh, kids. Thank God she hasn’t lost her innocence yet. She also didn’t ask where babies come from, but I’m expecting that one at some point over the next six months.

“It sure would,” Hallie says. “Good thing your dad really likes me.”

Sophia beams at that, then yawns again as she looks up at Hallie. “You’re going to be my stepmommy someday.” But this time it’s not a question. It’s a fact in her eyes. Damn, I hope she’s right about that.

“It’s time for you to get some sleep,” I whisper, leaning down to kiss her forehead.

Then Hallie does the same. “Goodnight.”

“Night.” Sophia grabs her big bear and pulls her covers up as she rolls over.

I wrap my arm around Hallie and guide her toward the door.

“I love you,” Sophia calls after us.

Before I can respond, Hallie looks over her shoulder, smiling warmly. “We love you too,” she says, cracking my heart open with her words.

The second we’re outside of Sophia’s room, I pin Hallie to the wall and kiss her like I’ll never get enough of her. Because I won’t. With my dying breath I’ll be begging for more of my little hellion.