Page 52 of The Paternity Puzzle
“Nope, Eeyore. My premenstrual cramps are way more intense. I’m telling you it was implantation cramps. I had them with Ella, and the timing matches.” She reached over and took Sawyer’s hand. “We read the same material. The sperm would’ve fertilized the egg within twenty-four hours, but it takes six to twelve days for the egg to attach to the uterine lining. Dr. Flores is going to confirm the pregnancy on Friday. Mark my words.”
Giddiness bubbled inside Sawyer, choking out the cautious Gemini twin that he usually let guide his decision-making. The poor guy made a valiant effort to seize control, but the wild child Gemini twin wrapped the Pilates rope around his neck and tightened it until he submitted to the surge of unmitigated joy. “Kels, I’m going to be a dad,” he whispered.
“Hell yeah, you are.” She pointed at the torture rope attached to the pulley. “Loop your foot back in that handle and get to work. You’re going to need more stamina than you can imagine.”
Sawyer narrowed his eyes. “For the baby or whatever Royce is planning?”
“Quit pestering me with silly questions about your husband and get to work.”
“Because heisup to something. Royce asked what time I was leaving and how long I’d be gone. He’s setting something up.” Sawyer groaned. “I’m too old for parties.”
“Just shut up and enjoy whatever he’s up to.”
“I knew it!” Sawyer exclaimed. “What’s the surprise? Give me a hint?”
Kelsey fixed him with a stern look and pointed to the rope handle. “Complete the workout and I’ll give you a hint.”
Sawyer whined, but it was enough incentive for him to comply. Forty minutes later, it took everything he had to put one foot in front of the other so they could make it to Kelsey’s car. Sawyer forgot all about pestering his friend for hints, even after a little dopamine hit from their favorite smoothie shop. He didn’t give the surprise another thought until Kels pulled into his driveway. “You owe me a hint.”
Kelsey snorted, then picked up her mango smoothie and took a long pull from her straw. She sighed heavily as she returned her drink to the cup holder. “Why are you still here?” She made a shooing motion with her hands.
“It’s not a surprise party, is it?”
Kelsey rolled her eyes. “Would I let you walk into an ambush looking like that?”
Sawyer glanced down at his chest and noticed his shirt was still damp with sweat. A quick peek in the rearview mirror showed his wet hair sticking up in clumpy spikes all over. “Butyou let me go into the smoothie shop looking like this?” He tried to tidy his hair, but his efforts only made things worse.
Kelsey revved the engine to get his attention. “Here’s your hint. Your surprise is just for the two of you. Get out and enjoy it.”
“Damn, you’re kind of mean. Low blood sugar?”
“Pregnancy hormones. Get used to it.”
Sawyer removed his seat belt and leaned over the console to kiss her cheek. “I love you. Thanks for showing me how weak I really am.”
“You’re most welcome, and I love you too. It’s amazing what your body will do with a little time and effort.”
“I’ve used that line on Royce a time or two.”
Kelsey threw her head back and laughed lustily. “I can’t wait to hear all about your surprise.”
“That good, huh?”
“It’s definitely unique. Andrew will need to step up his game.”
With those encouraging remarks, Sawyer grabbed his bag and exited her car. He’d intended to stride to the house with purpose, but he limped like he’d just survived a war. Kelsey rolled down her window and poked her head outside so he could hear her wicked laughter as she drove away. He actually had to stop and massage a cramp in his right calf when he reached the porch. If Royce had energetic sex in mind, he might be disappointed because all Sawyer wanted to do was sprawl on the couch. Dolly and Bones were waiting for him in the foyer when he opened the door. Not unusual, but there was a frantic energy radiating off them that made him a little nervous about what he might find.
“Honey, I’m ho—”
His words died on his lips when he raised his head and saw Royce standing in the center of the living room, wearing white rubber boots that came up to his knees and the pair of pinkflamingo booty shorts that barely covered his ass. Sawyer had a similar pair, but they had blue sharks all over them. They’d randomly purchased the shorts and matching bucket hats from a souvenir shop in Put-in-Bay during their honeymoon. Royce looked so ridiculous that it took Sawyer a minute to process what exactly he was seeing.
His husband had moved all the furniture to the edges of the room so that the focal point was the large area rug Royce had given him a thorough fucking on just the previous weekend. Then he noticed a commercial rug shampooer off to the side. It was black, and Royce had taken some kind of white tape or stickers to make it look like Darth Vader. But Royce had taken letter stickers and spelled out Dirt Vader instead. Sawyer suspected the machine was the source of agitation he detected from their pets.
“It’s about time you got home.” Royce raked his gaze over Sawyer, taking in his sweaty, disheveled condition. “What the hell did they do to you at Pilates?”
Sawyer dropped his bag to the floor and walked into the living room. “Torture. Plain and simple. I have muscles I didn’t know existed, and they’re weak and pitiful.” He stopped when he reached Royce and took his face in both hands. “I fucking love you so much. This is the best birthday surprise ever.”
“And I haven’t even started my demonstration yet.”